Final visits #1: the city

During our last week in Cape Town we sought to do a few of our favorite things and visit some of our favorite sights. One day we went into the city center with Margit, a friend from our small group. 

Our first visit, below, was to Robben Island, home to political prisoners both before and during Apartheid, including Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years of incarceration.

Below is the Slave Lodge, built in the late 1600's and one of the oldest buildings in the city. Now a museum, the building was built to house the early slaves of the VOC (or the Dutch East India Company, which established the first European settlement at the Cape, in 1652). 

 

Jul spotted the advertisement below at one of the many hair salons in town...

(In case you can't read it, the salon is apparently the home of the "Obama Hair Cut." The fine print says: "Looking Neat is Our Target. Change Your Look Yes We Can."

 

Final stop: Tergniet and the Van der Lecq's

We were blessed with a wonderful end to a wonderful trip: a weekend with Jack and Marianne van der Lecq, Fritz's parents and our own official South African "parents." Cape Town was their home for many years until their recent move to a little village called Tergniet, about 4 hours eastward along the coast. Jack and Marianne served as our hosts for several days during our initial exploratory trip to Cape Town in December, 2006, and again when we officially arrived in CT to begin studies in June, 2007. We love them dearly - thus it was wonderful to enjoy a few days at the conclusion of our Cape Town journey in their home.

Random scenes from our Farewell Tour

A few shots displaying some of the scenery from our trip, from rocky gorges to centuries-old Cape Dutch architecture and the odd ostrich... Yes, Jim is standing on ostrich eggs! 

Farewell Tour - part 3

Here we are at a game reserve called "Botlierskop" - we got to stay for free as 2 Way Travel representatives since we've sent clients here in the past. What an amazing privilege!! Again, it was very quiet this time of year so on our game drive we were the only ones in the vehicle with our game ranger.


We spent one night on a houseboat in a lagoon right off the Indian Ocean - again another great [complimentary] privilege as 2 Way Travel staff. Having never been on a houseboat (except one glorious week for Jim as a child on family vacation) we were a bit nervous...but it was beautiful and quiet. And no sea sickness for Jul as the lagoon was calm.


Lovin' the beach and waves while we can!!

Farewell Tour - part 2

The Fernery, pictured below, was a lovely mid-way stop during our trip. We stayed 3 nights and had the place almost entirely to ourselves, tourism being quieter during the winter months. The main lodge was perched on a cliff and offered stunning views of the Indian Ocean from the breakfast room. We enjoyed a bike ride in the surrounding forests, the local ferns, and an amazing meal at a local cheese farm with both cows and goats' milk cheese and homemade foccaccia. Yum!