andi gets busy at camps bay:
things we love about cape town:
1. craggy rock formations, defying all common sense as they shoot up at every point in the city
2. beaches (also defying all common sense) which ring brief interludes in said landscape
3. easy and unpretentious people - cool and humble, not hyper-hip (very bad indeed!) ... including the fun friends we've made!
4. vintage VW beetles everywhere, with graphic license plates that start with CA (cape town)
5. fresh food
6. it's diminutive size - this place is tiny! which means this place is easy!
7. parking and parking attendants (in their bright vests) - beyond ridiculous - it's possible (and probable) to park directly in front of ANY place that one wishes to go - all the time!
9. our home away from home, 2 inn 1 kensington, run by klaus and chris ... ultra modern, warm, cool, friendly, easy
10. the price tag - value, value, value for the best quality, quality, quality!
today, i look outside - is it possible? is that ... wait, no it can't be ... oh, dear. yes, it has drizzled, and a light rain has made my terrace ever-so-slick. i panic, then take deep cleansing breaths. i'll let jane sleep a bit, and i'll rustle up some tall lattés in elegant and thin glasses. when sleeping beauty emerges, we enjoy our breakfast in bed, and promise to let the kids sleep. we watch part of the movie 'waitress', which we happened to have seen on our computer exactly one year ago, as jane goes through a round of chemo ... what a difference a year makes (happily!).
i decide to go out for a run ... the weather has suddenly cleared and it's a comfortable day with light clouds. not a vigorous runner to begin with - just some cardio, really - i find myself covering all of the mother city in an hour! there's where we ate two nights ago; that's the shop we popped into the second day; that's where jared wants to go for burgers tonight. literally, all of downtown and the city bowl suburbs!
when i get back, we decide that our 'gift' to the kids - letting them sleep until 11 - must finally come to an end. yet, when we bust into their room, there are the three of them, curled up like kittens, watching a DVD together - they've been up for hours, and didn't want us ruining their party. it is truly adorable. a breakfast of obscene amounts of breads, jams, cheeses, more lattés, yogurts, and other delectables ensues. we've decided to take a night off - klaus cancels our 'fancy' dinner reservation, and we all insist on an easy evening of going to the movies and out for burgers.
kirstenbosch gardens await - a slice of botanical heaven this side of devil's peak - literally, a manicured haven with sweeping views and points of repose. quite spectacular; the kids walk the trail to skeleton gorge, we sit on a bench and admire the vistas, and we all laugh at marlee's incessant insanity as she babbles on crazily - hysterical. after hours in this magnificent setting the weather has totally cleared - not a cloud in sight, bluer-than-blue sky prevails, and we are on our way.
it's back to uber cool kloof street - and a parking spot in front of manna epicure, where we order EVERYTHING on the menu - it's 4 in the afternoon, a late lunch needs to carry us until after the movie. the waitress tries to contain her horror, to no avail, and we enjoy every tasty morsel sitting on the terrace in the summer sun.
is there time for the beach? of course! andi has some sand work he wants to get to ... jared and marlee decide to hang back at the pool, enjoying beverages, ipods, and books pool side, while jane and i and andi get in a few hours at the stunning camps bay. we relax on the sand, go for a long walk, build sand letters, play paddle ball, and are amazed at the scenery. and the parking ... $1.30 in the lot directly across the corniche.
we scurry back to the hotel, time for another 'sundowner' and some snacks, and head out to the oddly named labia theater on orange street (not more than two minutes from where we're staying) ... it's a vestige of older times, with it's cool neon sign beckoning. we see the adorable 'happy go lucky' with sally hawkins, none of us really understanding the fast paced british dialogue, which only adds to the charm! we head out to royale eatery for the best burgers ever (lamb! ostrich!); cape town closes early so there's no gelato or espresso, but of course, it's midnight and time to turn in. friday is the last 'full' day here, and we have a good program on ...
more to follow!
1. craggy rock formations, defying all common sense as they shoot up at every point in the city
2. beaches (also defying all common sense) which ring brief interludes in said landscape
3. easy and unpretentious people - cool and humble, not hyper-hip (very bad indeed!) ... including the fun friends we've made!
4. vintage VW beetles everywhere, with graphic license plates that start with CA (cape town)
5. fresh food
6. it's diminutive size - this place is tiny! which means this place is easy!
7. parking and parking attendants (in their bright vests) - beyond ridiculous - it's possible (and probable) to park directly in front of ANY place that one wishes to go - all the time!
9. our home away from home, 2 inn 1 kensington, run by klaus and chris ... ultra modern, warm, cool, friendly, easy
10. the price tag - value, value, value for the best quality, quality, quality!
today, i look outside - is it possible? is that ... wait, no it can't be ... oh, dear. yes, it has drizzled, and a light rain has made my terrace ever-so-slick. i panic, then take deep cleansing breaths. i'll let jane sleep a bit, and i'll rustle up some tall lattés in elegant and thin glasses. when sleeping beauty emerges, we enjoy our breakfast in bed, and promise to let the kids sleep. we watch part of the movie 'waitress', which we happened to have seen on our computer exactly one year ago, as jane goes through a round of chemo ... what a difference a year makes (happily!).
i decide to go out for a run ... the weather has suddenly cleared and it's a comfortable day with light clouds. not a vigorous runner to begin with - just some cardio, really - i find myself covering all of the mother city in an hour! there's where we ate two nights ago; that's the shop we popped into the second day; that's where jared wants to go for burgers tonight. literally, all of downtown and the city bowl suburbs!
when i get back, we decide that our 'gift' to the kids - letting them sleep until 11 - must finally come to an end. yet, when we bust into their room, there are the three of them, curled up like kittens, watching a DVD together - they've been up for hours, and didn't want us ruining their party. it is truly adorable. a breakfast of obscene amounts of breads, jams, cheeses, more lattés, yogurts, and other delectables ensues. we've decided to take a night off - klaus cancels our 'fancy' dinner reservation, and we all insist on an easy evening of going to the movies and out for burgers.
kirstenbosch gardens await - a slice of botanical heaven this side of devil's peak - literally, a manicured haven with sweeping views and points of repose. quite spectacular; the kids walk the trail to skeleton gorge, we sit on a bench and admire the vistas, and we all laugh at marlee's incessant insanity as she babbles on crazily - hysterical. after hours in this magnificent setting the weather has totally cleared - not a cloud in sight, bluer-than-blue sky prevails, and we are on our way.
it's back to uber cool kloof street - and a parking spot in front of manna epicure, where we order EVERYTHING on the menu - it's 4 in the afternoon, a late lunch needs to carry us until after the movie. the waitress tries to contain her horror, to no avail, and we enjoy every tasty morsel sitting on the terrace in the summer sun.
is there time for the beach? of course! andi has some sand work he wants to get to ... jared and marlee decide to hang back at the pool, enjoying beverages, ipods, and books pool side, while jane and i and andi get in a few hours at the stunning camps bay. we relax on the sand, go for a long walk, build sand letters, play paddle ball, and are amazed at the scenery. and the parking ... $1.30 in the lot directly across the corniche.
we scurry back to the hotel, time for another 'sundowner' and some snacks, and head out to the oddly named labia theater on orange street (not more than two minutes from where we're staying) ... it's a vestige of older times, with it's cool neon sign beckoning. we see the adorable 'happy go lucky' with sally hawkins, none of us really understanding the fast paced british dialogue, which only adds to the charm! we head out to royale eatery for the best burgers ever (lamb! ostrich!); cape town closes early so there's no gelato or espresso, but of course, it's midnight and time to turn in. friday is the last 'full' day here, and we have a good program on ...
more to follow!
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