Travel and Leisure

From the Attic
Sam Basch

The allure of trout and flyfishing

By Sam J Basch

Flyfishing is an art – certainly a skill. Those doing it well are impervious to the cold and discomfort of venturing out on a chilly morning in Dullstroom to outwit the trout. This they do using a lure to resemble a real insect and calling them strange names like Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear and Red Eyed Damsel.

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From the Attic
Sam Basch

A glimpse in time

Sam J Basch

There’s almost nothing as useful to illustrate the passage of time as a photo album.

Some 35mm colour slides of a student tour to Europe in 1974 provided a glimpse in time, just as if paging through an album. Pulling back the curtain of time revealed cobwebbed memories stored in the far recesses of the mind.

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Sam Basch
Sam Basch

Sights of Silesia

Sam J Basch

Visit Wrocław (pronounced ‘Vrotsh-waff’) in Poland’s Silesia province for its vibrant art scene, museums and culinary delights – and history. While Covid-19 is restricting overseas travel for now, this intriguing city and environs have much to offer the tourist. Nearby is the site of arguably the most daring World War II incident, ‘The Great Escape’ master-minded by South African-born RAF pilot Major Roger Bushell.

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From the Attic
Sam Basch

Ancient knowledge

Sam J Basch

A tour of the Basotho Cultural Village in the spectacular Golden Gate National Park is a true revelation. The two-hour herbal trail not only gives one an insight into ago-old traditional methods of treating ailments and injuries, but also reveals ancient rock art, some of the oldest evidence of human culture in Africa.

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From the Attic
Sam Basch

Pygmalion?

Enter Leighton House in London to get a glimpse into the life of the pre-eminent Victorian artist Lord Frederick Leighton. That fascinating life included an intriguing relationship with an East End beauty, which inspired George Bernard’s Shaw’s novel ‘Pygmalion’ that was made into a play and the movie My Fair Lady.

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Sam Basch
Sam Basch

HEARTH AND HOME

Stone houses may look harsh and uninviting. Yet, they date back millenia – home to our early ancestors.

The ‘hearth’ inside was where they cooked; the fire generated heat for warmth, especially in cold climes. In time, the phrase ‘hearth and home’ came to embody family and the love shared among those living in the glow of the firelit room. It exuded coziness and the embracing comfort of home.

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Sam Basch
Sam Basch

All that glitters

Humankind has always had a penchant for gold. It’s actually a fever, gold fever, striking down all those with the indescribable urge for quick riches. Up north in the Limpopo province are the remains of South Africa’s first gold-mining company.

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Travel and Leisure
Andrea Abbott

Literary ramblings

Literary connections add a cultural touch during a short rambling tour on the Isle of Wight and in parts of South Devon in England

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