August 3 2007
Our ancestors left this continent a ragtag band and on foot some 50,000 years ago; we’ve just returned on a Boeing 747. This is where we come from. We’re home.
It’s winter in the southern hemisphere but Johannesburg has greeted us with a clear blue sky and 22°C temperature. Our stay there, however, is short-lived as we are driven directly from the airport to Pretoria, known locally as Jacaranda City. Our resting place for the night will be Illyria House, a secluded grand mansion hidden away in a sculptured garden where time seems to have stopped. We were the only guests here this morning and so we were the recipients of extra special pampering by the butler Johann. Sensing we were a little peckish around noontime, Johann suggested a salad of lettuce and warm curried chicken which he presented under silver serving bells on the grand veranda right out of Gone With the Wind. Two bottles of Western Cape Chardonnay completed the meal, a very special one indeed as it was our first one in Africa.
Oh and did I forget to mention the ducks…they are part of Illyria House and occasionally appear on the menu.
Here are a few photos taken at Illyria House.
Joseph Froncioni
Fabulous pictures Joe. It looks like a trip of a lifetime. If you ever give up medicine I am sure you could make a new career in photography.
Posted by: Pauline DeFontes | August 22, 2007 at 08:47 AM