Gauteng Adventures

My sister has been living in Johannesburg for quite a few years and I occasionally get the chance to go up and spend some time with her. I usually (actually always) plan my stay around the time that Hobby-X is on, as we love our crafts. I flew up on Kulula to Lanseria airport on Thursday 1 September and Carryn and family were waiting to welcome me. We all hopped in the car (little did I know we were going to do a lot of that) and went to have our first coffee of the weekend.
Cappuccino’s at Second Cup 

On Friday morning Carryn took me to the well known 4th Avenue in Parkhurst. We had cappuccino’s (delicious) at 4th Avenue Coffee Roasters and then went to choose some stationery at Liberty Bespoke. Carryn and I have been following Liberty Bespoke on social media with lots of oohing and aahing over their beautiful cards, journals and tags. It was fabulous to be able to look through all their stock and i’m hoping that they will stock a shop here in Kloof / Hillcrest sometime.

After Liberty Bespoke we met with Danielle Franco of Bush Telegraph Publicity at Espresso Cafe and Bistro and I had another cappuccino (actually 2). She also had a meeting with Claire Allen so we got to meet her too! So looking forward to the Durban Good Food and Wine Show where Claire Allen will be appearing in October.

Claire Allen, Me, Danielle Franco and my sister Carryn

Next up on our adventures was visiting Bean There Coffee Company at 44 Stanley Avenue in Milpark. I didn’t have a cappuccino as I had already had 3! I did however buy 2 bags of beans – DR Congo and Olga’s Reserve. We were feeling very hungry and decided to have lunch at Vovo Telo.

I have never been to Montecasino and i’m so glad we could go and see it. I am very, very impressed at the work that went into the buildings. Montecasino is filled with fabulous restaurants and shops.

Cioccoccino at Fego Cafe, Montecasino
After Montecasino we drove straight to St Mingo’s Church to attend a fundraising auction raising funds to build a school in Diepsloot.
Carryn & I enjoying ice cream and Bar One Sauce – yummy!

On Saturday morning we drove through to the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria to attend Hobby-X. It was a smaller Hobby-X show than the ones we have been to before in Johannesburg but we saw great crafts on display. We were thrilled with all our purchases – especially all the craft magazines!

On the way to the arena we saw how close the Voortrekker Monument was and since none of us had been before we decided on the spur of the moment to go and see it. If you have never been to see the Voortrekker Monument then I really encourage you to take a trip there. It is simply awe inspiring.

Museum of costumes from the Pretoria State Theatre

Entrance to the Voortrekker Monument

Some of the marble panels and feautures inside the building

Viewing areas on top of the building and the very scary view down

Huge statues are on all 4 corners of the building

We were exhausted after our busy walking day (swollen feet as well) so it was decided that we would stop off at Spur at Cradlestone Mall for supper. Fabulous steak and very friendly service.

On Sunday I woke up sad to know that I only had a few hours left to spend with my sister, but I also knew that we still had lots to see and do. First on the agenda was a trip to Sandton City as I had a voucher to spend at Steve Madden. Carryn helped me choose beautiful boots and a floral clutch bag. We also went to look at the Nelson Mandela statue. Then I got to ride on the Gautrain! It was a short but very fun ride from Sandton to Rosebank.

Gautrain trip

Our first stop after the train ride was Starbucks in Rosebank. Carryn warned me not to order a cappuccino and I heeded her advice by ordering a White Chocolate Mocha which I really enjoyed. Then it was time to spend the voucher that I had for Rosebank Mall. I bought a lovely denim skirt from Edgars, fabulous leather sandals from Tsonga and some rings from Colette by Colette Hayman.

After all the shopping we were desperate for coffee and we decided to go to Father Coffee for cappuccino’s. Then Carryn got me to try a Krispy Kreme doughnut – yummy!

Father Coffee, Krispy Kreme and
Flora Blend Bar
We had seen about the Flora Blend Bar on Facebook and knew it was somewhere inside The Zone @ Rosebank. It was supposed to be a quick stop in to look at it but we ended up staying and having lunch there. There are a lot of options on the menu and all are made with Flora margarine. You can choose 3 items for R45 and then a drink option is extra. We all decided to have cappuccinos from Motherland coffee. It was fascinating watching the margarine making demonstration.
Vegetarian mini quiche, Carrot & apple muffin with cream
 cheese icing, Red pepper pate and homemade bread

After the Flora Blend Bar we raced back to Carryn’s house to finalise my packing and then had to hop back in the car with my bulging suitcase and race to Lanseria. Shew! Very surprised that I wasn’t overweight. Great flight back home to Durban with Kulula again.

So sad that the Gauteng Adventures were over

Thank you Carryn, Brett and Joshua for an amazing time!! I felt like a tourist in Gauteng and loved all the adventures that we went on – even the swollen and sore feet 😉

Author: Nicola Meyer

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