Boardwalk Fountain Spectacular

In December 2012 when the Boardwalk Complex opened the new Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre, it also launched the Fountain Spectacular on the Boardwalk Lake.  People streamed to the Boardwalk to see the fountains with its lights and music.  On weekend evenings there were so many people that they stood about four or five deep around the lake to see the performance.  For that reason I decided to wait a little bit to go and a little bit became a long bit.  Needless to see most of Port Elizabeth probably got to see the Spectacular before I got there, but better late than never.  I popped by with a film crew from the SABC 1 travel show Vaya Mzansi and actually couldn't believe my eyes.  Its an amazing show which really can not be missed by anybody visiting (or living in) Port Elizabeth.  Sunday to Thursday there is one show every evening but on Fridays and Saturday they do three.  Each show is about 20 minutes long and, sorry to repeat myself, cannot be missed.

Boardwalk Hotel lights

The Boardwalk Complex in Port Elizabeth has always been a beautiful sight at night but since the completion of the new 5 star Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre it's become an absolute visual feast for the eyes.  The lights become even more obvious when seen from inside the Boardwalk Complex itself where it reflects off the Boardwalk lake.

"Moon light bulb"

Some of the regular visitors to the blog is probably starting to wonder why I haven't posted any pictures I took on our December holiday to beautiful Montagu and Cape Town yet.  Well, first my laptop didn't want to read my camera and after 4 days of struggle I took my old pc out of storage and got the pics downloaded.  I started going through them last night and as soon as I have done I will get them posted.

Late last year I was hosting a group of journalists to Port Elizabeth for the IRB Rugby 7's and we visited Anza's tavern in Motherwell for dinner one night.  I was sitting outside and the near full moon kept on peeking out from behind the clouds.  On top of this pipe it actually looked like a dim light bulb.

Kuzuko Lodge dinner

Today's post is a follow-up on yesterday's one featuring Kuzuko Lodge.  After returning from our evening game drive we just had enough time to put our things down and change before dinner time up in the restaurant.

The Damselfly contemplating what to have for dinner

Dinner was a la carte and my choice was a starter of Butternut Soup followed by Smoked Salmon and salad.  My main meal was steak and vegetables and dessert consisted of White Chocolate and Berry Mousse.

Lodge at night

Returning from the night drive to the Bucklands Boutique Guest House, the lodge staff had a fire burning outside and dinner was being prepared in the kitchen.  Although I wanted to go and have a quick bath before dinner I decided to rather chill by the fire a little while before the meal.  The bath could wait till later.  And I think I took the better option sitting there listening to the night sounds.

Table Mountain floodlights

Table Mountain is an every day sight for all who lives and visits Cape Town.  There is nothing like the sight of the mountain on a beautiful day or when the table cloth starts to spill over it from behind.  On special days and occasions the mountain is also visible at night when the flood lights are switched on.  The lights aren't left on though as they do impact on the natural rhythms of the plants, animals and insects that call Table Mountain home.

I was delighted to see that they were on the evening that I was in Cape Town.  I headed up to the road by the Lower Cable Station for a couple of pics.  Unfortunately I didn't have my tripod to get a crisp detailed shot or to use a longer exposure and I wasn't going to wander around on the dark road all by myself.  Next time I mustn't forget to pack my tripod when I go down there.

Total lunar eclipse

Last night we had the opportunity to observe not just a total lunar eclipse, but also a relatively rare central lunar eclipse in which the center point of Earth's shadow passes over the Moon.  The last time a lunar eclipse was closer to the center of the earth's shadow was on 16 July 2000 and the next central total lunar eclipse will only be on 27 July 2018.

Full moon rising

 The eclipse started at about 20h22...

 ... with the moon disappearing more...

 ... and more...

... and more... 

... until there was just a sliver left. 

 I changed the setting on the camera slightly to take in more light and show the moon after the last moonlight disappeared.

The reason the moon looks red during an eclipse is because although the sunlight isn't hitting it directly anymore, some of it still get reflected (or bent) by our atmosphere to hit the moon.  My scientific knowledge is a bit limited, but the internet tells me that the more atmosphere that sunlight travels through, the more the blue and green parts of the spectrum are scattered.  The sunlight hits the atmosphere at a shallow angle and is carried through a lot of atmosphere until it’s redirected out onto the moon “hiding” from direct sunlight. The red end of the spectrum is all that can get through that much interference, so the moon in total eclipse appears reddish in colour.

This makes for the ideal Skywatch post this week.