South Africa: Cape Town, Part IV - Home-Away Holidays

23.12.2013

• Shopping - cooking
• braai - angel - bra - food!
• met heather

24.12.2013

• ballet
• talk with Heather 
• snacks at Ricks
• midnight mass - walk through company gardens - dinner at Eastern Food Bazaar
• Midnight mass behind Demond Tutu - home late - baked goodies from friends

25.12.2013

• Up early - so tired from late night - Heather and I went downtownt to catch a train out to Newlands - Sufi temple - readings from 7 religious texts about the birth stories of significant prophets - light and angles - 
• Walk into town - lunch at Brasilian restaurant - cochinia and fried banana and shrimp pastels
• Train home and back to nap at hostel  -made dinner plans 
• walk to mini-bus to Sea Point with Heather - walk along the water at sunset - ducked into Winchester Mansion Hotel - sat in the courtyard - three course meal with an amuse bouche and a glass of sparkling wine to start us off - ostrich cappaccio, silver salmon, pavlova for dessert - lovely conversation - shut down the restaurant 
• taxi home to talk with family - was able to say hi to just about everyone except for my sister and her family and my grandmonther who is in the hosptial - went to bed way too late - lovely Christmas far, far away from home
• For Christmas - Pablo - Halleluja chorus Here is a video of the past year christmas concerts, you can see me there a few times hehehe:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRLq7exHfN8&feature=share&list=FLV_mBPXOe4zyzhXmBMrMC2Q

26.12.2013

• computer time in the morning - Alex came by for our Boxing Day brunch - Ainhoa joined us - Kneed for salads and sweets - frozen yougurt
• home to rest for a bit and then Ainhoa and I took off downtown to catch a bus to the end of Sea Point and walk to Clifton Beaches - laid out in the sand 
• Home - fell asleep - made some snacks - Heather and Ainhoa and I went out to Orphanage for a drink - talked for a while - home to sleep 

27.12.2013

• Sailing day - trouble at overpass - guests on board for learning to sail - lovely family from Botswana - Ali, Alex, Orion, and I as crew - heavy fog - opened to beautiful skies - lunch on the VA - coffee and cookies at the restaurant - motor back - feeling more competent 
• Ali drove us home and I took a nap - still tired - decided to relax for a while
• Heather and I walked down to The Piano Bar in De Waterkaant - ordered octopus with capers and lemon gele, smoked aubergine with sprouts, a fennel salad, and a basket of duck fat chips (fries) - American rock/blues music (not the jazz we expected) - joined by Ainhoa and Alex
• Walked down to Crew, a gay club, for a bit of dancing - loud music and half naked men who clearly have too much time on their hands for gym and beach visits - cab ride home

28.12.2013

• Up and ready for day at the Biscuit Mill - Alex and Ainhoa were down for the count so Heather and I went out without them - Met Ali and her sister, Saydrina, at a restaruant at the Biscuit Mill - Heather and I ordered the sweetbreads - walked around for a while - Ma Mere closed so I couldn't get my macaroons - found not-nearly-as-good macaroons - at lunch at a food stall - smoothies and samosas and falafel 
• Drove us to the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel for milkshakes (turkish delight and pumpkin/honey/caramel) and a cherry torte
• Home to work on computer for a bit - laundry with Heather - talked with Kevin - grocery store and light dinner with Heather and more work - sailing tomorrow

29.12.2013

• Sailing with Heather, Ally, Saydrina (Ally's sister), Alex, Orion, Ralph (of course) and newcomer, Paco from Italy - great sailing day - dropped anchor near stadium
• Back to harbour and got on bus downtown to meet Ainhoa - train out to Claremont - cab up to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden - met Ally and Saydrina - got food at Tea Room and found a place on the grass for a show in the summer concert series held at the gardens - tonight's performer is Oliver Mtukudzi, the most prolific and world-recognized recording artist from Zimbabwe with over 40 albums produced in his 20+ year career - ate snacks on the grass while people danced - some wore Zimbabwean flags on their backs - lovely sunset
• After concert we all piled in the car and headed back to Zebra Crossing - picked up my bags and went to new hostel, Train Lodge - no room at Zebra when extending my stay - new hotel is the old train station complete with refuirbished train cars as hotel and dorm rooms after they were decommissioned in the 1950's - fun space
• Drove into Observatory (Obs) neighborhood - started at _____ bar for a drink - played two truths and a lie to get to know one another better - moved to Stone, a pool hall and bar where Heather and I lost to Ally and Saydrina - body shots outside on the deck - moved to Trenchcoat for dancing and more shots - finally went home to my very quiet new hostel