Arty and Crafty!

This past month, I've been road tripping around South Africa, introducing my BF to my roots and actually discovering places even I had never seen! We had such a jol (South African slang meaning "fun"). Within a month we drove 9000kms, no corner was left unturned, we basically saw everything there was too see - well almost we left a few places out for our next visit...smart of me hey, hehe). Anyways, along the road there were all these street vendors selling nicely crafted souvenirs. My boyfriend starts to bargain and I can't help but cringe as the prices keep getting lower and lower and lower. See I wasn't raised liked that, I can't bargain to save my soul, I always feel that I am cheating people out of their livelihood. So they finally agree on a ridiculously low price , and my boyfriend looks at me and says "Come on, don't be like that, he is still making a profit". That may be so, but I still felt uneasy as if we were cheating them. The funniest part was that along with the vendors I kept trying to get my boyfriend go up with the prices...Let's just say he was not very impressed with me! I'm a big softy - changes have been implemented to change that facet of my personnality.

Everywhere we went the same kept happening, he would bargain and I would hide, and so it went until we arrived at the Rosebank Craft market in Johannesburg, where a huge sign read "THIS IS AFRICA, WE BARGAIN"! Needless to say my significant other took great pleasure in teasing me.....-time to work on 'em bargaining skills!!!

Photos: Just some of the items we brought back!

Promenade a Porté Puymorens

Some sceneries from my hiking trip in the Pyrenean mountains.

there's a zulu on my stoop!

When I was told that a South African dance troup was performing in Montpellier, I just had to go and see them. It was nothing innovative, nothing I hadn't already seen, but just seeing the dancers perform and the crowd go wild for people from my homeland was pure joy. Seeing the pride they took in their performance and watching their bodies move to the sounds of the drum gave me a little chill and for a slight instant I felt like I was home!

Amsterdam

Roaming the streets of Amsterdam was an absolute pleasure. I didn't quite know what to expect, as it is mostly known for it's nightlife, and lenient laws with regards to prostitution and marijuana. However the Amsterdam I discovered is a cultural jewel; a beautiful cosmopolitan city that has a lot more to offer, with it's unique Dutch architecture, romantic channels and museums. You could simply lose yourselve in the Reijkmuseum, admiring the work of Dutch masters such as Rembrandt or Vermeer to name but a few. For my part I was blown away at every turn, discovering and learning new facts abouth the Netherlands and myself!

Amsterdam is a city of diversity, of extremes and of contradictions which blend pretty well together, making it one of the most interesting places I've ever seen!

Versailles

More pictures from my little parisian get away. Despite my numerous trips to Paris, I still hadn't seen The Chateau de Versailles, and decided to attend to the matter by spending a day admiring the chateau and it's stunning grounds. To be quite franck I was a little disappointed. My overactive imagination and childhood fairytales are to blame I suppose. However, if unlike me, you are realistic then I do recommend Versailles. It is a mere half an hour from Paris by RER and quite worth the detour. We happened upon the fresh produce market and what a joy it was strolling about the streets of Versailles before heading for the palace. An A+ day!!!

The Iron Lady

Lion park

A few kilometers north of Johannesburg lies the lion park. An enchanting little reserve where it is possible to encounter lions as the names suggest, but also various other species native to Africa. It was with great enthusiasm that we came across cheetahs, girafes and several types of antelopes and bucks. The highlight for me however was being able to play and interact with the lion cubs. They were just too cute and cuddly!!!

I love ze mountains and ze snow

(Mont Aigoual, Cevennes février 2009)

A fun filled afternoon spent discovering the Cevennes. There I discovered the joys of sliding downhill, followed by snowball battles and sighseeing. The Cevennes is a mountanous range situated in the region of Languedoc Roussillon in Southern France. In the winter it is possible to go skying, sliding etc... whereas in the summer you can enjoy hiking, canoeing and various other activities. Another of France's regions worth seeing.