Wanderlust: a German word describing the irresistibly strong desire to travel. If I were a physician, I would diagnose Larry and I as having an incurable case of wanderlust. We have always been thus afflicted, even when we didn't have the money for upgraded airline seats or fancy, boutique Bed & Breakfasts. If you love the comfort of your home routine, if you always want the same food eaten in the same way, if you feel that you have seen enough of life and met enough fascinating people, if you are completely satisfied with the topography of your home town, then please, never board a plane and travel through the clouds to a land unknown. The adventure may be more than your heart can handle. Travel is the best education. It changes your paradigm and causes you to view your own world in a different way. The frustration of trying to mentally convert the local currency to dollar amount, or trying to navigate the rail system in a foreign country, or figuring out what it was that you just ordered at a local dive of a restaurant, stretches one in a most positive way. It is a lot like white water rafting; you just have to let go and enjoy the ride, no matter how far you are pulled from your comfort zone. And after travel leaves you speechless, it turns you into a storyteller.
A few weeks ago, we spent a week in Cape Town, South Africa, following a week of service at a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Cape Town was a mystery to us, which made it an exciting place to vacation! Before we explore a new place, we try to research and have a preliminary list of things to do and places to see, but we love the luxury of some unstructured time to be able to follow rabbit trails and pursue things that capture our fancy. And so we planned to stay half of the week at the tip of the African continent, in Cape Town, and then finish in the winelands, an hour north of the city, in the quaint, French town of Franschhoek.
Being midway through their winter, we arrived in a cold, windy downpour. A friendly business man, Ayden, saw us sizing up the large map of Cape Town while we waited for our suitcases at the luggage carousel and struck up a conversation about the city and what our plans were. He and his wife were about our age, with young adult kids, mature in their careers, and had enough of a sense of adventure to have lived in Atlanta for a year, when their kids were school age. They had even rafted the Ocoee River! He offered to share his driver and dropped us off at our lovely Bed and Breakfast.
The next morning, the rain was gone and in its place, a brilliant sun with white,puffy clouds dancing across the azure sky. This was our view at breakfast:
As we dined, we were mesmerized by the back of Table Mountain, a long, flat-topped mountain that often has a low cloud covering it, making it appear as if there is a tablecloth in place. With sunny skies, this would be our opportunity to hike to the top. For normal folk, there is a cable car to carry you to the top and back down again, after you have seen the lofty views. Our inclination is to ascend an incline on foot whenever possible. And so for several hours, we climbed the hundreds of stone steps on the path that led up Table Mountain. The reward for our effort was that every time we stopped for a breather, the views of the bay and the city and the ocean were spectacular!
We rode the cable car down the mountain, deeply satisfied that we had accomplished our goal, and as a bonus, had burned enough calories to enjoy our evening's dinner and wine. We dined at the unpretentious, Harbor House, on Kalk Bay; below us, the waves crashed on the rocks, sending up white sprays, even in the darkness.
Larry said his Kingklip fish with citrus sauce was the best meal of the whole trip. And of course it paired beautifully with the locally grown Chenin Blanc.
Dense, chocolate cake with beetroot ice cream; pleasing to the eye and the palate.
The next morning, our new found friend, Ayden, called and offered for he and his wife Bea, to drive us around Cape Town and see the city from a local's perspective. It was a delightful day, made possible by the kindness of strangers. It warms the heart to meet wonderful, hospitable folk halfway around the world. We visited the oldest winery in the area, Groot Constantia, we visited a weekend market with crafts, food, and wares, we drove along the coast and stopped by the beach for a drink, they convinced us that despite what we had read, yes we could rent a car and drive safely and successfully around the area for the rest of our trip, and then they found a Hertz Car Rental and helped us rent a vehicle. We finished the day together with a delicious steak dinner and had such fun comparing our life versus theirs. Honestly, we were much more alike than different. Their favorite weekend activity is to have friends over to their home to braai (Afrikaans for barbecue). Hmmmm wonder who that sounds like?! So I've never put ostrich fillets on the grill, but we can smoke a mean rack of ribs. Whether we realize it or not, we are all ambassadors for our own country, and Ayden and Bea did South Africa proud!
Monday was a carefree day tooling around the cape peninsula in our rented Ford Fiesta. Larry was quite adept with a stick shift, driving on the wrong (to us) side of the road. It was tricky because of course, the clutch and brake were reversed too, with the driver sitting on the right side of the vehicle. I manned the GPS ("take the third exit in the roundabout") and tried to help with encouraging comments, especially when we were turning in intersections with multiple lanes ("remember Dear, you always want to lean towards me"). It was quite an adventure and Larry deserves high marks for his skill.
Would someone please just paint this for me?! I am in love with this picture.
We drove down to the very tip of the continent of Africa, to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Actually there is a bit of land a little east that juts out further, but Cape Point is the most famous place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. We climbed up to the lighthouse, and from there we could see a narrow path along the edge of the mountain, that led out to the rocky tip that juts out the most into the ocean. Larry is not so fond of heights, but he climbed along with me out to the point. It was exhilarating (and very windy)!
Indian Ocean on his right..........
Atlantic Ocean on her left.
Loved the wild succulents.
Cape Point (get it?!)
The rest of the afternoon we drove back up the other side of the peninsula, making a stop near Simon's Town to see the African penguins.
The penguins weren't the only ones eating fish.
The second half of our week was spent doing scientific research just north of Cape Town, in the winelands. Through an intricate system of swirl, sniff and taste, we were researching which South African wines would make an appropriate addition to our wine cellar. It was an arduous task, but we were up to the challenge. Franschhoek, the quaint town where we stayed, is surrounded with manicured vineyard estates. We spent a day exploring some of the vineyards using their "wine tasting express" system. In true Trains, Planes, and Automobiles style, we were chauffeured via Trolley, Train, and Tractor.
As is often the case, good local wines go hand in hand with fabulous eateries. One evening we ate at The Tasting Room, touted by some as the best restaurant in South Africa. We only got in for dinner because it was a blustery, rainy evening out and there had been a cancellation. There was no menu to order from; rather, you put yourselves in the creative hands of the chef as they served a many-coursed, African Inspired Surprise Dinner, paired with local wines. Each dish was a true work of art, with a breathtaking presentation and a complex fusion of unusual flavors.
The first course was a game of "find the edibles". That would be the little pots of oyster and mushroom foam, the black, spongy rolls, and the black, snake-like, rice cracker pretzels.
Sweetcorn potjie, madagascan pepper 'popcorn', pickled kohlrabi (the red stuff), and black sesame. This was one of my favorites.
Spheres of crispy, potato twigs around a confit tomato, baby greens and tomato sorbet.
My dessert arrived rather plain looking. Fortunately I took a picture, because it morphed before my very eyes, as the server poured a homemade, warm caramel sauce over the white dome.
As the dome melted, a ball of coconut ice cream emerged, and within that was a crunchy center. You could have bathed in the caramel sauce, it was so luscious. It was a dinner that sent your tastebuds into overtime.
We spent our final day visiting a few more wineries with a private guide. We loved getting to know Jacqueline, and found her personal stories of half a century of life in South Africa to be the highlight of our day.
All too soon, we were on a plane out of Africa, and heading the sixteen hours back to Atlanta.
I wonder where our wanderlust will take us next. To travel and see the world is the ultimate luxury. And to do it with your best friend is like having extra nuts and whipped cream on top of your Sundae.