Brian,
affectionately known by all at the house as Bri Bri, came to visit! He made it
safely across the Atlantic to Joburg and enjoyed his adventure on a train ride
to Cape Town. As I was out of town for the weekend in Plettneburg, I was
grateful Jen and Snigs so graciously volunteered to pick up the extra suitcase
Brian brought overseas for me (thanks Mom and Dad for the sweets, Aunt Annie's
Mac and Cheese, and the Goldfish). They even took him to dinner his first night
out in the city! Vernon saw Brian before I did too; he kindly took Brain on a
community tour, showing him a side of Cape Town he would have otherwise never
seen.
And
then I finally met up with Brain at the IEC! I took the next two days off from
work and spent them showing off the magic of the city. Tuesday was our beach
day. I brought Brian on the train and we headed to Muizenburg to surf. I will
admit Brian was better than myself, but I did manage to stand up on the third
try. Unfortunately it went downhill from there . . . I think I spent more time
being pushed around on the surfboard by our instructor than actually surfing.
The experience was phenomenal though, between the wind, the splashing
waves, and the excitement each time we actually managed to stand. We
finished our beach day off with lunch in Kalk Bay. Turns out Brian loved the
atmosphere there as much I do. After two delectable crepes each from
"Excuse my French," we shopped around some antique stores before
racing back to Rondebosch. Then up the mountain we went.
We
decided to hike Lion's Head for the full moon - a Cape Town tradition. I
desperately wanted Bri Bri to see the sunset from the mountain, so we actually
jogged for the first five minutes of the hike. I regretted that when I couldn’t
move in the morning, but we did make it just in time to see the sun sink below
the water! It was my last time on Lion's Head this trip, probably my
favorite place in all of Cape Town. . . . Something about the 360 view as you
climb its winding trail is surreal. Its incredibly calming to stare out at the
two oceans, neighbors with Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, and the twinkle
of city lights. As nightfall was coming, I realized I'd forgotten one of
our flashlights. Thankfully we met the strangers hiking in front of us . . who
happened to be from Connecticut! Such a small world in Cape Town, really. Our
newfound friends helped us make the hike up and down by sharing their LED
light. I think Brian fell in love with Lion's Head as much as I have. How
often can you look up a mountain at night and trace a trail of lights to the
very top? There is something special about so many people hiking the trail at
night. And there is simply nothing like the full moon from Lion's Head. It
hangs in the sky and feel so incredibly close, just out of reach, lighting the
trials with its warm glow. When I come back to Cape Town (not if!) Lion's
Head will be one of the first spots I return to.
We
woke up to clear blue skies and decided to tackle Table Mountain. We chose the
Skelton Gorge, Kirstenbosch route. I don't think I've ever disliked stairs more
in my entire life. But the five-hour journey was well worth it and made for a
wonderful day outdoors. Half way up the mountain, we stopped by a reservoir.
Who knew there'd be smooth white beach sand and a swimming area in the middle
of rocky terrain? When we finally arrived at the cable car, there was
such a crowd. And everyone was dressed so nicely! Meanwhile, Brian and I were
covered in dirt and sweat in workout clothes just laughing at the scene. No
doubt though, we were both grateful to have chosen the less traveled route up
the mountain.
In
a rush to meet friends at Loch, Brian and I quickly chose the closest
restaurant for dinner. Thank goodness we did! We accidentally discovered a
quaint Italian restaurant called "The Cousins." Its run by two
cousins who grew up in Italy. After a ten minute speech on the real do's and
don'ts of pasta (pesto is a cold sauce and its practically a sin to serve Bolognese
with spaghetti but the way) I feasted on the best pasta I've ever had and
probably will (blue cheese pecan sauce on homemade wet pasta). I think
almost everyone in our program has since been and felt similarly, so if you're
ever in Cape Town, I recommend it!
Thursday
we spent the day in the city, shopping in Green market Square. - lots of
bargaining. Good Friday proved to be a clam day as well. Brian attended the
Greek Orthodox church in Woodstock and we enjoyed a dinner at Marita's flat
with Walsh, Cassie, and their families. We finished off the evening with Aunt
Libby's sweet bread recipe, mixing, kneading, and baking for Pascha. I'm
grateful for the bit of home that activity brought with it. Everyone in the
pool house helped out and decided Bri Bri is an expert baker after sampling the
bread (we managed to devour all six loaves in just a few days).
Saturday
Brian bravely drove Jen, Snigs, and I to Langebaan! So he's officially driven
on both sides of the road. Die Stradnloper restaurant was just as amazing as it
was the first time . . . ten courses of seafood right on the beach, toes
in the sand. The chefs cook it front of you on open fires right alongside their
home baked bread. Brian and I returned to attend the midnight service for
Pascha in Woodstock. The service was a bit confusing in Greek, but beautiful
nonetheless. Sunday we spent the morning at the Mount Nelson Hotel for
High Tea – my dream come true. Evening
arrived and we enjoyed a nontraditional Easter dinner (I cooked your Rosemary
chicken successfully Dad!). A few of us chatted for hours around the table,
laughing off all the food we ate and more.
Brian
swears he'll come back if he gets the chance. Glad we'll have the memories to
share for a lifetime. And glad he'll better understand both the struggles and
the beauty of the South African city I've come to love.
No comments:
Post a Comment