SA: My Digs (the Princess)

I could not stay in the dorm for the duration of my stay in Johannesburg, so after the conference ended, I moved around the corner to a fancy-schmancy hotel. With a currency exchange rate of 1 dollar to 10 Rand, it was actually affordable on my student budget. Plus, I had not been able to find anything else in the neighborhood of Parktown, dominated as it is by Wits University, and I had not trusted the public transit options to move to a different part of the city. The breakfast buffet was not too expensive, and I learned only after my arrival that the hotel’s shuttle bus wasn’t included, as one expects in North
American hotels. Lunch and dinner I scrounged from various places.

My room was in the pool house. Unfortunately, I was visiting during Johannesburg's one week of spring, so the weather really wasn’t warm enough for swimming until my very last day. The chic digs didn't keep me from washing my laundry in the sick and hanging in on the railing, though! Built in 1896, the main house was at one time the home of Lord Alfred Milner (1854-1925), Governor of the Cape Colony. Parts of the mansion have been renovated, but others are under protection for their historic architecture. The grounds are beautifully decorated with fountains and sculpture.

Like yesterday's post, the food photo for this post is also from breakfast. I had something different every morning, beginning with a German repast of yogurt, muesli, fruit, and bread with toppings. One day, I tried a traditional British meal: baked beans, grilled tomatoes, creamed spinach, and kippers (smoked salmon). I skipped the fried egg and sausage, but it was still too savory a morning meal for my tastes.