When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
Cape Town faces the Atlantic, so the water is pretty chilly even in summer. Muizenberg Beach is a popular surfing destination because of the good waves it gets, but any sane surfer wears a wetsuit.
Despite the cold, Kiara and Alanna squeezed every bit of fun out of the waves, sand, and sun in the last hours before heading to the airport. Since they were soaked to the skin and covered in wet sand, we had luckily scheduled time for a shower before starting our trip.
There is just something so picturesque about the wine farms, even when the weather is not perfect. My fingers itch whenever I get near one.
Stuart and the girls are generally pretty patient with my photography, but even they had enough for this trip. Stuart packed me in a car and sent me to Constancia Wine route as we were living in the neighbourhood. He and the girls stayed at the house swimming and relaxing.
As I was driving myself, I ended up drinking more coke than wine – but I got my photos.
When I was a kid, I remember visiting the Helsinki Natural History Museum. The exhibit that impressed me most was a calf with two heads (still there today). Otherwise, I remember it being quite ‘dusty’ and stiff. It was very different from today’s museums.
Entering the Iziko South African Museum felt like a return to the late 80s, with glass cases filled with rather poor examples of taxidermy… until we wandered into the new side with the dinosaur and shark exhibits. They were cool! Very cool!
The main picture today is a giant fig tree in the Company’s Garden just outside the museum. It is approx 150–175 years old, so you can quite fairly classify it as well within Natural History.
I love proper breakfast. Whenever I find the time, I cook different dishes even just for myself. I adore eggs in all forms, sauces, mushrooms, avo, bacon, salmon, yogurt, jams… you name it. Funnily enough, breakfast is the only meal Stuart does not cook. And rarely eats.
But there was no need to twist his arm to get him to enjoy a great breakfast in Franschhoek. The market was even on, so we spent a good few hours around town before taking a scenic drive to Vredenheim Wine Estate to meet the whole wider family for lunch.
A day of beauty and decadence.
And yes, despite visiting Franschhoek at least 15 times over the years, I still need to check the spelling every time…
Vredenheim has a park for big cats. These white tigers were not getting along…
It is tricky to explain to the girls how privileged they are. For a 7-year olds, their own problems are always the biggest in the world. And, to be fair, that is often true for us adults too.
However, after visiting one of Cape Town’s big townships – Langa – today, the differences were starkly visible even to Alanna and Kiara. As the girls said “There were a lot of kids, but not many toys”.
The explanation of the history and the social commentary of the guide (a Langa resident himself) were a bit too complicated for the girls, but they now recognize the words for Apartheid and Nelson Mandela.
The lunch at the Waterfront – a luxury area indeed – drove home the the comparison.
I love bright colors. It’s one of the reasons traditional Afrikan fabrics appeal to me. Why would you ever wear beige if you could wear orange, turquoise and purple? Simultaneously. But I am also pretty self-concious, so I (too) often settle for safer choices.
This contradiction is what started my love affair with large earrings. You can be bold, but in a sort-of-safe way – like jumping off a cliff only halfway.
In photography, there is no need for safe choices. That’s why there are few better places to wonder around that the vibrant, bold Malay neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.
We are not beach people. I like swimming in a salty water only slightly more than Stuart likes getting sand on his Kindle. The girls like the idea of the beach, but are not keen on the waves or the heat – so always choose the pool when given a choice. None of this means we don’t want to GO to the beach. Alanna plays with sand, Kiara hunts for shells and I take photos. We just don’t want to stay there.
So, we enjoyed the Atlantic ocean in the Cape Town Aquarium. And why not? Even I find it magnificent!
Alanna loves everything that is alive. Dogs, cats, cows and raindeers are obviously cuddly, but she also thinks that snakes are cute and spends evenings thinking how she could catch and release a mosquito without killing it.
Fantasy animals are even better. She started with unicorns and magical cats, but currently we are in a lenghty werewolf phase. Her howl is becoming pretty realistic.
Imhoff Farm with its petting zoo is Alanna’s happy place. Kiara agrees, as she thrives with the active interaction with the animals – and on all the playgrouds and climbing trees.
For parents, a good view, good food and a glass of wine are all that’s needed.
On the way back we also stopped in Hout Bay for ice cream.
Boulders beach, and its colony of African penguins, is one of my favourite spots in the world. On my first visit in 2006, I stayed in the hotel there and spent the night listening to a couple… fighting(?) under my window. Despite the poorly slept night, in the morning I had the beach all to myself and I spent a glorious few hours taking pictures.
With increasing tourism and reducing penguin numbers, the city is trying to protect the colony by enforcing stricter separation between penguins and people. So you rarely see them wondering along the streets anymore. But the charm is still there.
A walking penguin always looks like it is going somewhere with great purpose. Or at least it thinks it is on a Very Important Business.
It was hot today… 35C at highest. I am not sure if I have just forgotten what it normally feels like, or if I have lost my heat survival mode after living four years in Finland.
We battled the heat with excessive time in the pool and relaxed walk in the (shady) forest. In the evening, when it started to cool down slightly, we headed out to a nearby winery with a quirky restaurant. Cold white wine and a frozed daiquiri improve any night.
Blue Moment 