videos from South Africa

After a few months of funny and ironic texts and of superb pictures (allow me to be modest), it is time for the first videos. Just to see if this function works. Comments are always welcome, even though I acknowledge that the quality of these videos is not yet to the same standards as the rest. There are always things to improve. And if there is popular demand, I might put some more.

The first video was taken in the Umfolozi/Hluhluwe national park.

The next one is taken at the Newlands cricket ground. The crowd is doing the mexican wave. In the background, the beautiful surroundings of Table Mountain. Sorry, that the zoom is not powerful enough to distinguish the bowling action.

Finally, a last video from the top of Table Mountain. I know this little video is a little bit frustrating for those who have been there, since it does not adequately depict the true beauty of this place. But it might be enough to motivated the viewers to visit this great country.

Carnival in Berne

First, I have to admit that I was positively surprised by this carnival and by the atmosphere in town. So many people were dressed up, from the very exotic (the Egyptians), to the very local (a woman walking around with her vacuum cleaner - we are definitely in Berne...), to the very original (a set of card game), to the traditional one (the penguin - see a previous entry for a comparaison). I must say that most people did put some commendable effort.

The main attraction though was the music played by various bands. The organisers had put up stands or tents on the main street and the bands would play quite a varied array of music.

Since i attended another carnival a few weeks ago in Cape Town, I have to make a few comparisons. In Berne, many more people were dressed up. Since the temperature was so much colder, it was the spectators that would move around. Talking about the spectators, it seemed the whole town took to the streets. I saw a doctor, an extreme right-wing politician (or is it the same person...), some colleagues and many tourists. Are they already investigated for this year's major event in Switzerland: the football European Nation's Cup 2008? Since this will most certainly be one of this year's main theme, let us start now with a nice picture.