Icy and cold conditions, had us all meeting at Vosloorus
Petroport, for our run to Her Majestea`s in the historic town of Heidelberg.
After stocking up with hot drinks and snacks (a few Old Brown Sherries would
have been welcome), we departed for the Suikerbosrand Nature reserve for a
leisurely meander. There was not much game to be seen, possibly due to the high
grass adjacent to the roads, and the MX5 not being the ideal game spotting
vehicle. We did however manage to spot a large herd of Gemsbok, a few Impala,
and some Wildebeest in the distance. Some people however said they spotted
Jackals, Rhino`s and Leopards. (Too much Old Brown I think) We stopped at the
picnic area and fortunately weather improved somewhat. We then headed for the
exit gate and turned due south to Heidelberg.
Stopped at Jasmyn Nursery, which had some pretty unusual
arts and crafts on display. The ladies were given gifts of succulent plants in
little silver pots, as this run was mainly for Mother`s Day which was the week
before. Then onto the museum for a quick bit of a photography shoot. The museum
itself, like everything else in Heidelberg was closed on Sundays.
Then on to Her Majestea`s restaurant, a very quaint
restaurant in an old house, with a lot of Victorian Décor throughout. The meal
itself was a very tasty home cooked meal, and the deserts were unusual, so a
lot of swapping and tasting took place, in order for everyone to taste the
large variety on offer. The variety of teas on offer has to the most I have
ever encountered in South Africa. We discussed the history of Heidelberg and
the road to Durban, in the old days. The route from Johannesburg to Durban,
took travellers through the towns of
Alberton, Heidelberg, Standerton, Newcastle, Escourt, Howick, Pietermaritzburg and then onto Durban. No wonder a trip to Durban was ten hours or longer. Also, there were no Petroports or Ultra cities for your convenience en route. That was the “good old days”?
