We've just returned from Johannesburg, South Africa where we attended the wedding of our niece. I love weddings... we each 'interpret' our dreams in such an individual way! I'm particularly 'nuts' about wedding cakes, flowes and general 'wedding decor' and was delighted to see...
Fairy lights and suspended crystals inbetween beautifully arranged, hanging circles of flowers...
The wedding was held in Modderfontein (just outside Johannesburg) at the Champetre conference and spa centre, in an old refurbished barn. It was a lovely wedding and the weather was kind enough for the ceremony to be held outdoors. We didn't need coats or brollies, it was a glorious spring evening and a good time was had by all. We really enjoyed catching up with old friends and long lost family members and we danced until our shoes just had to come off.
We spent the first few nights we were in South Africa, at a B and B in Eastleigh Ridge (just up the road from where I grew up) and if you're ever in need of a safe, clean, friendly place to stay in the Eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, I can definitely recommend that you give Glynnis at the Comfort On Cabot a visit. She was most helpful in every regard (including offering the use of the office phone).
It's not your typical B and B - the owners don't live on site so you're not living 'in their home'. Which I like. The rooms stretch out along the lenth of the 'house' and the beautifully appointed kitchen, dining room, patio and lounge are at the end of the house. You go through two sets of security gates to get onto the property, and there's not a hope of anyone climbing over the walls to surprise you - which meant I could sleep soundly at night.
This is a picture of the first gate, on the road... you drive through, close the gate (with a remote controller) and then open the next gate.
The B and B is in a secure suburb accessed through a security boom manned by a professional security agency - which you can catch a glimpse of at the end of this street... all in all... I have to say that we never felt 'unsafe' or 'threatened' at any stage of our visit to South Africa.
Johannesburg has changed a LOT since we left. The ever changing/growing highway system is amazing and definitely world class. There were times when we were most grateful for the GPS we borrowed. That said, local councils seem to have dropped the ball in most suburbs and suburban roads aren't quite up to scratch at the moment, particularly in rural areas. See! I'm ever the optimist.
Huge shopping centres abound. I have never seen so many new developments! Business and industrial parks are springing up on every available piece of empty land. Housing developments stretch as far as the eye can see! Things are happening and a lot of people are making a lot of money. Generally, people are a lot more upbeat than they've been in years. People with jobs, that is.
And therein lies the crunch. The same crunch the rest of the world is experiencing really. Not enough work to keep everybody clothed, housed and properly fed. So crime is still a problem and you still have to be wary of where you drive/park and what you do. That said, I can honestly vouch for the fact that we didn't feel 'threatened' in any way, even once.
Hope does happen!
April Blackbird
Fairy lights and suspended crystals inbetween beautifully arranged, hanging circles of flowers...
The wedding was held in Modderfontein (just outside Johannesburg) at the Champetre conference and spa centre, in an old refurbished barn. It was a lovely wedding and the weather was kind enough for the ceremony to be held outdoors. We didn't need coats or brollies, it was a glorious spring evening and a good time was had by all. We really enjoyed catching up with old friends and long lost family members and we danced until our shoes just had to come off.
We spent the first few nights we were in South Africa, at a B and B in Eastleigh Ridge (just up the road from where I grew up) and if you're ever in need of a safe, clean, friendly place to stay in the Eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, I can definitely recommend that you give Glynnis at the Comfort On Cabot a visit. She was most helpful in every regard (including offering the use of the office phone).
It's not your typical B and B - the owners don't live on site so you're not living 'in their home'. Which I like. The rooms stretch out along the lenth of the 'house' and the beautifully appointed kitchen, dining room, patio and lounge are at the end of the house. You go through two sets of security gates to get onto the property, and there's not a hope of anyone climbing over the walls to surprise you - which meant I could sleep soundly at night.
This is a picture of the first gate, on the road... you drive through, close the gate (with a remote controller) and then open the next gate.
The B and B is in a secure suburb accessed through a security boom manned by a professional security agency - which you can catch a glimpse of at the end of this street... all in all... I have to say that we never felt 'unsafe' or 'threatened' at any stage of our visit to South Africa.
Johannesburg has changed a LOT since we left. The ever changing/growing highway system is amazing and definitely world class. There were times when we were most grateful for the GPS we borrowed. That said, local councils seem to have dropped the ball in most suburbs and suburban roads aren't quite up to scratch at the moment, particularly in rural areas. See! I'm ever the optimist.
Huge shopping centres abound. I have never seen so many new developments! Business and industrial parks are springing up on every available piece of empty land. Housing developments stretch as far as the eye can see! Things are happening and a lot of people are making a lot of money. Generally, people are a lot more upbeat than they've been in years. People with jobs, that is.
And therein lies the crunch. The same crunch the rest of the world is experiencing really. Not enough work to keep everybody clothed, housed and properly fed. So crime is still a problem and you still have to be wary of where you drive/park and what you do. That said, I can honestly vouch for the fact that we didn't feel 'threatened' in any way, even once.
Hope does happen!
April Blackbird
2 comments:
It reminds me so much of Australia! No wonder you guys like it there in Sydney!
Arabella
Such a great insight into a very volatile location - how relevant for those who must wonder often of visiting but be frightened away by the prospect of crime.
So glad you had such a great time!
BB
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