07
Mar
posted by morena at 15:00 comment View Comments

“Suut Africa,” she would write on the blackboard. Then the stories would come and we would imagine climbing up Table Mountain with her for a picnic, with a spectacular view of Cape Town. Or we would go on safari, marvelling at the speed of the springbok, sniffing a “suikerbossie” (sugarbush) and meeting her friends out… read more »

22
Feb
posted by Richard de Nooy at 09:43 comment View Comments

I am a barbarian who knows next to nothing about classical music. Amsterdam boasts one of the world’s greatest orchestras, but I have never seen it perform. I couldn’t tell Beethoven from Mozart or Brahms from Bartok. I didn’t even know that the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; RCO) and Het Concertgebouw (Amsterdam’s Concert Hall)… read more »

14
Feb
posted by Marleen Veldhuis at 12:02 comment View Comments

Valentine’s Day on 14 February is the day of love. But for me there’s nothing more romantic than spending time with my loved ones. On 1 December last year, my husband Camiel and I flew with our two-year-old daughter Hannah to Cape Town, South Africa, for a four-week holiday. It’s hard to know where to… read more »

25
May
posted by Richard de Nooy at 13:17 comment View Comments

What do these three have in common? Any ideas? Here’s a hint: they are NOT the secret ingredients of an international stew served at United Nations banquets. Shikaakwa, al-Qāhira and Guichéng are the original names of cities that start with the letter C in English. Welcome to Part III of my alphabetical series on the… read more »

02
Mar
posted by Richard de Nooy at 14:00 comment View Comments

“People always seem to have time for brunch in Cape Town.” That was the answer I gave to a journalist who asked what I thought was the main difference between Cape Town and Johannesburg. I could have mentioned the climate, the spectacular scenery, or even the inclination to uphold (Cape Town) or ignore (Johannesburg) traffic… read more »