Gute Nacht from Frankfurt!

Sunday morning started off with a panic. I had a rough night’s sleep due to my ever-growing list of things to do before we left for the airport. Do laundry. Collect our VAT receipts. Take a shower. Pack away our carry-ons. Stuff our backpacks. Send last-minute emails. Return the vacuum to our neighbors. Sweep up the dog hair. Strip the bed and collect our towels. And, most importantly, spend at least 5 blissful minutes savoring the sweet afternoon sunshine whilst listening to the ocean on our back patio.

I’m pretty sure that the pet menagerie knew something was up, as they’ve never seen me rush around so frantically before. Pella hid under the coffee table, her trademark “you can’t kick me out and leave if I’m here” move, Biscuit looked up at me sadly with his big brown eyes, not even bothering to ask for a belly scratch this morning, and Mugwa the cat just got the heck out of my way.

Five hours later, we finished the list. “Wow! You’re done really early -- nearly an hour to spare!” Jim exclaimed. (Given my notorious history of last-minute packing, this actually was a pretty remarkable achievement.) “Yes, but I knew it was going to be a big push today. I haven’t been this stressed in months!” I remarked.

Before we knew it, a bare-footed bear of a man (the incoming housesitter, who somehow maintains his imposing build on vegetables alone) was at our door to take us to the airport. We rushed through check-in, VAT refund, security, passport control, and currency exchange with just enough time to arrive at the gate for “boarding.” I use quotation marks because while the airport monitors said “boarding,” passengers at the gate were clearly *not* boarding. A few minutes later, the monitors refreshed, indicating a 2-hour delay…

About 2 hours and 30 minutes later, people were starting to get restless. We could see the plane on the tarmac, so knew that we weren’t waiting for another flight to arrive. It also couldn’t be the weather, as a Lufthansa flight had just recently departed for Munich. “The flugzeug fliegt nicht,” I told Jim. Then, moments later, the captain and co-pilot appeared at the gate and approached the boarding desk. A crowd gathered around, and the captain began to speak:

“Guten tag, hindelkassen wergarhdtsstadf kndergrautenze flugzeug scweischertrschlizt groschlisnghaus mechanisch gwentwizerbosch…[5 more minutes of indecipherable German]… Danka.”

(I have only completed Unit 1 of Rosetta Stone German, which thankfully includes a lesson on basic greetings and a boy sitting under an airplane.)

The captain then said,

“Oh, is there anyone here who doesn’t understand German?”

A handful of Anglo passengers sheepishly raised their hands.

“I will repeat for you the interesting parts. The flight is delayed. We have booked accommodation for you for tonight. You will get a slip of paper under the door of your hotel room in the morning with information on our new departure time.”

Many hours and several German-only announcements later, we had collected our bags, were corralled through immigration, and hopped charter buses en route to our hotels. While I had hoped to return to Cape Town someday, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town

The next morning, the front desk gave us an early wake-up call to inform us that the buses were leaving at 8 AM. Not wanting to push our luck with German punctuality (have you ever ridden their trains? I swear they are timed to the second!), we hurriedly packed, showered, and scarfed down a gut-busting breakfast with our new German freunden.

Back at the airport, we repeated the check-in process (except this time it was performed en masse with 300 passengers) and claimed our usual seats at the gate. Finally, after a 17-hour delay, we boarded our flight from Cape Town to Frankfurt.

But weren’t we headed to Croatia? Yes, we were (and still are) heading to Zagreb. But we arrived too late in Germany to catch a connecting flight. This means a second night at a hotel on Condor’s nickel. Not ideal, but it’s much nicer to sleep in a bed rather than a cramped economy seat or an airport bench.

Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport

I may have jinxed us on Sunday by proclaiming, “Next stop, Zagreb!” in my Facebook status. So, this time, I’ll just say “Guten nacht from Frankfurt!”

Happy Feet at Boulders Beach

During our travels, Jim and I have naturally fallen into some designated roles. One of the things that I enjoy doing is coming up with a short list of must-see sights... then it's up to Jim to get us there! (Do two people really need to endure the challenge of learning to drive on the left-hand side?)

Some of my top picks for Cape Town have been viewing the spring wildflowers, visiting Stellenbosch (a famous wine-growing region), admiring the view from atop Table Mountain, and sticking my toes in the Indian Ocean. We've been slowly chipping away at my list, usually taking one day trip each week.

The dramatic mountain views and vineyards in Stellenbosch.

You've probably heard of South African wine, but did you know that they also have an indigenous penguin population? Once I caught word of this, I just had to see them for myself.

The Boulders Beach penguin colony was established in the 1980s. It's part of the South African National Park system, charging 45 Rand (about $5) per person for admission. Worth every penny, if you ask me!

I must say, these penguins have some pretty sweet digs. The beach is surrounded by massive granite boulders, dramatic mountain vistas, and La Jolla-style luxury homes. Oh, and the Indian Ocean's not bad, either.

The African penguins themselves are relatively small, only coming up to your knee caps. They were formerly known as Jackass penguins due to their distinctive call... do they sound like a donkey to you?

There's just something mesmerizing and inherently charming about watching these little guys toddle around. The penguins were swarmed by a paparazzi of international tourists, myself included. I must have taken over 100 photos of them.

What did Jim think of the visit? All he said was, "I can't wait to tell our friends that this is what we were doing while they were at work."

West Coast Wildflowers

We arrived in South Africa just in time to catch the annual wildflower season (remember, it's spring here in the southern hemisphere!) The Western Cape has designated Flower Routes for budding floriculturists to enjoy nature's colorful display.

We combined flower viewing with a visit to West Coast National Park, located about 75 miles north of Cape Town. Spring flowers are a lucrative attraction for the park; they open a special section for two months of the year and double the cost of admission (88 Rand per person, or 10 USD).

Only a limited palette of orange and yellow flowers were still blooming during our visit, but, to be fair, it was the very last day of the season.

DCH, these made me think of you!

Does this scream Claritin commercial or what?

Thankfully, the wildflowers weren't the only eye candy in the park. There were also some nice panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean.

But I'd have to say that my personal favorite was catching a glimpse of the local wildlife!

Bontebok

Mountain zebra

Springbok, like the rugby team!

Another highlight was our lovely lunch at Geelbeck Restaurant, which is located inside the park. The restaurant is housed in a historic Cape Dutch building built in 1744. The brochure advertised "traditional South African fare prepared by local Malay women," so it sounded too good to pass up!

I had Cape Malay Chicken Curry and Jim had Bobotie, a spiced meat casserole with an eggy topping. They were both delicious! Our meals were served with local veggies and homemade pumpkin pie (apparently that's not just an American thing!)

That's bobotie!

No antelopes or zebras were harmed in the preparation of our lunch... at least we don't think so. But we did pick up a nice animal hide as a souvenir! Just kidding! We only brought back photos, I swear.

To Catch a Tortoise

After 30 minutes of running in circles around the backyard, Jim was able to capture a few pictures of our tortoises! Those little guys are surprisingly quick!

What do you think? Are they cute or what?

Lazy Days and Long Walks on the Beach

We've become quite lazy here in our South African beach house. There's something about this place that instantly puts us at ease. Maybe it's sound of the waves, the sea breeze, or the laid-back atmosphere of this small fishing village. It's all wonderfully relaxing.

Even the internet connection is reminding us to take it slow. For me, this has resulted in endless games of Mahjong while I wait for webpages to load, whereas Jim has really embraced his inner bookworm. He's reading anything he can get his hands on, from Nelson Mandela's autobiography to how-to manuals.

One of our favorite pastimes has been taking long walks on the beach with our two favorite blondes, Pella and Biscuit. We thought you might enjoy a few photos of our stroll along Pearl Bay, the local beach.  I already have that I'm-gonna-miss-this-place feeling...*sigh*

That's Table Mountain in the distance!

Our New Digs in South Africa

We've just finished our first week as housesitters here in South Africa. Things are starting to fall into place (we've found the grocery store, unpacked our bags, and have even done laundry!) and we're feeling a bit more settled in our new home.

It seems to take us about 2 weeks to get our bearings. I think that's pretty good, considering each move constitutes a change in not only living arrangements, but also countries, languages, and currencies!

The house we're staying in might best be described as a beach cottage. That's not to say we're roughing it here -- this is a proper year-round home with modern amenities -- it's just a very simple, relaxing, and homey place that makes you feel like you're on vacation. It's even close enough to the ocean to hear the waves crashing on the beach. How wonderful is that?

Our backyard, with native fynbos vegetation

We also have our very own pet menagerie: a pair of lovable Labrador Retrievers, a savvy kitty, and countless tortoises (who've unofficially taken up residence in the backyard).

Mugwa the cat and Pella the Lab

Old man Biscuit, whom I've affectionately dubbed "Brutus"

All in all, we're feeling really great about this housesit. A laid-back beach town is just what we needed!

Escape to the Cape

After 20+ hours of travel, we've finally arrived in South Africa. The long journey was well worth it! We will be spending the next couple of months housesitting on the West Coast, about an hour north of Cape Town.

Here's a picture of our new neighborhood:

Who knew the Atlantic Ocean had beaches like this?!

I'm eager to get out and start exploring! This is my first trip to Africa, and I still can't believe I'm here. I think I'm going to really like this place... beautiful scenery, Mediterranean climate, and a much more favorable exchange rate than London!