All Look This Way

Part of the festivities at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

Follow Up

A follow up to yesterday's post, seen at a street festival a few weeks ago. There is a meme in this country (and perhaps elsewhere) about women who get enormous pleasure from shopping, and therefore from consumption. It must briefly fill some hole in their spirits, a place so insecure that it must be filled by stuff. Of course, none of it provides lasting satisfaction. And, as John Lennon said, fun is the one thing that money can't buy.

You might enjoy this little video, The Story Of Stuff.

                              

L'escalier de la préfecture

Let us return to the unfinished business of the history book show that took place inside the Préfecture building. This is the grand staircase that leads to the first floor of the building, the outside of which you can see by clicking here (and there's information about its history on that previous post too). The bust is that of MacMahon (full name Patrice de MacMahon, count of MacMahon, first duke of Magenta), a general, marshall of France and former President of France during the IIIrd Republic.

Retournons à l'intérieur de la préfecture, où ces photos de l'escalier d'apparat ont été prises lors du salon Histoire de Lire. Le buste représente Mac Mahon. VDP vous montrait la façade de la préfecture et vous en contait l'histoire ici.

 

 

Carlisle Bridge and the Fish River

Road tripping means discovering new places, often places you will never see otherwise.  This was once again the case when I had to drive to Bedford for a meeting and decided to take the scenic route via Grahamstown.  About halfway between the two towns I passed over the mighty Fish River and pulled over to have a closer look.

This spot really is in the middle of nowhere with not much to see yet beautiful in it's own way.

The original bridge was built in 1863 but washed away soon after in 1874.  Two years later a steel bridge was built on the same spot and this one stuck around a little longer but was once again destroyed in a flood in 1932.  The current bridge was built in 1933.  The plaque doesn't say who the bridge was named after, but according to the South Africa Heritage Online website it was probably named after John Carlisle who, in 1822, led a party of thirteen settlers from Staffordshire to settle in the area.

 

Just something I left out in the intro.  Discovering places like this isn't just about road tripping.  It's stopping along the way and not just rushing to your destination.

Shop Window

Christmassy windows that aren't about Christmas.  This year Selfridges Department store have opted for astrological star signs and Star Wars to celebrate the season.

Store windows is the theme for this month's City Daily monthly topic.  See others here.