The countryside around Riebeek Kasteel
From our base in Tulbagh we followed a circular drive to Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel, visiting Jan Smuts birthplace just outside Riebeek West.
Bain’s Kloof Pass, Cape Province
Andrew Geddes Bains is legendary in South Africa for his ingeniously engineered mountain passes and poorts. Bain’s Kloof Pass was his first mountain pass and connected Wellington with Ceres and Tulbagh. The 30km pass was built in four years, 1849-1853, … Continued
Wellington in the Cape Province
We landed early in Cape Town and were in Wellington in time for early morning coffee at The Perfect Place.
Gatwick to Cape Town
Gatwick really has very little to recommend it while waiting for a flight. You can eat (and many people were) and shop (sort of) but the building is not attractive. The BA Lounge (temporary) provided a welcome refuge however and it … Continued
The Palaces in Florence
Renaissance Florence was politically and economically extraordinarily powerful and the ruling élite built suitably grand homes for themselves in the centre of the City. The Strozzi Palace was built in the 15C for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a political rival to … Continued
The Piazza della Signoria, Florence
The Piazza della Signoria is dominated by the 14C Palazzo Vecchio, the Town Hall of Florence. The building became ‘The Old Palace’ when the Medicis moved into the Pitti Palace across the river. The Piazza is spectacular at night!
The Bargello Museum in Florence
The building that is now The Bargello Museum dates back to the 13C, and in the 16C it was the headquarters of the police, the ‘bargello’, and was used as a prison. The museum was established in the 19C. And … Continued
The Pitti Palace in Florence
The Pitti Palace dates from the mid-1400s and was the town residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. In the mid 1500s it was bought by the Medici family. We visited in order to see the paintings, particularly those by … Continued