I had a day of two firsts, one that left me with a lifelong love, the other was later a giggle inspired by an advertisement.
A lovely warm Saturday, somewhere back in the early 1970’s I met some friends at an open air restaurant at the Carlton Centre. (The pride and joy of Johannesburg back then. We had never had a building like it. Just building the underground levels took a few years and people used to go and peep through special holes in the surrounding wall to see this huge hole and its subsequent lining and creating the foundation for a tall office block, shops, hotel etc.)
There we had a delightful lunch and I had my first Campari. Of course back then a Campari sounded exotic and sophisticated. I enjoyed it, but have to admit it hasn’t become a lifelong love.
Many years later there was a popular advertisement in South Africa asking about where you had your first Campari – hence the giggle – because the place given in the ad was not exactly sophisticated – more of a beer locale really.
After lunch we drove out east to the largest airport near the city. Jan Smuts. (Why do they name airports after political figures?)
The purpose? To see the Concorde doing her altitude landing and take-off testing. Johannesburg being conveniently high and (back then) one of the few cities at altitudes with an airport with a reasonable control tower and not too busy on a Saturday was a great place for the testing.
We sat on the car at the airport fence – in those days not too far from the runway, and watched as she came past, sometimes landing, sometimes touching the ground with her wheels and then speeding up, practicing an emergency.
My first Concorde!
And I sat, mesmerised and falling in love with that beautiful white needle of a plane. That love for a miracle so far ahead of its time, functionally beautiful, and able to do things little else could do back then has stayed with me for ever.
Nice one, sidE.
I often noticed when planes did “bumps and starts” at the old Louis Botha airport. (Another political figure) They always flew right over our block of flats.
must have been local training for sea-level landings
Ah, I remember Jan Smuts in the old days.
We used to be able to watch the planes take off from big windows.
Those were the good old days!
and the long balcony, where you could stand in the wind and watch. That was still working at Nairobi airport just a few years ago.
When I was younger… single digit younger, we used to fly between Johannesburg and Botswana on the company plane – I think it was Grinaker at the time, *Smile* and land a Rand airport. The first time we landed at Jan Smuts Airport… I thought the airport was a town. Oh the naivety of the young. Thanks for the sharing Sidey, and the promptings of memories. It is fun at times. *Smile*
i didn’t understand big airports until i landed at Dallas-Forth Worth, and then tried to drive out of it!
apparentkly it does have its own mayor
LOL! Dallas should have its own mayor . . . walking from concourse to concourse is like walking from country to country.
I adore Concorde. It used to fly over our house on the way to Manchester Airport, where it now resides. Such a shame they retired it.
Come on tilly…you hate all planes!!!!
granny, she just hates being inside them
Exactly!
it has and always will have a special place in my heart, it is just so very beautiful
I love how you could reply to that ad, remembering exactly where you had your first Campari, Sidey:)
*hugs*
wasn’t the ad for Benoni?
Campari + Concourde = Perfect Together!
it was!
I would have loved to fly on Concorde. Such a beautiful plane.
me too, but it was so costly!
apparently rather cramped inside
Me too
Sidey, I love your firsts. The images are lovely.
Thanks andra, that plane is still one of the most beautiful things ever made
Here’s mine: http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/my-first-mondegreen/
The wild, strange battle cry “Haffely, Gaffely, Gaffely, Gonward.”
I laughed out loud, probably scaring everyone anywhere near my hone 😉
Campari, is it a cocktail?