Winter Magic


6 Reasons to love winter in the Cape

Winter in the Cape is underrated. So much in fact, that Cape Town and the Western Cape as a whole struggle with tourist numbers every year. Visitors, come! There is no reason to avoid the Cape in winter. In fact it has become one of my favourite seasons.

Reason number one

Less traffic – way less traffic. And I mean not only on the road. No queues to most tourist attractions, no need to book a restaurant two weeks in advance. The city is not as congested as it is in peak season.

Reason number two

The wind – there is basically no wind in winter. Have you been to the Cape in summer and experienced the South Easter? Then you know what I mean. In winter, there is basically no wind in the Cape.

Reason number three

Sunsets – the most beautiful sunsets are unarguably in autumn and in winter. Especially on a cloudy day. Remember what they say: beautiful sunsets require cloudy skies.

Reason number four

Really affordable – prices fall for locals. You can find a lot of restaurants offering winter menus at reduced prices. Even weekend get-aways are becoming more affordable for locals when the influx of foreigners with stronger currencies wears down.

Reason number five

Sunny days – and there are plenty. Winter in the Cape is rainy season. That’s true, but the rain usually never lasts too long. A few rainy days are usually followed by as many (if not more) days with temperatures rising to a gentle low twenty. Ideal for beach or prom walks, lazy lunches in the sun or visiting a wine farm and buying some red for those rainier days.

Reason number 6

Fireplaces – who doesn’t love them? And I am happy to announce that I have just learned how to make a fire in a fire place! My first one!

Lagos, Nigeria


You probably won’t just go to Lagos as a tourist. You will probably only go if you are an expat going for work, a spouse of an expat or if you happen to marry a Nigerian. I went for work. Having lived in South Africa for 12 years now, I am well aware that SA is not necessarily Africa, hence I knew that something completely different was going to await me .But I am not sure if I was prepared. I guess I wasn’t. Continue reading “Lagos, Nigeria”

Next Stop: Angola


It looks like I’m about to visit my third African destination. Considering that I am living in Africa this is actually a shame. Whenever someone asks me how many countries I’ve already visited in Africa, I always say the same thing: “I think I will come back to Africa to explore once I live in Europe again because at the moment I spend all my holidays mostly in Europe, mainly to visit friends and family”.
So, this morning I received the news that my visa for Angola was ready!!! After just 2 days!!! Record time, I believe! All ready for my business trip to Luanda and my visit to my third African country end of this month –  to make it sound even more shameful: Angola will be my second sub-Saharan country (I’ve been to Egypt, but for some odd and unexplainable reason Egypt isn’t typical African to me).

I have no idea what to expect and to be honest I am even a bit nervous. It’s for the first time ever in my life that I’m nervous before a trip. It feels like I am going to the REAL Africa.  South Africa is in  so many aspects comparable to a first world country (at least the parts of Jo’burg I live and work in – coming back to my mission to make Jo’burg look more favourable) that I don’t feel like I am in Africa most of the time.

So, watch this space to hear more about Luanda after my trip..

Greetings from Cape Town (which also feels more like Europe than Africa..)