Algoa Bay boasts 40 km of magnificent beaches and, with its perfect combination of warm water, calm sea and fair breezes, it is one of the best sailing venues in the world, and a mecca for all beach and watersports enthusiasts.

The Southern Beaches offer safe and sheltered swimming, body surfing, sunbathing, boardsailing, excellent waves and surfing opportunities as well as interesting inter-tidal sealife while the Northern Beaches offer vast stretches of sand and dunes ideal for long beach walks as well as providing superb angling and swimming opportunities.

WILDLIFE

The Valley Bushveld, less than an hour from Port Elizabeth, has a higher density of animals, birds and insects than any other similar area on earth. Guides take you almost within touching distance of Africa’s legendary wild game and you can experience the sounds and sights of Africa in a malaria-free environment. The evening silence may be disturbed by the howl of the black-backed jackal and each dawn, you’ll awaken to the call of bizarre birds. Much of the vegetation consists of succulent plants, loved by elephants, rhino, kudu and other animals. And they’re on call every day.

SIGHTS

Jeffrey’s Bay

A picturesque town only 70km from Port Elizabeth. More than 30km of unspoilt beaches and safe swimming make Jeffrey’s Bay ideal for families. This is also one of the world's best surfing spots. Its legendary Super Tubes are one of the world's top ten breaks. There are also less demanding breaks, and for first-timers, there’s a surfing school.

For dry-land sports nuts there is golf, tennis, squash, horse riding, cycling and hiking. And if you’ve never tried it, lawn bowls is a true art!

Jeffrey’s Bay is world famous for seashells — over 400 types recorded. The Shell Museum, opposite Main Beach, leads you into the amazing world of shells. Local craftsmen offer delicate shell art.

End your day at the Walskipper Restaurant. Overlooking magnificent St. Francis Bay, this one-of-a kind restaurant has a beachy and informal atmosphere. The floors are of sand, the waitresses barefoot, fires blaze and good smells drift from the ‘braai’, or barbecue. It’s an eating experience not soon forgotten.

SCENERY

VIDEOS

Amaxhosa Dancers in Port Elizabeth



Seaview and Seaview Lion Park



Addo Elephant Park

RECIPES

You know I can never leave without sharing some yummy food from the place we're visiting. So here you go, some South African recipes just for you, enjoy :)

Hertzoggies (Cookies)

South African Recipes

How I despise thee sometimes!

I'm sure you've all noticed that I didn't get my Greatest Places post up yesterday....it was not because I didn't want to or didn't get to it, it was for reasons out of my hands.

See yesterday morning I got up really early, I was done sleeping...yes done sleeping, you ever have those days where you wake up early and it feels like you've been in bed for days???
That's how I was feeling, so I snuck out of bed at 6 am and headed downstairs, got myself a cup of hot coffee and headed for the computer. I had it all planned, I was going to sit down in peace and quiet and get my travelling done, we were heading to another great location....oohhhh the possibilites.

I sat down and turned on the computer, sitting here with a silly smile on my face when out of nowhere BAM!!! ERROR....Windows has encountered an error......Windows has encountered and error.....I hit ok and it pops up again, so I hit ok again, and low and behold it comes back up again. At this point I think there was some sort of power struggle between me and the computer to see who would get the last word. Unfortunately as always, I LOST. Next thing I know I had a pretty shade of blue on my screen and my computer turned off.

I have dishes from breakfast needing to be done, I have a floor that needs to be mopped yet again, those pesky pesky sticky spots that apparently appear out of nowhere.....I have bathrooms to clean and more laundry to conquer. I also want to change the bed linens and get some nice fresh air circulating in this house.

To get in the mood for spring, I've switched out my kitchen curtains to my spring/summer ones and it feels so much better already....not to mention that my window overlooks my beautiful tulips which are ALL growing back in.

- House needing to be cleaned
- Pile of paperwork to be filed

- My Tulips coming up through the soil
- Pugs laying by the back door, soaking up the sun
- Clear blue sky


::touch::



- My kids hugs
- Knife handle slicing through the onions and garlic
- The pages of my new cookbook
- The feel of the clothes I'm ironing
- Hubby's kiss on my cheek


::taste::



- Portuguese Rice Pudding

- Crockpot Three Beans and Sausage
- Pringles Select Szechuan BBQ Chips (YUMMY)
- Plump juicy Plum


::smell::




- Sugar Cookie Scented Candle
- Rain outside
- Clothes freshly ironed

Good morning everyone, are you ready for our trip today????

Before we leave, I want to let you all know that I'm coming by to visit and check out all the great recipes you shared yesterday too, I honestly didn't have a minute to do it yesterday, but I do today so I'll be popping by. Hope you have some hot coffee for me :)

Alright, today we're going to the Greek Islands.....I can't wait!!!

GREEK ISLANDS

There are 1400 islands in Greece: isolated island, cosmopolitan Greece island full of luxury hotels, island with history, etc... You can also make island hopping in Greece.The most famous are Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Skiathos, Skopelos, Corfu, Lefkada, Zakynthos, Aegina...

Piraeus

Next stop Naxos, the largest and most fertile of the Cycladic islands lying almost at the centre of the Aegean. Legend has it that Ariadne was abandoned there by Theseus, but she was soon in the arms of Dionysos, the god of wine and ecstasy. Ever since, Naxian wine has been recommended as the cure for a broken heart. Meadows run down to vast beaches, cliffs sink into the sea and there are rocky mountains, fertile valleys and many springs and streams. The coastline is abrupt on the south side and sheltered to the west, with many inlets and sandy beaches.

Due to its abundance of fresh water, Naxos is self-sufficient and produces premium quality fruit and vegetables. Their olives, grapes, figs, citrus, corn and potatoes make their way to tables across the world.

Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cycladic group and is regarded by many as the most spectacular of all. It was the site of the world’s biggest volcanic eruption, leaving a crater, or caldera, with high cliffs which is one of the world’s most dramatic geological sights. Archaeologists believe it was responsible for wiping out the entire Minoan civilisation. It has also been an inspiration to painters, writers, poets and mystics. Sparkling white houses with blue window shutters line the crater.



Santorini has a 3500-year tradition of vineyard cultivation and around 850 growers tend vines which cover around one third of the island. At SantoWines you can taste wines with biscuits and cheese and olives while taking in a spectacular sunset.


The best way to get around the islands is by moped, or scooter. They are available for hire everywhere, but always check the brakes before you take off and be extra careful, as the roads aren’t very well maintained.

1 kilo OF pork or Lamb Meat

5 Cloves finely
chopped garlic

Olive oil

1 tbsp Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Onion

green pepper

Cut the meat into 2 x 2 inch cubes. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and marinate, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator. Skewer with or without your favourite vegetables, like peppers, onions or tomatoes, and barbecue at medium heat. Baste with an olive oil, lemon juice and oregano brine

SERVE WITH fries and a salad

Baklavas

1 kilo (1 lb 2 oz) "phyllo" pastry

2 teacups almonds pounded into crumbs

1 ½ teacups butter

½ teacup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

In a bowl, mix the pounded almonds, the sugar and the cinnamon.
Butter a small pan and lay a few sheets of "fyllo" pastry onto it brushing each one with butter.

Next, spread a small amount of the almond mix over the "fyllo" layer.
Continue by making successive layers of "fyllo" and almond mix of about equal thickness.

Finish with a thicker layer of "phyllo" sheets (6-8 sheets) brushing each sheet with butter.
With a sharp knife cut the "baklava" into diamond-shaped pieces.

Sprinkle with water and bake in amedium oven for about 1 1/2 hour. In the meantime, prepare the syrup as follows :
In a pot , place the water, the honey, the sugar and the spices and boil them over a strong fir for about 15 minutes.

When the "baklava" is ready, remove from the oven and let it cool.
Pour the boiling syrup over it. Cut out the pieces, that were marked before baking.

And that is it for today, hope you all enjoyed your trip to the Greek Islands, I know I did and now more than ever I am hoping that one day I can have the pleasure of visiting them myself :)

Next week we're heading to Jerusalem so I hope you're ready to travel along with me....