Lunchbreak in Stellenbosch

For Sale?

"Do you want to sell your van?" 400 euro cash. Call Albert


What do you think. Is it worth the money?

The Best of...

Ever planning on travelling to Cape Town? Here are some inside tips from an outsider...

- Best Lunch spot: Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay. From the outside it looks like a closed down night club, but the food, pastries and cookies are the best. Try the croissant with feta and grilled vegetables.
- Best Climb: Lions head. You probably expected to see Table Mountain listed here, but Lions Head is a little bit easier plus while climbing you get a 360 degree view over the city.
- Best Park: Kirstenbosch. Unfortunately you have to pay to get in, because it is a botanical garden, but it is worth it. Especially in summer in combination with a Sunday afternoon concert. Take a picknick.
-Best Fish Food Experience: Die Strandloper in Langebaan (or it's brother in Yzerfontein). Basically it is a fish braai on the beach. The food is prepared under your nose. Lunch starts at 12h and finishes 7 courses later at 16.30h. BYOB (wine and water will do)
- Best Cheese And Wine Lunch: Fairview in Paarl. It's cheap and delicious. Order wine, a salad and pick all of the cheeses on the menu you fancy. The portions look small, but once you start eating it with the fresh ciabatta you get with it....mmmmmmm. Don't worry; it will be enough.
- Best Ice Cream: Sinnfull in Camps Bay. Be prepared to stand in line.
- Best Beer: Black Label. It is fresh and a bit creamy, not bitter. If you wanna drink a lot without getting drunk to quickly, try Windhoek Light. It fresh, but still real beer.
- Best Supermarket: Woolworths, if money is not a consideration. Otherwise, Checkers.
- Best German Deli And Supermarket: Who can do without? The one on the ground floor in Gardens Shopping Centre. Great Salami, great sausage. They even sell stroopwafels, drop and pea soup (which are not German at all, but Dutch).
- Best Cinema: Labia on Orange. It's a lovely little old theatre that shows art house movies for only 25 rand. The lady behind the popcorn counter can get a little stressed when she has to sell tickets too, but deep down she is a lovely woman.
- Best Place To Go For A Sunset: Signal Hill. You can drive there and pick any view of the city you want. Bring wine.
- Best Pizza Place: NONNA LINNA. Yes, in capitals! It is by far the best pizza I ever had. Thin crust, right amount of cheese, golden oldies next to surprising new varieties and inexpensive, great seasoning. The fresh pasta is good too.
- Best Smoothies: Kauai.
- Best Beach: I like Camps Bay, because the bars are just a stones throw away, but when the South Easter is blowing it is better to go to Clifton no. 2 or 3. (There are 4 little beaches in Clifton, each of them has a number, insiders think there is even a Clifton 2,5 which is basically a little strip of sand that gets covered completely when the tide is high)
- Best Place To Go To For A Day And Escape The City: Langebaan Lagune. Do not get fooled by the little town of Langebaan itself, which is ugly and fallen prey to property developers. Go into the National Park and drive all the way up to Church Haven.

(This entry is NOT sponsored by any of the businesses named or any other for that matter)

North and South

I still cannot get used to the idea of X-mas in summer. As a Northern Hemisphere girl I don't think I ever will. The X-mas decorations for this year are already available and this girl is checking them out. In her shorts, her flip flops and sleeveless top! Aren’t those supposed to be a thick winter coat, leather boots and jeans with panties under them? So for all you Northern people out there: here is a little taste of X-mas in the Southern Hemisphere.

It's worse when they're white.......

Although in general black means poor and white means rich, it doesn't mean that there are no black people who are rich or white people who are poor.
The other day I took a walk and within 10 minutes I came across these two white beggars. I have to admit that seeing white people on the streets has more of an impact on me than when I see black people beg. Bad isn't it? Like it is worse when beggars are white than when they are black. The only thing that makes me feel a little less awful is that Nelson Mandela himself made the same observation in his Long Walk To Freedom when he encountered a white beggar back in the fifties.
Since coming to o South Africa I am more aware of the differences between the different coloured people in the world. I.e. I am convinced that when a certain disease would kill hundreds of people a day in France of Germany or the UK the rest of the (western) world would stumble over each other to help or intervene. I don't see that in South Africa where HIV/Aids takes hundreds of lives a day. Sure, there are a lot of NGO's and people helping out. But a massive intervention? I don't think so.

Oh, in case you are wondering.....The guy in the top picture lives of a state pension of 850 rand a month. His rent is 700 rand a month. He worked al his life in the shipping industry as a welder. I asked him if he didn't save for an extra pension while working. Sure, he answered. But he has taken all the money out of the funds early and spend it on (in his own words) "cars, motorbikes and beautiful women".