Lu-Gerda's Travels

This is my first post for 2018 and after a few years of only posting occasionally I hope to continue to post regularly during 2018.   We spent our summer holiday at home in Mossel Bay and also made a few trips to George.  During this trips we had a lot of adventures from swimming at the Point and Pikkieland to Happy Valley in George and a visit to the Dias Museum.  We also hosted lost of visitors in our apartment . One of the highlights for JW (my 3-year old son) was the morning at Pikkieland at Diaz Water Park.  The entrance fee for Pikkieland was R 40 per child and there is no fees for the adults that are with the children. Pikkieland has two shallow pools for small children to play in.  In the smaller pool the water is only about 30cm deep.  In the bigger pool the water reached just above my knee and is is the perfect dept for the children to play in.  There is a tower in the middle with lots of slides that let them slip int...

I did a post last week about our favourite kids’ outings in our neighbouring town, George.   Our home town, Mossel Bay, a small town next to the ocean and mainly a  summer holiday destination.  Thousands of people come here to spend time near the ocean during December and January.   Here are some of our favourite things to do with our  3-year old son JW: 1.   The Ocean – Swimming, Playing in sand, collecting shells…. and many more Mossel Bay’s main attraction during the summer month is the beach.   And there is a lot of them to choose from.  For toddlers and younger kids I would suggest the paddling pool at The Point (I usually take my son early, before it gets too busy and the sun to hot) or Santos with is small waves.  For bigger waves rather try Hartenbos or Diaz Beach. 2.   Hartenbos Seefront Fun Park There is a lot to do at the Hartenbos Fun Park… Swimm...

George is our neighbouring town and we visit it regularly  because my parents live there.  When we go on outings or to  restaurants we try to find child friendly places  that our 3-year old son will enjoy. It is almost holiday time and the perfect time to share some of my favourite places: Ahavah Cafe & Deli at Outeniqua Palms We discovered this restaurant recently and have only been there once but it jumped to number 1 on the list.  The outdoor play area is great and there are animals to pet.  The food was also good and reasonably priced.  Entrance is free and the only expense it your food, drinks and maybe buying some food for the bunnies. Red Berry Farm The Red berry Farm is always a great outing.  There is a restaurant (I love the strawberry juice) and outdoor play area.  There is also activities like strawberry picking, animals to feed, pony rides, maze, train rides (JW loves this) and more.  There i...

The Ahavah Café and Deli and kids play area at the Outeniqua Palms Nursery was a lovely surprise.  I am a creature of habit and when I find a place I like I return to it again and again.  But on Saturday 18 November we decided to try something new.  And I am sure that we will be returning to this restaurant again and again. Outeniqua Palms is just outside of George on the old Airport road (R102) and we drive past the nursery regularly.  I wanted to take my mom out for brunch for her birthday but also needed a place where my 3-year old son JW can play.  So we decided to give the restaurant Outeniqua Palms a try. The nursery is easy to find.  If you are travelling from George it is the first nursery on the left hand side of the road.  The restaurant is actually run separately from the nursery but uses the same parking area and entrance. Ahavah Café and Deli is a farm-style coffee shop with a great outdoor play for kids and a small petting zo...

Our son JW loves dinosaurs and after reading about the Dino Expo on Facebook we knew we want to visit.  As soon as the early bird tickets opened we bought out tickets.  (R100 per adult & R80 per kid for early bird tickets). Even Grandma and Grandpa was excited and decided to join us for the outing. After waiting for about a month it was finally time for the Dino Expo at the Train Museum in George on Saturday 4 November 2017. The following is a extract of the description of the Dino Expo from their facebook page :     “The Dino Expo is a mesmerizing, not-to-be-missed exhibition of realistic, life size, accurate to science animatronic dinosaurs that capture the imagination with their life-like demeanor and movement. They will ‘prehistorify’ the senses with their life-like legendary roaring sounds that electrify the environs and inspire adrenaline filled excitement. Get lost in this phenomenally realistic artistically landscaped captivating forest with...

I cannot believe that I have never written about Kontrei Padstal on the blog.  This is one of our favourite places for a breakfast or lunch in the George area.  This restaurant can be found on the N2 out of George in the direction of Wildernis/Knysna at the Sasol Fuel station. We love the breakfast with great coffee and homemade bread.  And we also love the Sunday lunch…a homemade plate with a cooked meal like my grandmother would have made for us.  Usually this meal includes two meats, 2 vegetables, potatoes and rice.  And best of all is the prices are very reasonable. Outside they have a lovely play area for kids.  The area can only be accessed through a door from the restaurant and it is surrounded by fences.  This area includes a jungle gym with a slide and swings.  On the one side of the jungle gym is a steering wheel, key and gear lever.  JW loves to “drive” in this car.  And usually his grandfather has to climb in an...