… in May of social media post images. I thought I summarize them in a blog post for those who missed the daily posts 😊 I hope you enjoy the images.















… in May of social media post images. I thought I summarize them in a blog post for those who missed the daily posts 😊 I hope you enjoy the images.
At 4:30 this morning I woke up to an incredible loud Lion‘s roar, obviously just front of my home.
Not to miss the opportunity to record this incredible noise I grabbed my iPhone and rushed to my car as I was (in Pyjamas☺️).
And our dominant male delivered! I captured what I think is my best Lion roar sound recording since I came to Africa. The first 30 seconds of this video were recorded long before sunrise with the Lion hiding in high grass (I used a still picture of the morning sky with the video).
Once he got moving I followed him for the next two hours, recording two more roars. But none was as good as the first one in the dark.
‚Hearing cat‘s night noises in the front yard’ has a totally different meaning when you live in the bush. I love it!
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
… a travel journal …
There are some aspects of life which almost make me a Hobbit. Not my size, though! I love my food, second breakfasts sound just right. I am not too fond of traveling any more, but I brave trips in a good mood if I must go. I enjoy meeting up with family and friends, preferably at a good meal. And I love some good entertainment, if I can get it. And last but not least I never leave the house without a freshly laundered handkerchief 😊
As promised this is a short picture report of my recent trip to Europe to celebrate my mum’s 83rd birthday and to spend time with family and friends.
I would have loved to visit more of my friends in Switzerland, but there was just not enough time.
Enjoy the picture journey (with a lot of food pics, as to be expected).
24 April | Departure into night from Johannesburg. Ten and a half hours flight across Africa in front of me!
25 April | A traditional breakfast dish after arrival in Zürich, Switzerland: A Birchermüsli. I enjoyed it it very much as long as I did not think about the Rand/Swiss Franc exchange rate!
26 April | My mum’s 83rd birthday. She, and all of us (husband, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, and their friends) , had a great day with a delicious lunch at Villa Martino. [My meal: Beef carpaccio, fresh salad, mushroom risotto, and crème brûlée] PS: My mum enjoyed her birthday roses very much.
27 April | A beautiful spring day in my old school town, Bad Säckingen. I went with my older brother for a light and very tasty lunch at a new restaurant called fine.wine.dine.
28 April | My older nephew and I indulged in a culinary delight. We had the world’s best Schnitzel (in our opinion!) at the Old Swiss House in Lucerne, Switzerland. [My meal: beef carpaccio, veal schnitzel with nudels, and home made chocolate mousse with whipped cream]
29 April | After a very pleasant lunch with my parents I was off to see one of my favorite operas: Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Stadttheater Basel. I introduced my nephew and his girlfriend to their first opera. They loved it, and so did I!
30 April | Sunday family lunch at a nearby restaurant and then I tried my luck at cards (a German game called Skat) with my younger brother, my nieces and nephews and their boy/girl friends. I lost big time, but I had fun! The video of the day: Swiss cow bell sounds!
1 May | Labor day holiday in Germany. I was invited for another superb lunch to a friends’ house. [The menu: White and green asparagus salad with home-backed bread, veal steak and saffron risotto, and my favorite cake a Linzertorte]
2 May | In the evening my two brothers and I had (our traditional) dinner together in one of our favorite places in Bad Säckingen, called the Fuchshöhle [My meal: Asparagus cream soup, another nice schnitzel, and some sour-cream-ice-cream of desert]
3 May | If you wondered what I did during the days (when I was not eating 😊) I took good photographs of my model train items which my younger brother and I are busy selling on Ebay (with quite a lot of success). In the evening I had dinner with a good friend.
4 May | What a day. I owned a 18 liter bottle of an excellent Italian wine for the last 21 years. It lay in the cellar of the restaurant where I had my – rather elaborate – 40th birthday party where my 140 guests enjoyed another one of these huge bottles (and more …). I had lunch at the Hirschen, Obererlinsbach [My meal: Asparagus soup, steak tartare, and lime ice cream] before loading the bottle into my car. And as luck had it, I sold the bottle to a very good friend a few hours later!
4 May | A former colleague and his wife, very good friends of mine, invited me to another dinner. Meals at their place are always one of the highlights for my trip. And I was not disappointed this time either. The conversation, the company, and the meal were excellent. [The dinner: Pea cream soup, home-made pasta with mushrooms, beef roast with green asparagus and sauce béarnaise, rhubarb bake and sour-cream-ice-cream (my favorite), followed by Läuderach chocolates]
5 May | My younger nephew, my younger brother, and I went to the Zürich Zoo. I love the African wilderness but I also understand the important role of good zoos. And the Zürich Zoo is one of the best in the world. We had a great day. And in the evening I met up with very good friends in Germany for another dinner.
6 May | Coronation day! I watched it all (while photographing model train stuff) only interrupted by a family light lunch. And another dinner with good friends in the evening. Check out my light desert (Meringue glacé with whipped cream)!
7 May | My last full day in Europe and we had family lunch at an excellent Chinese restaurant (with roasted duck!). A bit of a tradition by now! The picture of the day: Spring flowers.
8 May | Time to say goodbye until my return in December. I upgraded to ‘Premium Economy’ for the first time and I must say it was worth it (especially for my size).
Well, I am back!
As every year around this time I will be spending at few weeks in Europe with my family and friends.
So for the next three weeks there will be no posts of South African wildlife on my social media channels. I will be back ‘online’ with new material from 15 May.
I hope you will continue to enjoy my pictures after this short break!
PS: After my return I will post a picture diary of my trip to Europe on my blog 😊
These are some of my favorite pictures taken since the beginning of this month.
Please note: I am now posting reels very regularly in Instagram @ChristianSperkaPhotograph. You might also want to follow me there not to miss out on anything 🙂
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Back at one of my favorite places for a birding weekend: @pakamisagamereserve
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography #christiansperkabirding
It is ‘raining 🌧️ cats 🐈⬛ and dogs 🐕’ right now but the Elephants 🐘 are enjoying themselves at the Thanda House dam! Filmed from my office door 😊
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
A few im of my favorites from this week!
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Join me for a weekend of birding and wildlife photography at Pakamisa Private Game Reserve!
I am looking forward to staying three nights at this most beautiful place. Contact info@pakamisa.co.za for reservations.