South Africa: Hello there, Cape Town

So we're starting our trip to South Africa this time by staying in the hotel where Leigh's best friend works as the purchasing manager. It. Is. Incredible. But seriously. It's amazing. Nicholas even had this waiting for Leigh when we arrived: 

It's a cold six-pack of his favorite beer. Look at the beautiful view and the beautiful room.

We had an incredible time seeing Jade and visiting Pa, who lives with Jill's brother Michael and his family. We haven't seen all of them since Ma passed away, so it was really special to spend time with Pa. He is hilarious and still has jokes. The food was, of course, incredible, as is always the case when we are in South Africa, and the company was, of course, even better.

Why I love fall

Fall is such a fantastic time of year, mainly because I get to wear jackets. Now that Mia is a part of our family, fall is fantastic for a whole new reason: the bear suit.

Mia picked it up from Tiamo Jill and Aunt Jade when she was in Cape Town this summer, which is winter in South Africa. Because Mia is roughly the size of a golf ball, she still fits into her winter gear. I was so excited! Two winters, one fuzzy outfit! You better believe she'll be wearing this as long as it fits.

The last day in CT

Everyone felt good this morning - hooray! - so we hit the road for lots of awesomeness. Mia feels worlds better after starting her antibiotics, and all of us were really relieved that she is herself again.

Penguins. We went to one of the coolest places on earth: Boulders National Park. We got to see all the African penguins running around, smacking each other, braying like donkeys and being adorable. It was so fun!

Ma and Pa. I interviewed Ma and Pa for our grandparents project. It was kind of a tough interview, but I'm really glad we did it.

Dinner. We had supper with Jason's mother, Lizal, and spent a little more time with Jason before we headed out for the night.

I'm so glad Mia felt better today so she could spend her last day in Cape Town smiling and laughing with Jade and Jason. It was so great. :)



Back to Joburg in the morning!

A day of eating and not

All we did today was eat. Seriously. Eating. All day.

This morning Jade took us to Old Biscuit Mill, which is quite possibly the greatest food spot on the entire planet. Every Saturday morning this fantastic food market opens in Cape Town. It was everything - Chinese, Greek, French, Italian, South African, American, Arabic. It was incredible. There was wine, beer, pastries and fresh fish, herbs and flowers. The place was packed full of hippies and hipsters. It was absolutely fantastic. We shared our food - a French pizza (super thin and super delicious), a Greek gyro, a chicken sandwich and the best apple pastry ever. And then of course we had to shop a bit. We mostly bought things for Mia but also got a couple things for ourselves. It was the best way to spend a Saturday morning/afternoon ever.

Afterward we went and picked up Leigh's brother, Jason, and drove to the big Jacobs braai. And what else would you do at a braai (a South African cookout) but eat. We started with dessert, which I didn't argue about. Then I learned that we had dessert first so we could clear some of the food off the huge table to make room for even more food. So then we had dinner, followed by dessert. Yes. That's my kind of dinner.

Mia got a chance to meet lots of her extended family. Mia took to Alfie's mother, Mama. She also got to meet some of Alfie's siblings - Brenda, Shirley, Roy, Desmond and Angela - and all of their families. It was, in a word, loud. It was like a Coppernoll get-together but larger and therefore louder.

Mia wasn't feeling the best so it took time for her to warm up to everybody. She didn't even really take to Jason right away. She has been throwing up nearly everything she's taken in, even water. She kept a bit down this evening, so we're hoping this is the upswing.

Tipsy for $4

So I accidentally got tipsy today before lunch.

We visited the oldest wine farm in South Africa and went to a wine tasting, which cost R28 - about $4. I admit it - I got a little tipsy. It was an accident. The wine was OK, but I have to say that I enjoyed the wines at our Vilakazi tasting better than these. (The Vilakazi wines were super good!) Leigh, Jade and I all tasted the most expensive wine on the list just because it was the most expensive. We agreed it wasn't the best. Or maybe we aren't the best wine tasters.

Afterward we went to Hout Bay and ate more seafood. The area is beautiful. Pastel houses dot the mountain sides. Boats fill the harbor. The setting sun painted the cliffs pink. It was like a living postcard. This is the place to have seafood, so we've been having as much as we can. It was a nice early birthday celebration with Leigh, Jade, Jill, Mia and me. It was fantastic until the very last moment - when Mia threw up all over Leigh and me. It was so sad. She felt so sick, but she's such a good sport. She just smiled and carried on the rest of the night like she was fine. What a sport, as always!

Tomorrow is the big Jacobs braai where Mia will get to meet everyone for the first time. It should be fun!

Hello Cape Town!

We arrived this morning in Cape Town after another easy flight with Mia. We flew on a local carrier - Kalulu - and I have to say, this is the most impressive airline I've been on. We arrived 25 minutes early and our luggage was on the belt before we even got there.

We visited the Mother City in 2007 but didn't have much time to walk around the city, so we spent lots of time doing that today. It was so fun, and it was great to see Cape Town in detail. We visited Green Market Square and the beautiful downtown gardens. The city is full of fashionable shops and fashionable people. It's a place for the weird and wonderful and young. And of course we couldn't pass up a chance for seafood on the Water Front.

It was the first time for Mia to meet Jade, and it was love at first sight. Mia only spent a few minutes warming up before Auntie Jade won her over. It was so awesome that they finally met. Oma Jill is here in Cape Town, and she was happy to see Mia after a long, long, long two week separation. It's a battle to see who will cuddle Mia more - her grandmother or auntie. The two of them bought her an outfit to keep her warm during the winter here. It's a little grey bear suit thing, like the outfit Max wears in "Where the Wild Things Are" except grey. It might be the funniest thing ever. What's cuter than a cute baby? A cute baby that looks like a koala.

Mia also had the chance to meet Jill's parents, Ma and Pa. Pa is about to turn 90 and Ma is in her late 80s. It was really special for them to meet Mia. Until Ma called her a twit. Mia wasn't warming up so quickly and Ma didn't care for that at all. (These are the same grandparents who called me chubby when we met in 2007. haha Great.) Jill tried to convince me twit was a term of endearment, but I don't buy it as a difference in cultural interpretation. But I guess when you're that age you can say whatever you want.

Going to South Africa

We finally did it. We bought our tickets for South Africa. We're leaving mid-May for four weeks and we absolutely cannot wait. The only thing that muffled our excitement a bit was the ticket price. Good gravy! But nevertheless, it's going to be an amazing trip. We absolutely cannot wait for Mia to meet her family in South Africa. And we can't wait for the World Cup! We're hoping to see at least one game.