MIDLANDS MEANDER (Part 4)

This is the fourth and final part,I promise to my Midlands Meander adventure! 
I didn't realise that I had so much to tell you...

The Sunday dawned, as another lovely sunny day and off we set on our final day doing the Midlands Meander.

First we headed for the Nelson Mandela Capture Site & Museum which was opened in August this year and is situated on the R103, the old main road 5km from Howick, This is where he was captured on his return journey to Johannesburg. This is a moment and place in the history of South Africa, which has enormous significance. The uMngeni Municipality purchased the property opposite the actual capture site and there you will find this multi-purpose heritage site.

                                               

Marking the 50-year anniversary of what began Nelson Mandela's "long walk to freedom" A 50 steel column constructions up to 9.5 metres tall was commissioned.The columns come into alignment to form a portrait of Nelson Mandela against a backdrop of rolling hills and valleys.

Definitely make a plan on your Midlands Meander to visit as it interesting!

After all that history I was in need of a chocolate fix! so off we went to Florentines Belgium Chocolate. I am not sure if this is part of the official meander, but Its always a pleasure to walk into this chocolate shop, as the cold air from the air conditioner hits you immediately. What a lovely feeling after being in the heat and sun of the day. 

Oh my! this is a "chocoholics" heaven....displays of handmade Belgian chocolates,truffles,pralines...how could I resist? 
You select your "sins" weigh and then pay, but beware that you don't go overboard otherwise your purse or even credit card will feel it!!

Champagne Truffle, Hazelnut choc, Pistachio creme
and I can't remember the other one but they were all
 Yummy!

Feeling quite content after a few "choccies" as I had to eat them all otherwise they would have melted in the car...so what else could I do? 

Next stop was Tsonga for some more "retail therapy".

Tsonga shoes are "home grown" in Kwa Zulu Natal and each pair of TSONGA shoes are hand-stitched by the local village craftswomen. They have a shop where you can buy their bags and shoes, but the prices are the same as in their shops that they have around the country,so don't expect factory prices!

After a busy morning we had some lunch and leisurely drove home and "back to reality" as the song goes...

I must say now... that not all of the crafters and stop offs are worthwhile, but it is all a matter of taste, so I advise you to buy the Midlands Meander booklet R5 and its available everywhere,so you can plan your day,route and visits carefully..otherwise you can waste precious time....a weekend away, as we did was ideal and we managed to combine what we wanted to visit and some R&R time. There is plenty of accommodation to choose from, to suit all tastes budgets, but even to do sections of the meander in a day trip also works, but either way.. I hope you enjoy your meandering around the Midlands!

To view part 1 click here 
To view part 2 click here
To view part 3 click here