My 2019 Summer European Road trip part five!

My 2019 Summer European Road trip part five!

by | May 4, 2020 | Travel

Ever since I was little I always thought that the first time I’d see the Arc De Triomphe it would be in Paris, because my uncultured self always thought that the only place you could ever see it would be in Paris, I mean it is one of it’s most famous landmarks! However, the first time I actually saw such a beautiful piece of architecture was in Montpellier – in the south of France. Legend has it that the arch was designed by François Dorbay, after the model of the Porte Saint-Denis in Paris. Makes sense right?

When my cousin first told me that we were going to the south of France I was expecting us to hit the French Riviera and that we’d either go to Nice or Marseille or even Saint Tropez – Saint Tropez is one destination that has been on my travel bucket list for the longest time! Montpellier was never in my mind, mainly because I had never heard of it, but I think that’s what I loved most about this trip – the fact that I was going to places that I myself would have never thought to go to and for that reason, I am so grateful that that is how I spent my summer. Whenever people ask me where I went last year and I tell them some of the places that I went to they’re literally so confused and asking “where is that?”

Triumphal arch, - Montpellier Tourist Office

So I think we actually spent two days and three nights in Montpellier and OMG I wish I still had footage from our apartment because I kid you not that place was haunted! It looked like something out of the conjuring series and I am not even over exaggerating! Let’s just say, it was an experience loool. The entire two days in Montpellier were super chill, we went to the beach fir day one and just spent the day catching a tan and then for the second day we spent it inside and then we went out later that night. The second night was when we really saw Montpellier, I don’t know why but seeing a city you don’t know at night, drunk is something that everyone needs to experience because the videos and pictures I have on my phone of my cousin and I are so funny, I actually cannot deal, every picture is either blurry or the completely wring angle but I guess its the memories that count right?

 

  

Here are some links if you guys ever wanna travel to Montpellier;

https://www.montpellier-france.com/Prepare-Book/Discoveries/Must-sees-in-Montpellier

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/languedoc-roussillon/montpellier

What I would buy if I won the lottery; a city?

What I would buy if I won the lottery; a city?

by | May 1, 2020 | Lifestyle

I bet you didn’t know it was possible to create your own city, did you? Well neither did I, well not until 2016. My brother traveled to SA during summer 16 and after he came back he could not stop talking about his time in Steyn city – one of the places his friend lived.

Steyn City development is built on the concept of building a city within a city. Douw Steyn started the project with his director of Steyn City Properties, Giuseppe Plumari in 2015, saying,

“Giuseppe and I share the same vision – to create a lifestyle estate unlike any other in South Africa built on the foundation of quality of life. A country estate offering country living, but with all amenities conveniently within reach. Too much time is wasted in cities sitting in traffic and commuting between home, work, schools and the shops. We want to bring all these elements of daily life into one estate and give residents back the precious commodity of time, in a secure, upmarket environment.”

But who exactly is Douw Steyn?

born December 1952, he is a South African billionaire businessman, the founder of BGL Group, a UK-based insurance and financial services company, and the parent of Comparethemarket.com. He is the creator/ owner of this city which is said to be four times the size of Monaco!

His city was first launched in 2015 and drew R6.5 billion in investment for infrastructure, which also went to supporting infrastructure for the greater region, including roads, water and sewerage. The 900-hectare estate is located between Fourways and Lanseria in Johannesburg and is the largest estate in the country in terms of land size. Steyn City security motto for its citizens is elegantly worded as “peace of mind remains one of the biggest priorities”. While it promises job creation, the development has been criticised for being yet another exclusive, gated community that protects those, who have enough money, from crime.

More on Steyn City;

https://steyncity.co.za/

Here is a guide on buying your own city;

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/buying-a-town-guide