Category:

Travel

Soaking it Up at Gabrielskloof

by belinda September 16, 2020

Sponsored post

Let me tell you a little story.

When I was six I was sent from our farm to boarding school in Grahamstown. There weren’t a lot of girls in my Sub A class, so most of my friends were boys. Every break time we tore around that massive playground playing catches and even though I was pretty fast, I wasn’t a match for some of those boys. But I kept trying. And I have such a specific memory of running through this patch of trees chasing after my friend Grant and feeling this huge well of frustration because I couldn’t catch him – he was too damn fast.

September 16, 2020 0 comment

Family Travel

Moving Mountains

by belinda September 13, 2020

Sorry (not sorry)…had to use that title – ’twas inevitable. So, we’re moving to The Netherlands soon. With the debacle that is COVID, our exact timing is difficult to lock down at this point, but we’re planning for late December, so the kids can start school in January. They will be going to an international school that is partly subsidised by the Dutch government, so they’ll be taught in English. These types of schools were established in order to encourage expats like ourselves to settle in The Netherlands for a bit, build businesses and contribute to the economy and society generally.

September 13, 2020 3 comments

Travel

Wanderlust

by belinda April 21, 2020

As we sit at home, I suppose it’s natural that I’m thinking more about travel these days. All the places I’ve been. If I’ll be able to go to other places I’ve always wanted to go in the future. I don’t know exactly how this pandemic will change our lives moving forward, but I do know that it will change things. Will we still be able to travel the globe as easily? Will we still want to?

April 21, 2020 3 comments

Travel

I Actually Don’t Find Holidays Relaxing

by belinda January 11, 2020

This may not be the most widely accepted opinion but I don’t actually find these end-of-year holidays (the December ones specifically) relaxing at all. Everyone outwardly moans about coming home in January and starting school and work, but I actually love it. I feel calmer at home. There is order. Quiet. Routine. I feel healthier and more peaceful, inside and out. Is that a weird thing to admit?

January 11, 2020 4 comments

Travel

Things Greece Taught Me

by belinda August 2, 2019

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks. I finally feel like the dust has settled a bit, so I can return to my online space and pause, reflect and write. I know travel stories are not always interesting to people who are not planning on visiting the same place, so I won’t dwell on what we did or what we saw, but rather on what my trip to Greece taught me – because there was a lot to learn.

That’s what makes travel of this sort so valuable actually…the time to simply think about things, away from daily demands or people (lovely as they are) who require your attention. It’s the ultimate luxury, time to think. Anyway, this is what I learned while on holiday in Greece for 10 days:

August 2, 2019 0 comment

Travel

A Woman Travelling Alone

by belinda July 15, 2019

I read something recently by writer Liz Gilbert on the joy of sitting at a restaurant alone, enjoying a meal, and simply observing the life around you. It really resonated, especially yesterday – as I sat at a sidewalk cafe under an Athens sky flinging the odd rain drop on to my head, and sipped on my beer, and lazily ate my salad. I noticed the couple at the table next to me exchange a sexy glance. I saw the waitress and waiter giggle about something behind their fists. I glimpsed a bird wheeling above. My sister had already headed back home to England so I asked for a table for one, ate my lunch alone, and it was WONDERFUL. Some people get lonely. I get energised.

July 15, 2019 5 comments