My lovely friend Alison was in town from London. We met up for a drink one night and then went to a Halloween party for the next night. It was a great party and I was a witch - borrowed Teia's hat and wig of course!
Amsterdam alumni, Erin and Chad, were in the hood once again for a work trip. We met up for dinner at Red and followed it up at GdG (a bar in our old stomping grounds) and then had some late night tea and snacks at Molenpad. On Sunday we met with the whole family, the Rohrer's and Carlin's, for some brunch at Ijsbreker. We miss having you around, Erin and Chad - be sure to come back soon!
Sinterklaas arrived on November 18th. Kirk took Teia to see him riding on his white horse throughout the city. Chimney Piet also made an appearance - glad to see the city heading in the right direction in regards to Piet - less blackface. Teia and I celebrated Sinterklaas by going to the Pepernotenfeest at the Het Concert Gebouw.
Because we were leaving for South Africa for the winter Holiday we asked Santa to come to our home a little early this year. We celebrated Christmas on December 3rd, and then on the 5th we celebrated Sinterklaas - I told you it's a busy season! Teia's school had Sinterklaas come out for a visit and they got to bake pepernoten with some of the parents. The kids put on a little performance before heading off on winter break!
And now on to our epic trip of all trips - South Africa. We got into Cape Town late after a 11-hour flight; the kids did pretty well for the most part. We headed straight to our friends' home (the Bonds). The next morning we drove to Vineyard Hotel for a lovely lunch and sips of wine while the kids explored the area. They absolutely loved playing with the tortoises walking around. After that we stayed in for the night and did a little bbq'ing on the braii (my new South African term).
The next day we left to go camping for a couple nights - our first time as a family. We stayed at the Goue Vallei Kampeerterrein located in a small town called Citrusdal in the Western Cape province of South Africa. More like glamping but definitely found our fair share of critters - one attaching to my ankle (ended up being a cricket but it scared me no less). We had the whole camp ground to ourselves with three other families. Our campsite was just off the banks of Olifants River. Our days were spent splashing in the water, napping in the shade, playing with the kids and sitting underneath the biggest starry sky. Honestly one of the fondest memories I will have is sitting around a camp fire, listening to music and getting lost in the space above. It was beautiful!
After our camping trip we settled back in at the Bond's and spent the day at the MOCAA Museum and strolled around the Victoria and Albert Waterfront. Once again we had a lovely home-cooked meal with Megan and Mike. Thank you for opening up your home to us and giving us the best introduction to South Africa!
Next stop, Boulders Bay to see the penguins. The girls dipped their toes in the chilly water amongst other beach goers and little penguins. Afterwards we drove to Imhoff farms for lunch and then hit the scenic route through Chapmans Peak. For our next stay we checked into the Rosedene Guest House. We had our own backyard, spacious apartment and incredible views of Table Mountain and Lions Head. The hospitality was amazing. We managed to get a sitter for a couple nights - first night out on our own we went for a drink and appetizers at Outrage of Modesty (hole-in-the-wall place that prides themselves on their drinks) and then dinner with Megan and Mike at Short Market Club.
The following day we met up with the Bonds and a couple other families for wine tasting and lunch in Stellenbosch at Vineyard De Meye (at The Table). We ate roast, salads, quiche, and supreme dessert, and the kids devoured hot dogs and ice-cream. Hours went by, our glasses were always full, it was a glorious and memorable day!
Then it was Colette's 2nd Birthday and we started off the festivity with breakfast at the Guest House. The staff kindly sang Happy Birthday and surprised her with cupcakes. She loved it! For the rest of the day we walked and windowed shopped in downtown Cape Town and ate a quick lunch at Stacked (Pancake house) which included a bottle of wine for us and an epic meltdown from Colette (yay)! That evening we got a sitter and headed to Manna Epicure for an epic meal. I had no clue that Cape Town had incredible food - we enjoyed every tasty bite!
Early in the morning I had a dream about my Uncle Daryl (who passed away a year ago from cancer). In my dream he looked like he did in the early 90's/late 80's. He was having a debate with his ex-wife and I said to him "Daryl"....he looked at me like he didn't recognize me. I said "It's me Bre"...and he said "Oh my gosh I barely recognized you". I could sense the reason he didn't recognize me is because I am an adult, and not the 9/10 year old he expected to see. He came over to me and gave me one of his epic big hugs, the kind where you feel like you could break you in half. I held onto him so tight because I knew this was a rare occasion that I could feel him once again. I said to him "what are you doing here? Do you know why you are here?" and then he stepped back and looked at me and I could see the wheels were starting to turn, like it clicked, he knew he shouldn't be here, he was starting to understand it wasn't the late 80's....that he wasn't here on earth anymore. And then I woke up. This sort of thing doesn't suit most people and that is fine, but I have to believe he came back to see me because I was in one of his favorite cities. He was tagging along on our adventure and celebrating the birthday of his little great niece. I am just so thankful that I got to hear his voice, see his smile and that twinkle in his eye, and feel his bear hug. This dream honestly made Colette's celebration even better. It made me really appreciate life and death. So I sat down for my morning coffee after Colette's breakfast cupcakes and watched the clouds slowly fold over Table Mountain (they call this the 'tablecloth effect') and I took the moment in with tears of course. I hope I get to see him again.
The next day we took the girls to SeaPoint, but it was incredibly windy so our time combing the beachfront was pretty limited. We got back and our sitter arrived for the afternoon so we could hit up SeaBreeze for lunch and shop around a bit. When we got back we played with the girls in our backyard and stayed in for the night!
It was so hard to leave Rosedene Guest House - they were so sweet to our family. The kids absolutely loved it! Now off to Hermanus. On the way there we swung into a farm market in Perigrine with the most delicious and famous pies. The girls played, and we sat outside and ate. We checked into our home in Hermanus and drove into the city center. This town is on the southern coast of the Western Cape province. The town is known for whale watching. Unfortunately for us we didn't see any whales (since it was towards the end of the season) but we still had a blast exploring the area.
The house was darling and the girls enjoyed the large backyard, sunshine and no wind! Talk about hospitality - I left 2 dresses at our last place in Cape Town and the owner of the Hermanus Airbnb picked it up for me (since he was in Cape Town on business). We explored Walker Bay and had lunch at Pear Tree. That evening we went to the Hermanus Country Market. It was darling - so much delicious food, wine and beer, families eating picnic style and playing on the cricket field as the sun was setting.
The next day we chilled at Grotto Beach. The water was crisp and cold but the beach was white and pristine. The girls enjoyed splashing around in the water and getting sticky from popsicles.
The next day was spent at a local winery; we had lunch at the Tasting Room at the Stanford Hills Estate. The wine farm was the perfect place for the girls to run around and play on the wooden playsets while we sipped on wine and devoured all things tasty! This place was definitely a highlight of my time in Hermanus.
For our final day in Hermanus we swung through the Hermanuspietersfontein winery for lunch and then the Farmer Market for a tractor ride and souvlaki wraps.
Now off to Kol Kol Mountain Lodge for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Before arriving we went to a winery where the kids played and we had lunch. The lodge was perfect; very remote and in the middle of the Cape Floral kingdom - with denser floral biodiversity than any other floral kingdom in the world (=beautiful!). We made use of the hot tub and listened to the lions at the nearby wildlife ranch roaring in the night. Probably spotted the biggest spider of my life on the window, and a curious serval trying to get into our cabin. Christmas morning the girls enjoyed opening a few gifts and a lovely breakfast. Then we went off to Betty's Bay and relaxed a bit. That evening we had charcuterie and wine for dinner - it was simple and perfect.
The next day we had to say goodbye to this lovely cottage and make the 5 hour drive to our next destination - Oudtshoorn. Oudtshoorn is a town in the Klein Karoo area of South Africa. It is known for its ostrich farms (part of the ostrich-feather boom era). 2.5 hours into the drive we made a pit stop and discovered the girls were covered in a rash. We made it to B&B and were greeted by Apronia and Patche (the dog). It was obvious we needed to get the girls to the doctor so we went into town. They couldn't confirm what was causing it but we narrowed it down to the hot tub. Some mild cortisome cream for the girls and they were good as new (after a couple weeks). The town was quiet so we spent most of our days around the B&B swimming, and playing. We had dinners at Jemima, and then the following nights at Nastalgie (actually had a tasty ostrich burger). We went to the Wildlife Ranch to scope out some animals. And we also went to the Cango Caves (20 million year old network of limestone chambers discovered by a Dutchman). Our last night I finally tried Bobotie (a well known South African dish with spiced minced meat and baked egg topping. Before we left we had to hit another winery at Karusa Wines and Craft Brewery - so many to experience!
The next morning Teia woke up puking, and then I of course got the bug. This was on New Years Eve. That 5.5 hour drive to Stellenbosch was pretty miserable but I somehow made it to the last 10 minutes of our 5.5 hour journey before puking in the car - good times. I was in bed the rest of the night and missed New Years. Kirk watched UW lose the Fiesta Bowl and I woke up around 1am to lovely text messages - can't believe I missed it. Well here's a pic to sum up our year of traveling and family time!
In Stellenbosch we stayed on an operating Olive Orchard and Nursery. Surrounded by beautiful olive trees and vineyards. The kids played around the house, grounds and pool. Kirk got away to golf with Mike and Megan's brother (Neil) and dad (Kevin) at the Westlake Golf Club in Cape Town. The next day the Bonds and Hunters came over for a pool day bbq. It is always a fun time celebrating with our Amsterdam alumni and existing Amsterdam residents.
For our final day on this epic trip we did one quick stop in Stellenbosch at a local market to scope out some art before heading back into Cape Town. For most of the day we frolicked in the breathtaking Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. The gardens sit at the bottom of Table Mountain and are noted to be one of the best gardens in the world.
For an early dinner and killing time before our flight we made our back to The Vineyard Hotel. The girls got to see the large tortoises roaming around, made some quick friends to play with, and played in the hot sun one last time. I can't believe it - a month flew by. We talked about this trip forever and then it came to an end. Big shoutout to Megan and Mike and family for showing us this beautiful country. We are so blessed to have you in our lives - you went over and beyond taking our family into your home, setting up our camping trip, and giving us tips and advice. Thank you!!!
Our flight home was a success. Both girls slept soundly and made it back home with out a hitch. I have to admit I cried on the plane at take-off - I haven't done that since leaving Los Angeles to move to Amsterdam. South Africa will always have a sweet spot in my heart! And now back to reality and the cold. We missed you Amsterdam, but man you are freezing and exhausting. Gotta get back into biking shape and back on board for school runs and mom + kid life. Luckily my mom arrived to help me out while Kirk starts part 2 of his sabbatical in Vietnam. To be continued!
