Where do all the things we once cherished end up? They say that one person's trash is another person's treasure. But the small mining town of Cullinan in Gauteng transforms this quote by using these found treasures to decorate the town! What a way of preserving history and utilizing it at the same time.
Please join me on this virtual tour on which I will take you. This mining town in Gauteng has so much to offer. From a little slice of Greece to streets filled with previously loved items, cute animals roaming the streets, funny jokes, and awesome oddity shops, you will want to explore here as well!
A Little Bit of History
Similar to the renowned Kimberley open pit mine, the Cullinan diamond mine also has a big hole. In my home language of Afrikaans, the joke is more catchy. "Cullinan se groot gat", literally translates to Cullinan's big hole, but the meaning is lost in the translation. In Afrikaans, it means Cullinan's big butt. Jokes aside for now, the mine is still active mining some of the most important and rare blue diamonds. The mine is named after Sir Thomas Cullinan and as a South African one can only wonder when the town's name will change. But this is not a political post, so enough politics.
Interestingly, some of the diamonds on the British Crown was found in Cullinan. The largest diamond ever was also found here. The Cullinan Diamond weighs around 620 grams, imagine that on your wedding ring!. Enough of the history. Please join me in all of the nice things you can do besides diamonds!
A Slice of Greece
The shocking blue shop is noticable from afar. The excentric owner greets you and tries to guess what drink you want. If he is from Greece, I have no idea, but his shop's name is As Greek As It Gets.
With the stereotypical blue and white finishing, the shop feels as Greek as it gets. The food as well. What a wonderful feast you get. A little pricey, but what can you expect from a town that mines diamonds!
We ordered a meze platter and for the two of us it was way too big. But it was absolutely fantastic. It was so fresh and well prepared.
The meze platter was full of fried potato, kebabs, tzatziki, fried crumb mushrooms, chicken and feta, spanakopita, and fresh salads with more sauces.
After so much lunch, we had the energy to walk through the streets of Cullinan.
But before we left, we took a picture of the painting of the owner. I hope you will be able to see his excentricity and likeness in the painting below.
A Town Decorated with Previously Loved Items
Everywhere you walk, you will see the walls decorated with previously loved items. I am sure many of these items where used by the miners themselves. Rather than landing on a landfill or dumped in nature, the owners of these shops decided to use them as decorations or even as part of the structure of their buildings.
The local coffee shop has an old bike hanging from the ceiling, and one can only wonder how many deliveries it made when it was in use!
Why not use some of the previous railroad carts for your shop's sign? The shop is now open, and it sells different oddities and sweets and yummy treats.
Old CD discs are used here as decorations. Sadly we are moving away from usings CD's. I cannot remember when last I needed to use a CD. But this shop uses these old dinousaurs as decorations, what ingenuity!
Buying Oddities and Oldies
Every second shop sells oldies and oddities. Or, previously loved and used items.
This shop sells old items like phones and guns (which is probably not working anymore). Also, old paintings and various items. What caught my eye was the coffee stand. It sold one of them best espressos I had in a long time. What a treat betwixt the old items.
Various backyards are used to exhibit these previously cherished items. It feels like walking betweem memories of yesterday. In the seemingly chaos there is a different sort of calmness.
How many clothes did these irons not iron?
How many trees needed to be cut down to fire the stove that heated the iron?
But how long did these irons not last? How long did their heat last? Modern technology cannot keep up with these old beasts.
It is sad that we exchanged that lifestyle for the one we have now. But that one was probably not best suited for a good life like we have now. Or maybe not. I cannot tell! Sometimes I want to turn the clock back, sometimes not so much.
How many cups of coffee was served?
How many hungry mouths did these plates not feed?
How many batches of tea did the kettle not make?
Now everything is exhibited for us to walk through, almost like art exibitions. In a certain sense, this is literal trash. Yet, here it is packed in an aesthetically pleasing way. It feels like art!
Inside the shops, you can buy some of the old furniture and oddities. Although, the price tag on these items are a pretty penny when you think about how old they are.
In the seeming chaos of old things, there are some peace and quiet as well. One just needs to find it.
Jokes and Funny Things
The town is full of jokes and funny things. Entering the tourist district/area, there is a photobooth of an old man sitting in an outhouse (bathroom). A postcard for christmas for sure!
It seems like this shop's owner has figured it out!
In the Greek restuarant, there was also a hidden joke:
Having Dinner at the Train Station and Visiting a Local Cattle/Milk Farm
You can have dinner at the abandoned train station. Just outside of the main town, there is a lovely restuarant that serves food fit for a king. That is, a fat king because their portion sizes are huge! Rather split the dinner between two because the portion size will let you wonder if you really need that much food.
Or you can visit one of the local cattle/milk farms.
Fresh cow's milk and other produce is available to anyone who stops there. You can even visit the cows!
Postscriptum, or Betwixt Society and Nature We Dine
We sit down to eat some pancakes/crepes and a pack of about 15 mongooses sit next to us in the field. They dig for bugs and critters in the grass. We eat our pancakes and they eat their bugs. What a lovely contrast! But how awesome is it that these creatures still find a way to live between our modern society of concrete jungles.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual town of yet another awesome South African town!
All of the photographs are my own, and the musings as well unless states otherwise.
Happy traveling, and stay safe!
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What an interesting town and a real mixed bag of things from yester-year for sale and on display @fermentedphil! I always find places like this kind of sad, thinking that it once was thriving with life.
I've never been up that way but am sure one needs an entire day to take in all the sights!
Indeed! There is always so much to see, one day is always too short.
And true right? The town that I grew up in suffered the same fate. A big metal refinery closed its doors and the town just went down with it. Luckily, my dad had an opportunity to relocate! All is well that ends well as they say.
Thank you so much for the visit. Safe travels.
Your post is very engaging, and the city is appealing with many interesting places, some even funny.
Thank you so much for the visit and compliments, my friend! Safe travels.
What an eccentric little town, quite a mixed bag of things to see, and I've never seen mongooses before. They look really cute. I guess they're indigenous to South Africa?
They are sure cute, but I think their bite will leave a nasty mark!
Yes, they are. Or at least this species is. I think they are closely related to the more known Meerkat.
Thank you so much for the visit. Safe travels!
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Beautiful photos!
Thank you so much for the visit and compliment! I really appreciate it.
This town is really interesting and thank you for taking us there. I love looking at old stuffs and kind of having similar questions like yours. I sometimes imagine how people in the past used them :)
That sure is also an interesting question! We try to think about how we would have used them but the people of old would have used them differently!
I am glad that you enjoyed the virtual tour! Maybe in the future traveling will be easier, then you can visit as well. Safe travels.
I would love to yes. It sure is one of the places I want to visit in this life
Same here! There are so many places in this world we all need to explore!
I absolutely love these place where along with their interesting arrangements and looking they have so much history to share and other stories that could change someone's perspective on the current times. Great article as always! ❤️
Thank you so much for the compliment and visit!
True right, history can change one's perspective on current times so easily. It can also make you appreciate what we have in our current era so much more as well. Even though we live in crazy times, I think we all will suffer greatly if we lose our current "luxuries" which are actually accepted as the norm! Think, for example, of life today without the internet. It can sound so nice and calm but the internet with all its chaos has brought our world much closer I would reckon.
Safe travels! And thanks again.
Indeed. It's just way too easy to forget about these aspects when you have a daily routine that keeps you busy and distracted from things that matter a lot more appreciation from us. That's sad!
Thanks, stay safe too! 🙌🏻
It is sad, but maybe also a coping mechanism! Not everyone is capable of philosophizing every day about the small things in life! But as Socrates said, the unexamined life is not always worth living!
This town is sooo cool! So many things altogether. I would love that antique sections. Love all things oldies. Thanks for sharing this eye opening place!
Thank you so much for taking the virtual visit with me!
One can so easily lose yourself in those old shops. Luckily for me most of them are so expensive I can only look because otherwise, I would have bought everything!
Thanks so much for the visit. Safe travels.
I am way too scared to find out if they do! But I would reckon a bite from them would leave a nasty reminder not to get close to them again!
haha XE
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Such a cool decorations everywhere, hidden messages… even jokes. Very cool place to visit.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for taking the virtual visit with me! Hidden messages are everywhere if you look closely right! And all the jokes make it worth it.
You are so welcome @fermentedphil 😁 yes, they are everywhere… you just need to look. I love details and I do pick up on those kind of things. The jokes are just a super bonus hehehe 🤭 and make it worth it for sure.
Enjoy your Monday!
Laughing is the best medicine or something along those lines! If we cannot laugh a bit, then we will surely die of too much sourness. Have an awesome week! 😊
You are so right on that… it is healthy to laugh. There are even workshops to laugh in groups 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 funny but it works.
Thanks so much @fermentedphil enjoy yours!
I think I need to go to one of those group laughing sessions! My research is killing me and my productivity is so low. Maybe a good laughing session will help!
Maybe you should, I believe they are also on-line… have a look into it. Could be funny… literally 🤣😂🤣
Hope you get a bit relieve from all 🤗
Wow small places to attract, given me idea I'm in the wrong trade with old things around the home, one could comfortably set up a second hand store going back many a year.
This though is intriguing, arranged into an art form with so many old pieces on display, well all except the diamonds.
Nice to see how it is still neat and tidy a far way to go to enjoy snacking with mongoose entertaining you!
!LOLZ enjoy rest of your trip, well worthwhile!
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Thank you so much!
I also feel like that. I have bought so many books over the years for pleasure reading and studies that I can open a second-hand bookshop! (I see so many second-hand book sellers have gone onto Instagram and other social media platforms, maybe I should sell some there!)
Yes, the town was lovely and so clean! But so expensive though. I wonder if their prices are geared towards the tourists? I will never know! But what an experience. I hope you can make a trip there if you like those types of scenery.
Safe travels.
Went through many of these towns when young, would be interesting to explore once again.
Encyclopedia set we had full copy, plus year books up to 1970 donated to a rural school, reading literature donated to old age homes where they have library to share, kept some nothing close to the bookcases filled to the brim.
Enjoy, time flies when you having fun, cry about the expenses later....
That is a good idea! Books are adored by people who cannot do much. I know my grandmother who was bedridden read something like 10 or so books a week.
And yes, money is something you should not worry about! Memories are the richest currency.
Putting off road trips eventually never happen at all, best do it now while still able.
Safe travels.
What does the youth say, and hopefully I did not already say it, but it is worth repeating in any case: you only live once! So while we are able to do it, we should.
When right time arises I most definitely will travel again, hopefully soon a good road going nowhere, slow amble through the country.