Goodbye – Hello (EN)

Goodbye – Hello

Hello everyone! Here our first official post from a warm South Africa ...
After having said goodbye in the Netherlands to family and friends, we headed on  January 1 early in the morning for Schiphol airport. At our request, there was no goodbye committee – probably the best choice for emotional for people like me. At 23.15 hrs we arrived at Cape Town airport, where Liek and Jeroen arrived just in time for a warm welcome (for those who don’t  know them, Liek is a Dutch colleague of mine from Philips). Liek and Jeroen live in a beautiful apartment in Cape Town, with a spectacular view of the Table Mountain ...  How cool J! After a quick drink, we went very tired to bed.

On Sunday it was a bit cloudy and after a breakfast on the balcony we drove to  Muizenberg. This town is located southeast of Cape Town on the coast. We did a short walk from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay, where many African people took the opportunity to go to the beach to go (despite the clouds). This  looked a littlebit different from the beach of Zandvoort, here they take all their belongings with them Blankets, tents, coolers, food for at least 5 days and at least seven family members ... When we arrived in Kalk Bay, we saw seals in the harbor, eager eat the ‘waste’ from the local fish market.

After a late lunch it was time for a party. A neighbor of Lieke & Jeroen, Nardus, became 30 and celebrated this in a pub nearby. We were also invited and brought a  real Dutch present. Jeroen was in a creative mood and bought a big bunch of balloons with "Happy 30th birthday',  which immediately aroused the interest of a little girl next door (Mum,I think they have a party ...) The cafe was very nice, with lots of people chatting and drinking (the white wine is very cheap here). What surprised us  was that Nardus did not open the gift, but put it in a bag with the other gifts. This is in South Africa apparently the habit, but for us he made a special exception ;-). Check out the photo for the result. Also the birthday cake ritual was a little different; the cake is eaten as "dessert" of the party. It was a very tasty chocolate cake, so I enjoyed it!

On Monday morning, Liek and Jeroen had just work and we used the opportunity to go to Table Mountain. For S-Africa fans: if there is no fog at the top, you have to go immediately. So we called a taxi. The temperature had now risen to about 30 degrees, so us pale white people started to sweat heavily. When we arrived we noticed that at least 5000 other people also had the idea to go on the mountain  (because of bad weather it was impossible to go up last week) so we had to wait 2 hours for the cable car. But it was worth the effort! The cabin rotates 360 degrees during the ride – this was funny for all the passengers as you suddenly felt the floor move. At the top of the mountain we really enjoyed the spectacular views over the bay. When we wanted to back down, we actually had the idea that we could try a walk but that was not entirely feasible (unless you were reincarnated as a mountain goat). For those of you who plan to visit Cape Town, we have a good suggestion: Book a ticket online in advance, which saves a long queue to get up ....

In the evening we a little bit of jet-set life in Camps Bay. This is a town at a distance of 15 minutes drive from Liek & Jeroen, and it can be compared with Cannes. For fans of gossip magazines: the Dutch singer Gordon has a villa here. There is a boulevard where you can enjoy good food and take a walk. We thought of you all in the cold (at minus 3 degrees) while we enjoyed this ultimate holiday experience!

This morning it was time to say goodbye to Lieke & Jeroen and pick up our rental car. With only 2 / 3 of the luggage (the rest of it we stored at L & J - perhaps I have done a tiny bit of overpacking?) we picked up the rental car. Today's motto was: drive on the left - drive on the left - drive on the left. As long as there is other traffic on the road, no problem, it only becomes difficult when entering an empty road from a parking area for example. Anyway, we have a Chevrolet Aveo, which is a fairly large sedan. Fortunately, it is an automatic has air conditioning, which is really useful in these hot temperatures. After fifteen minutes we were on our way to the coast and took the scenic route along Chapman's Peak drive. This is a fantastic toll road with spectacular views from the cliffs. After a quick lunch at the Pick 'n'Pay (Kim & Jaap: no garlic bread yet!) we went to the botanical gardens of Kirstenbosch. During our last visit to S-Africa we were here before, but due to persistent rain showers, I only saw the inside of the cafe. Now it was exactly the opposite, the temperature approached 35 degrees! After a well deserved siesta – an urgent need when you are on holiday - we were ready for the proteas. This is the national flower of S-Africa. Bad luck was that they were located on top of a hill. We were sweating so much BUT but I saw them! Afterwards we cooled down with a delicious ice cream, mmmmmm.

At the end of the afternoon it was time to head for our next stop, Stellenbosch. This is a very nice place in the middle of the wine region. In SB are about 50 wine estates, and with most you can taste wine. What a fiesta this will be for Erik ;-)...I prefer the cheese haha... The next few days we stay here in a kind of hostel for people over 25. Nice and relaxed, we have a pool and can read a book... You understand that we are doing very well.. J

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So much for this first post... We are curious how you all are doing and look forward to see your comments on this blog!