We left bright and early to follow Grandpa to his new house a few hours away in the kingdom of Swaziland. That was all of our first time traveling to what Grandpa calls the "Switzerland of Africa". It was a rather uneventful trip other than the gorgeous scenery along the way, and the beautiful views from Grandpa and Ann's (his fiancee) community in the Ezulwini Valley, just outside Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland. Here are some of the pictures that I just love!
Before I move on with the adventures of the next day, I just want to mention a little bit about how the kingdom of Swaziland, the only kingdom in Africa, is ruled. First of all since it is a kingdom, it is ruled by a King and Queen. However, the the King and Queen are son and mother not husband and wife. The current king is allowed to choose a different wife every year, but the new wife must be of a different tribe than the king. The new king is then chosen by the tribal council from one of his wives who had an only son. That way there is no sibling rivalry, and the king is from a different tribe each time. The current King and Queen have multiple residences in the country. The one that we passed had a rock carving at the entrance with a lion to represent the King and a she elephant to represent the Queen.
Before I move on with the adventures of the next day, I just want to mention a little bit about how the kingdom of Swaziland, the only kingdom in Africa, is ruled. First of all since it is a kingdom, it is ruled by a King and Queen. However, the the King and Queen are son and mother not husband and wife. The current king is allowed to choose a different wife every year, but the new wife must be of a different tribe than the king. The new king is then chosen by the tribal council from one of his wives who had an only son. That way there is no sibling rivalry, and the king is from a different tribe each time. The current King and Queen have multiple residences in the country. The one that we passed had a rock carving at the entrance with a lion to represent the King and a she elephant to represent the Queen.
1 comment:
What a beautiful place. The Ezulwini Valley means "valley of happiness." The sunrise in Swaziland occurred around 5:45am. Breakfast was one of the best parts of the day. We sat on the veranda and watched the morning fog burn away as the sun rose over the mountains.
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