weekend view {road trip edition}.

This weekend goes down in the books as one of the best so far in 2012!  So much goodness happened in such a short time span that it's difficult to squeeze into one post, but I'm going to try my very best to get it all in!  Apologies in advance for the photo overload.

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If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that Jurg and I love a good road trip, and this weekend well... you guessed it, we did just that!

{not like the title gave it away for anything.}

We decided to take a mini road trip to Hartbeespoort Dam {about an hour outside of Jo'burg} to surprise Jurgen's best friend {JB} for his 28th birthday.  His sweet girlfriend {Charne} had arranged everything a couple of weeks prior, but our lips were sealed up until this past Saturday since JB didn't know a thing about it!  It was so fun getting to see them again and being able to spend a day or so just relaxing.  Every once in awhile I think getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city is essential, and this weekend provided the perfect opportunity.  

Thanks for driving Jurg!

On our way to Hartbeespoort, we came across a ton of adorable cafes and antique shops and spent a good couple of hours browsing through a few of them.  This one {called Rustic Cottage} was my favorite!  They had awesome 1950's music playing on a jukebox, tons of old pinball machines, and so many antique knick knacks that one could easily spend days going through everything without getting bored.  I ended up buying my Grandpa a miniature windmill, since he's been collecting them ever since I can remember :)

Jurgen loves browsing through antiques so he was in heaven!

You could literally find everything from old bottles, to typewriters, to record players, to food trays.  It was pretty incredible.  I wonder how long it's taken them to collect everything?

This one was Jurgen's idea...

...And this one was Jurgen's idea too!  

{Hey, A girl's got to jump at the opportunity when her boyfriend is actually in the mood for pictures... this doesn't happen often!}

First glimpse of Hartbeespoort Dam

The view from where we stayed was stunning!

After we found our accommodation and had finished surprising the birthday boy, we unpacked our stuff and then headed into town to catch the rugby.  That night we stayed in and the boys braaied {BBQ'd} on the patio while we prepared side dishes and chatted away in the kitchen.  Although we ate late, I can say with certainty that it was well worth it - dinner was delicious! 

Proof of our hard work - of course chatting for hours over a bottle of wine meant that the boys practically had to drag us up for dinner at around 10pm!  

So blessed to know both of these amazing ladies!

The following day after breakfast Jurg and I drove over the dam itself.  I must say that it was much more impressive than I thought it was going to be - it completely took my breath away truth be told.  The arch in photos is actually a mini replication of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, isn't it gorgeous?!  

If you didn't already know, who would imagine that the above photos were taken in Africa?  Not me.

Next, Jurgen surprised me by pulling off the road into the parking lot of the Hartbeespoort Snake and Animal Park!  At this stage I couldn't believe my luck - after all of the fun and excitement that we had already had there was still more to come?  Score!  

I officially have the sweetest boyfriend ever!  

And then... when I thought things couldn't possibly get better... 

... I spotted the lion cubs.  

What happened next can't rationally be explained, but I can say that it involved jumping and pointing and screaming and tugging and running in place, and Jurgen {and everyone else in the park} staring at me like I was some sort of lunatic in desperate need of Ritalin.  It was like a child being unleashed in Disneyland for the first time... I mean really, what else can you expect?

These cuties deserve a whole post of their own though ... stay tuned!

After all the excitement of the zoo had subsided and we I had gotten our my fill of the lion cubs, we grabbed a quick drink across the street and then {reluctantly} headed back to Johannesburg.

All in all I don't think the weekend could have been any more perfect.

Thank you Jurgen for another wonderful trip - and for putting up with my childish {but completely warranted} outbursts!

You.are.my.favorite.

the.end.