Postcards from South Africa 03.10.11

On our final night in Cape Town, Harry treated us to a magical picnic at Landudno beach. We sat here for a few hours, watching the sun set amidst two ongoing photo shoots, dozens of families playing in the waves, and others enjoying similarly well planned picnic dinners.


This was definitely an evening to remember. It provided us with a good, calm atmosphere to process all we'd seen, including:

beautiful beaches
townships
churches
ministries
mountains
injustice
generosity
sunsets
penguins
history
...and so very much more.

On a lighter note, the famous "Sandy's Beach" was just next door. Clothing optional. Just sayin'.

Postcards from South Africa 03.09.11

We wouldn't be the Straits if we didn't make a point to visit every major university in our touring vicinity. We enjoyed a stroll through University of Stellenbosch's campus prior to eating dinner downtown on our last evening in wine country. The views are spectacular, and we can't imagine how students get any work done with so much to do within a 20 minute radius.

Given how cheap bottles of wine are here, we figure that hosts provide wine vats instead of beer kegs at parties. Seriously. Just a few dollars a bottle, in many cases, and it tastes leagues better than two-buck chuck!

Postcards from South Africa 03.08.11

Wine tasting, round two! We visited Fairview Wine estates, which was located between Wellington and Franschhoek. It is known for both its wines and its cheeses--especially goat cheeses. We signed up for the wine and cheese tasting, and Drew was a little excited by the end... those little sips of wine can really catch up with you!


We purchased a few bottles before leaving and can't wait to share them Stateside. It's a good thing you can only take four bottles through customs or our suitcases would be precariously full.

Postcards from South Africa 03.07.11

As mentioned in a previous post, the whole camping idea didn't work out so well for us... it's actually a pretty funny story when told in person... but we were so blessed to get an amazing deal at a bed & breakfast in Wellington, a total hole-in-the-wall town in wine country. After a long and sweaty car ride, we were absolutely jazzed to be able to take a shower, eat dinner at a nearby pub and float in a backyard pool under the bright southern stars, all while being kept guard by a huge (though snuggly) German Shepherd.

For your enjoyment, just a few shots of our balcony (the room being through the visible door).






And this is how Drew likes to spend his "time off." You can usually hear Dana whining in the background: "Can we PLAY yet??!" I'm so proud of my hard working guy!

Postcards from South Africa 03.06.11

We spent a lovely handful of hours wandering around Franschhoek, a romantic town in wine country known for its high-end restaurants and beautiful scenery. We may not have frequented the restaurants, but we did enjoy a satiating espresso. Believe it or not, we got a bit of work done while sitting in our cafe of choice.


Beautiful, no??

Postcards from South Africa 03.05.11

We took two days to explore the wine country and mountain passes just east of Cape Town. That first day featured driving through random towns in a valiant effort to secure a campsite before dark. We failed miserably and ended up begging for a room at a Bed & Breakfast, but enjoyed the drive through vineyards and up Bainskloof Pass, which we happened to enter right at sunset. We had no idea that there were such striking mountain passes here! The next morning we bought food for a picnic and returned to the pass to breathe in the mountain air and enjoy the view.




It was SO HOT! We quickly understood the importance of these "stop for shade here!" signs.

Our picnic, overlooking the valley and tiny town called "Wellington" (where we stayed overnight).

One of the historic plaques at the top of the pass explained its story. Pretty amazing, actually. The current road has been unchanged since its original construction back in the 1800s other than repaving.

Postcards from South Africa 03.04.11

We drove up Signal Hill one night to enjoy the sunset. We found a little spot away from the rest of the tourists to enjoy the stunning view of Table Mountain and the sunset progression. Just to our right lay Robbin Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during Apartheid.

Postcards from South Africa 03.03.11

Harry took us to Moyo's, a cultural restaurant in Stellenbosch, for a lazy Saturday lunch. This place was great, and prior to eating you get your face painted with traditional Zulu face art. The food was buffet-style and offered pretty much every crazy meat that you can imagine.

Afterward we went next door to the cheetah preserve and were able to actually PET one! These animals are fascinating (they date back to pre-ice age, being one of the most evolutionarily ancient mammals on earth). The preserve works hard to increase cheetah health and population in South Africa and beyond.

Postcards from South Africa 03.02.11

Just a day driving around the Cape.

It took Drew a number of times out on the road to get used to driving on the "wrong" side. Shifting with his left hand is smooth now, but we still look both ways multiple times before pulling out into a busy intersection!

We didn't have a GPS in Cape Town so spent the week navigating maps. At first I had no idea what to do with the blasted things, but by the end of the week I was ready to trade maps in for GPS systems, hands down. Drew appreciated my new-found navigational confidence, as we didn't get lost once!

These baboon signs were everywhere, and for good reason. Our friends saw a baboon get mad at a group of Japanese tourists and hop in their car, locking the doors behind it and laughing hysterically. They're smart creatures, all right!

A typical passenger's seat view. "What a privilege," we kept saying, "that we get to experience this!" We felt blessed all week long.



At the end of this day we drove by the main World Cup stadium in CT (where the opening ceremonies were held).

Postcards from South Africa 03.01.11

One of our favorite mornings in Cape Town was spent with our host, Harry Beyleveld, at Groot Constantia, a historic wine estate founded in 1685. We did a full tour of the winery, which included a tasting of five different wines. What a delight!


Dana and Harry getting ready to taste.

The wine estate is surrounded by Table Mountain National Park. Incredible!

Driving through the wine fields of Constantia.

Postcards from South Africa 02.28.11

This is Noerdhoek Beach about 20 min outside of Cape Town. We LOVED it here! The beach is without reservation the most beautiful I have seen. What sets it apart from other beaches is its sheer size and the massive white sand dunes that line the beach. It is also a popular surfing spot.

Postcards from South Africa 02.27.11

The diversity of animals and scenery in S. Africa is breathtaking. These pics are from the beach near Simons Town. The Penguins are surprisingly friendly. When they hit the water, though, they are in their element. They zip around and spread their wings out like a bird in air!

This is way cooler than a deer sign.

The Penguins have a great view!



Best friends?

Postcards from South Africa 02.26.11

Hippos at Pilanesburg!

Postcards from South Africa 02.25.11

So, to make a long (and fabulous) story short, Drew and I flew to Cape Town for a week's vacation, where we had the opportunity to stay with Harry -- our dear friend Nicky's brother. It was a true treat to get to know Harry better and we loved every moment of our time with him and exploring his city (one of South Africa's true jewels)! Over the next few "postcards" we'll be sharing images from our time there.

Been wondering where our blog posts have been? Well, let's just say the blog has been on vacation with us, enjoying our first extended break from internet in too many years to count.

Our first day was initiated by a search for where to purchase maps of the city (no GPS?? what do we do?!), remembering how to use said maps and exploring the very tip of the cape. We drove down the eastern side of the cape toward the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope, stopping in numerous sleepy beach towns along the way. Each beach town stop necessitated another con panna (=2 shots of espresso with a healthy dollop of whipped cream)... and one coffee shop surprised us with a GLUTEN FREE, CORN FREE, OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS chocolate cake! Let's just say we had no regrets when it came to eating dessert for breakfast this day.

A view from our breathtaking drive...


At the national park we were amazed by the striking change in scenery and rugged coastlines. BEAUTIFUL! Also beautiful? The wildlife. These baboons will jump in your car, roll up the windows, lock the doors and laugh at you for hours if you let them. They are amazingly intelligent animals and they fool tourists on a daily basis (aah, yes, you enjoy taking photos of me? see how you like it when I sneak up behind you and steal your camera!).

We parked the car at the Cape of Good Hope and hiked to Cape Point and back. By the end of the hike I'm sure Drew was sick of me reminiscing about my high school World History class, babbling on and on about Vasco de Gama (who I called Rosco) and all of the failed attempts to find a route to China via Africa. The shipwrecks in this area abound and it was fascinating to see how many of them were still visible from the coast!


Fun fact: the park actually has three capes! I had only remembered the Cape of Good Hope, but to fully round the cape you must also pass Cape Maclear and Cape Point.

By the end of the day we were already in love.