Chimanimani: The Falls

After hiking through the mist and stopping at a creepy cabin, we found our destination:

this beautiful waterfall in a valley in the Chimanimani Mountains in Zimbabwe..

After the hours and hours of hiking, even our packs needed a break...

>

The air was so clean, the water crisp and cold.

Simply beautiful.

Tweet

A Horror Movie's Cabin: Zimbabwe Style

After hiking for hours through the mist, we came upon this cabin over looking a large valley in Chimanimani in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

The cabin had places to eat and places to sleep for the weary hiker.

The cabin offered a view of the valley and its lifting mist that was stunning.

The cabin.

While an interesting spot, the cabin---and in particular this room---had a distinctly unnerving quality to it
that made one wonder if you'd stumbled into the middle of a horror movie.

The cabin, while unnerving, offered us a moment's respite and a spot for lunch.

The clouds over the Chimanimani valley, seen from the cabin.

Tweet

Into the Mist

After cozying up here, we woke early to visit Chimanimani National Park in Zimbabwe.

The park entrance.  The mountains run part of the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

We began our hike into the Chimanimani Mountains.

And quickly began to wonder...

If the mist would ever dissipate.

The mountains were amazing, with cliffs and paths along the mountain's edge.

But the mist lasted for hours (see the tree?)

And for the first time in my life, I realized I was literally walking through clouds.

It was an amazing moment.

Tweet

Chimanimani: Frog & Fern Cottages

After lunch here, we arrived at the Frog & Fern Cottages in Chimanimani, Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe.

The cottages were so cozy (especially with a roaring fire) and tucked into the Chimanimani mountains.

The cottage's stairs.

The main area, ready for dinner.

One of the loft beds.

Two of the cottages.
Such a different feel from some of the places I stayed in West Africa!

One of the cottage's outside lounging areas.

Our cottage.  Such a wonderful little escape!

For more information on the Frog & Fern Cottages!

Tweet

An Eastern Highland Escape: Troutbeck Inn

After stopping here, we continued to Troutbeck Inn for lunch -- Nyanga, Zimbabwe.

It was beautiful with lush green hills and plentiful trees. 

I was in shock after Senegal's sand and dust: I kept muttering, "It's so green, sooo green."

Troutbeck was beautiful. It was nearly impossible not to be reminded of the rolling hills in Scotland.

The inn's luxury rooms facing the lake.

Part of the lake.

The lodge.

For more information on Troutbeck Inn.

Tweet

My Love Affair With Zimbabwe Begins With the Froggy Farm

I've relocated from Senegal to Zimbabwe and have started my adventure of exploring the beauty of southern Africa. It is incredibly different in so many ways from western Africa that I feel incredibly blessed to experience both. This posts marks the beginning of my Zimbabwe adventures---I hope you enjoy them! I suspect that I may have already fallen in love with the beauty of this remarkable country.

During my first adventure outside of Harare, Zimbabwe, we stopped at the Froggy Farm while en route to Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands.

Froggy Farm was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by stunning greenery and rolling hills.
It was polar opposite of the sand and dust in Senegal.

Don't drive past this little gem if you find yourself heading towards the Eastern Highlands: I picked up the most amazing mixed fruit jam.

Tweet

Old Town Warrenton

Warrenton, Virginia, United States

Old Town Warrenton

Loved the Old Town Warrenton feel!

Downtown

The old railroad car.

The railway depot.

The railway car.

For more information Warrenton, Virginia

Tweet

Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., United States

The memorial only opened in late 2011 and honors the civil rights activist.

He is the first African American honored with a memorial on or near the National Mall.

This quote is from his famous "I Have a Dream" speech given at the Lincoln Memorial on 28 August 1963.

If you have a chance, visit it at night: it was much more powerful and moving.

For more information on the MLK Jr. Memorial.

Tweet

That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S., Washington, D.C., United States.

The Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in D.C.

The memorial is inscribed with words from the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

Lincoln was tall, but not this tall: if Lincoln were to stand up with the same proportions as he is sitting, he would be 28 feet tall. 

Inside the memorial.

The memorial.

For more information on the Lincoln Memorial.

The post's title?  It's from the Gettysburg Address.

Tweet