Tassels Twigs and Tastebuds: By Invitation Only ~ My City ~ My Life

Monday, 5 March 2012

By Invitation Only ~ My City ~ My Life

Good morning all!

It is time for our monthly "By Invitation Only Post" hosted by my friend Marsha from Splenderosa and this month we get to take you all on a tour of the place we call home.

So, hop on the bus and lets take a tour....for free this time!

And yes, as citizens of The Mother City, we truly...

Live it! and Love it!

Now, we were also supposed to tell you where we began. So here goes...

I was born in the remote town of Zeerust in the North West Province of South Africa in what we commonly call " The Bushveld" over here. Actually, I was born quite close to the border with Botswana on a farm. Much of my childhood was spent in the City of Gold, Johannesburg and for the last twenty seven years I have been privileged to live in the fabulous city of Cape Town!

This is the view from my bedroom window at sunset...

And this grand view is a short drive from my home...

This is called Table View beach, for obvious reasons, and no matter what we do around here, our slab of granite is an ever present adornment to our everyday lives. When we are away from home on holiday, and we do not see it everyday, there is a distinct void in our lives. Each time I return home on the plane my heart skips a beat when the mountain comes into view and I know, I'm home! Driving the long road from somewhere, someone will always yell out....there's the mountain!, when it hazily appears on the horizon. Everyone strains their eyes to be able to see it first, and it is always a competition to see who spots it first!

This is where we walk on the beach with our dogs , or the long promenade. And where we have enjoyed many a stunning sunset!

I have started writing a blog on Cape Town called
Mother City Magic (click here)

I have not paid it enough attention, and really need to develop it properly and it is now high on my list of priorities to share my beautiful city and the the beautiful people with the world.

There is so much to share...

Of, course , no visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up the mountain and I recently went up after a long absence!

A view of the City Bowl from Table Mountain and in the direction of my home, across the bay, which is just beneath the hills to the right called Tygerberg.

Saturday mornings are for grabbing your basket and making your way to the Neighbour Goods Market ( please click) in Woodstock. The market is situated in an old biscuit mill. First of all, you go to have a fabulous breakfast, anything from Champagne and oysters to good old fashioned scrambled eggs. The vibe is always fantastic and the parade of people a never ending source of entertainment. Oh , and in between a glass of morning wine you stock the larder for the next week.What a way to shop... Fresh fish, fruit and veg, flowers...you name they got it!
And, the conversation...well, lets just say...it revolves around food and wine, with the stall holders, friends and any stranger with a willing ear and an opinion or a recipe at hand!

A favourite spot, not only for the myriad of tourists, but also for us locals is the V & A Waterfront. There is a huge shopping centre and loads of world class restaurants , hotels and places of interest all within a working harbour environment.

Always a very festive and hip and happening place to be any time of the day or night!

And , when there is a passenger liner docked it seems to be even more festive and we sit with drinks watching the ever changing parade of tourists!

On this occasion it was a ship called " The World" and for those of you who do not know, it is in fact not a holiday cruise liner but people actually live on " The World" while it constantly cruises around the world! How about that? Interested?

There are always a few bands playing and normally a marimba band and the visitors get in the spirit and start dancing!

The Wheel of Excellence (please click) has now been moved to within the Waterfront and is very popular!

The Aquarium is truly an interesting place, especially if you are as snap happy with your camera as I am!

Creatures large and small and all very fascinating! You feel like diving in the Shark tank?

We take the New Years celebration a step further here in Cape Town and celebrate what is known as a Second New Year with the Mistral's Colourful Parade (please click) on the second of January come rain or shine...

A fabulously colourful and fun event!

The beach is never far away and beach picnics at sunset on Clifton's fourth beach is a summer treat.

There are always yachts about and many sunset cruises anchor here for an hour or two.

Greenmarket Square (please click for post) is a vibrant place, especially on a Friday when it is a thorough fare to the Mosque and it is also the place to shop for some amazing local art and craft.

It is great to stand and watch the artists at work...

Ahhh... Long Street....

Life on the Bohemian Long is a culture all on its own and just the place to try the night life.

Many a little "hole in the wall" establishments provides amazing fare.

A favourite decor shop Tribal Trends can be found on Long Street and is just a treasure trove of finds from all over South Africa. And the displays are breathtakingly beautiful.

Crocodile sandwich? I'll make it snappy...

There is just so much to share...

Of, course, I live just across the way from a gorgeous wine estate and the start of one of the many wines routes! Apart from that, the picturesque student town of Stellenbosch and also Franschoek is just a short drive away and two of my favourite hang outs!

So much wine... and so little time...sigh....

The picture above was taken at Fairview Wine Estate in Paarl who produces the Goats do Roam label. I saw a bottle on a fellow bloggers blog from Canada and she was enjoying the wine label, as much as the wine. So, I took a trip to Fairview and posted it for her to see, where her wine was from. By the way, I will be featuring her in my next Blog it Forward Series!

Waterford wine Estate is a firm favourite... actually it is impossible to have favourites...

No visit is complete without a trip to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and of course, the world famous stage backed by the mountains have been host to all the greatest artist. Here we are at the annual Christmas Carols by Candle Light concert.

Do you feel like I have you on and off the carousel or rather the bus?
Are you exhausted?

And I haven't even taken you shopping at our enormous shopping mall called Canal walk. Tell you what, you get an early night, and I will pick you up early so we can dodge the tourist buses!!