Strolling through a leafy Weybridge park, past garden allotments where the first green spring shoots were tentatively emerging, I glanced up and stopped in surprise. High up, on the topmost point of the St James church steeple, where jet contrails streaked the sky,...
While it’s sizzling hot in South Africa in January, thousands of kilometres away in Switzerland, in a picturesque town about two hours’ drive from Geneva, balloonists gather annually for a spectacular festival. Chateau d’Oex (pronounced “day”), located in the Swiss...
The garden of five senses in the French mediaeval town of Yvoire was an unexpected find, its tranquil, timeless setting a striking contrast to the previous day’s adventures. I had travelled with a friend, whose son is an electronic, world, and jazz musician, to the...
It’s no secret that Italy’s battling with overtourism. During the May 2025 long weekend, about 75 000 people descended on the lakeside town of Sirmione, which has a permanent population of only 8 000. Similarly, the historic centre of Venice is home to fewer than...
The recent movie The Brutalist has put brutalist architecture ‒ which showcases bare, rough building materials, and focuses on structural rather than decorative elements ‒ under the spotlight. How timely and thoughtful, then, that on a visit to London, my architect...
Soetmelksvlei, Babylonstoren’s farm girl sister, was in seclusion for four years before her official debut in May 2024. A country girl, she differs in appearance and personality from the better-known, more glamorous Babylonstoren, but she has her own charm and...
