Orange for the color of our favorite animals....the giraffes! They were adorable. And we got photos of them with their necks crossed like you see in all the pictures. The elephants charged us....can you believe it??!! We had to back up and go the other direction! Also, the rhinos weren't too thrilled to see us. It is amazing to see them 'up close and personal.' We also saw baby lions, Brent actually touched one! They throw dead chickens (eew) to the adult lions and they come near to eat. Fantastic photo op!! The waterbuffalo also charged....and once again, we were victorious in escape. The baby ostrich were adorable..and the adults strutted their stuff. There were springboks, and other boks that I can't remember the names of. Many zebras.
Our jeep driver was fantastic! It was quite chilly, and he actually stopped at his house and brought out jackets for the girls. That kind of service is pretty spectacular! We will have stories for quite a time to come. My camera battery was dead right at the end, so that was good. We're going to get another, so we don't have to think about it.
South African food buffet with the hotel manager for dinner tonight. Looking forward to it.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Beautiful Wedding
I can't get the correct color of pink, so I'm going with the green from Jisca and Brent's wedding. OK, I'm not sure this is the green either, but I'll continue.
We got up early and N went down to Suite 501, a.k.a., Hanneke, Jim, Mirjam, Pierre, and kids suite, to begin curling the little girls' hair. What a blessing to once again get the opportunity to work with little girls for a special occasion. Brought back lots of memories of times when I curled my girls' and granddaughters' hair for something special.
Then, off to the church. Our car was driven by Alex, a friend of Jisca from hotelschol. We had a great time driving through the beautiful countryside and into wine country. It was wonderful. The wedding was held in a very quaint little counry church, with stained glass windows and a thatched roof. There were beautiful little gardens, and a cemetery surrounding the building. Everyone was in a very anticipatory mood as we have all waited for this event.
Jisca and Brent did a wonderful work on this beautiful celebration. Everything was so beautiful and special. Brent was so anxious to become Jisca's husband that he even jumped the gun a little with his "I will." It was good to lighten the atmosphere and we all had a giggle. The pastor gave a wonderful message of love and marriage based on Christ being in the center. Brent's father read Scripture in English, and Jisca's Dad read the same passage in Dutch. It was a special touch. It is very evident that both families whole- heartedly welcome the couple into their respective families.
The reception was 'stunning.' Jisca and Brent enjoyed their 'party' immensely, as did all the guests. The room was beautiful, all the little details perfect, and the food outstanding. I wish I could do pictures, but alas, not yet. Check out Coby deBlaeij's fb for pics very soon. Coby also did a video of the event, and we watched it this afternoon.
This morning we were blessed to be picked up for church by the Pastor Rich who performed the wedding ceremony. He and his family stopped by the hotel on their way to church to give us a ride. It was a wonderful worship experience in a very small Nazarene Church in Cape Town. We fell in love with their family. We hope to connect with them again before we leave. They are warm and wonderful people.
After a delicious brunch in Suite 501, we watched Jisca and Brent open their wedding gifts. What a fun time. They received many wonderful things. This couple is much beloved by many. It is so great to be an 'adopted' part of their family. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.
Tomorrow we are going on a safari. Very excited. Have to be on the road at 6:30am! Must get some sleep tonight.
The adventure continues.................................
We got up early and N went down to Suite 501, a.k.a., Hanneke, Jim, Mirjam, Pierre, and kids suite, to begin curling the little girls' hair. What a blessing to once again get the opportunity to work with little girls for a special occasion. Brought back lots of memories of times when I curled my girls' and granddaughters' hair for something special.
Then, off to the church. Our car was driven by Alex, a friend of Jisca from hotelschol. We had a great time driving through the beautiful countryside and into wine country. It was wonderful. The wedding was held in a very quaint little counry church, with stained glass windows and a thatched roof. There were beautiful little gardens, and a cemetery surrounding the building. Everyone was in a very anticipatory mood as we have all waited for this event.
Jisca and Brent did a wonderful work on this beautiful celebration. Everything was so beautiful and special. Brent was so anxious to become Jisca's husband that he even jumped the gun a little with his "I will." It was good to lighten the atmosphere and we all had a giggle. The pastor gave a wonderful message of love and marriage based on Christ being in the center. Brent's father read Scripture in English, and Jisca's Dad read the same passage in Dutch. It was a special touch. It is very evident that both families whole- heartedly welcome the couple into their respective families.
The reception was 'stunning.' Jisca and Brent enjoyed their 'party' immensely, as did all the guests. The room was beautiful, all the little details perfect, and the food outstanding. I wish I could do pictures, but alas, not yet. Check out Coby deBlaeij's fb for pics very soon. Coby also did a video of the event, and we watched it this afternoon.
This morning we were blessed to be picked up for church by the Pastor Rich who performed the wedding ceremony. He and his family stopped by the hotel on their way to church to give us a ride. It was a wonderful worship experience in a very small Nazarene Church in Cape Town. We fell in love with their family. We hope to connect with them again before we leave. They are warm and wonderful people.
After a delicious brunch in Suite 501, we watched Jisca and Brent open their wedding gifts. What a fun time. They received many wonderful things. This couple is much beloved by many. It is so great to be an 'adopted' part of their family. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.
Tomorrow we are going on a safari. Very excited. Have to be on the road at 6:30am! Must get some sleep tonight.
The adventure continues.................................
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Day on the Red Bus
Red for the double decker 'topless' bus on which we toured the city and surroundings. We stopped at the 'Green Market,' an area where native arts and crafts are sold. We'll be visiting more extensively :) later next week.
We also visited St. George's Cathedral. "St George’s Anglican Cathedral, a gorgeous example of Victorian era design with magnificent stained glass windows and a crypt lies on Wale Street in Cape Town, and is known as ‘the people’s cathedral’ because of its role in the resistance against apartheid." Wikipedia
We also walked through a beautiful garden behind the church. Magnificent.
From there we went on to the District 6 Museum. Since we are here in South Africa, we wanted to know much more about Apartheid. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about District 6. "On 11 February 1966, the government declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act, with removals starting in 1968. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to the sandy, bleak Cape Flats township complex some 25 kilometers away. The old houses were bulldozed. The only buildings left standing were places of worship. International and local pressure made redevelopment difficult for the government, however. The Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology) was built on a portion of District Six which the government renamed Zonnebloem. Apart from this and some police housing units, the area was left undeveloped.
Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the African National Congress has recognized the older claims of former residents to the area, and pledged to support rebuilding."
It was really too much to take in. The museum is filled with photos and personal stories of the residents of District 6. It was very sobering.
Next we stopped at 'The Castle.'
"The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving building in South Africa. Built between 1666 and 1679, this pentagonal fortification replaced a small clay and timber fort built by Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 upon establishing a maritime replanishment station art the Cape of Good Hope for the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC (Verenigde Oos-Indische Compagnie). "
We ate lunch at the Castle and took the guided tour. Very interesting.
From the Castle we rode to 'Table Mountain.' What an awesome sight. It is a flat top mountain :) There was a lot of fog at the top of the gondola ride, so we decided to return later when we can see the entire vista. From the base of the gondola ride you can see so much of the city's shipping district. Great pictures. Hopefully I can put them on Ad's computer and get them on the blog....maybe tonight.
We continued on the red bus to tour many of the beautiful beach areas around Cape Town. Stunning sights.
A 'catch up' of last night.....We shared dinner with the deBlaeij family. Delicious Portuguese Chicken.....take out. It was a Hanneke fave, so of course we had to try it. Tonight Leon is cooking. Can't wait!!!
Maybe more later....or after the wedding tomorrow. What a blessing to be sharing in this wonderful occasion with this wonderful family.
We also visited St. George's Cathedral. "St George’s Anglican Cathedral, a gorgeous example of Victorian era design with magnificent stained glass windows and a crypt lies on Wale Street in Cape Town, and is known as ‘the people’s cathedral’ because of its role in the resistance against apartheid." Wikipedia
We also walked through a beautiful garden behind the church. Magnificent.
From there we went on to the District 6 Museum. Since we are here in South Africa, we wanted to know much more about Apartheid. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about District 6. "On 11 February 1966, the government declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act, with removals starting in 1968. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to the sandy, bleak Cape Flats township complex some 25 kilometers away. The old houses were bulldozed. The only buildings left standing were places of worship. International and local pressure made redevelopment difficult for the government, however. The Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology) was built on a portion of District Six which the government renamed Zonnebloem. Apart from this and some police housing units, the area was left undeveloped.
Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the African National Congress has recognized the older claims of former residents to the area, and pledged to support rebuilding."
It was really too much to take in. The museum is filled with photos and personal stories of the residents of District 6. It was very sobering.
Next we stopped at 'The Castle.'
"The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving building in South Africa. Built between 1666 and 1679, this pentagonal fortification replaced a small clay and timber fort built by Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 upon establishing a maritime replanishment station art the Cape of Good Hope for the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC (Verenigde Oos-Indische Compagnie). "
We ate lunch at the Castle and took the guided tour. Very interesting.
From the Castle we rode to 'Table Mountain.' What an awesome sight. It is a flat top mountain :) There was a lot of fog at the top of the gondola ride, so we decided to return later when we can see the entire vista. From the base of the gondola ride you can see so much of the city's shipping district. Great pictures. Hopefully I can put them on Ad's computer and get them on the blog....maybe tonight.
We continued on the red bus to tour many of the beautiful beach areas around Cape Town. Stunning sights.
A 'catch up' of last night.....We shared dinner with the deBlaeij family. Delicious Portuguese Chicken.....take out. It was a Hanneke fave, so of course we had to try it. Tonight Leon is cooking. Can't wait!!!
Maybe more later....or after the wedding tomorrow. What a blessing to be sharing in this wonderful occasion with this wonderful family.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa
Blue for the color of the Ocean which we view from our hotel room.
We arrived just after midnight. We had a two and one half hour delay on the tarmac in Amsterdam....technical problems with the engine (: They must have fixed it, because we arrived safely. It was wonderful to see Ad and Jim's faces looking up at us and waving when we entered the terminal in Cape Town Airport. And then just as wonderful were the faces of Coby, Hanneke, Jisca and Brent when we reached the hotel. What a blessing, Jisca got us a room right next to Coby and Ad. We had first thought we would be staying in a hotel next door to the Penninsula.
We slept in this morning...what a blessing to sleep in a bed after spending the previous night on the plane. We showered, put our things away and went downstairs to look around. Brent and Jisca found us and we had coffee together while getting our basic questions answered. Then we just listened as they shared their journey to this wedding day. What a blessing to hear their testimony of how God brought them together.
We had lunch in the hotel restaurant...delicious ....and wonderful service. This is a very beautiful hotel. All the hotel rooms are suites with what they call self catering. That means you have a kitchen :) So after lunch we walked to the super market and bought a few groceries. It took several minutes for the deli counter person to communicate to me how much sliced ham I would need. I am so not a metric measurement person!!! She was so patient.
We returned to the hotel and put our things away when our doorbell (yes we have a doorbell) rang. It was Hanneke and the girls. What pure joy to see those little girls again. We will be painting the nails tonight :) Shades of the Conference Grounds experience. P has continued his tic tac toe gaming with Catherine.....she is still winning :) imagine that!
We went for a walk along the ocean front. God's power shown greatly in the huge powerful waves crashing on the shiny black rocks. The views from any direction here are spectacular!
Hoping to figure out how to get my pictures on this hotel computer...check tomorrow.
We arrived just after midnight. We had a two and one half hour delay on the tarmac in Amsterdam....technical problems with the engine (: They must have fixed it, because we arrived safely. It was wonderful to see Ad and Jim's faces looking up at us and waving when we entered the terminal in Cape Town Airport. And then just as wonderful were the faces of Coby, Hanneke, Jisca and Brent when we reached the hotel. What a blessing, Jisca got us a room right next to Coby and Ad. We had first thought we would be staying in a hotel next door to the Penninsula.
We slept in this morning...what a blessing to sleep in a bed after spending the previous night on the plane. We showered, put our things away and went downstairs to look around. Brent and Jisca found us and we had coffee together while getting our basic questions answered. Then we just listened as they shared their journey to this wedding day. What a blessing to hear their testimony of how God brought them together.
We had lunch in the hotel restaurant...delicious ....and wonderful service. This is a very beautiful hotel. All the hotel rooms are suites with what they call self catering. That means you have a kitchen :) So after lunch we walked to the super market and bought a few groceries. It took several minutes for the deli counter person to communicate to me how much sliced ham I would need. I am so not a metric measurement person!!! She was so patient.
We returned to the hotel and put our things away when our doorbell (yes we have a doorbell) rang. It was Hanneke and the girls. What pure joy to see those little girls again. We will be painting the nails tonight :) Shades of the Conference Grounds experience. P has continued his tic tac toe gaming with Catherine.....she is still winning :) imagine that!
We went for a walk along the ocean front. God's power shown greatly in the huge powerful waves crashing on the shiny black rocks. The views from any direction here are spectacular!
Hoping to figure out how to get my pictures on this hotel computer...check tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Laundry and Packing
......Less than 72 hours before we take off for our South African Adventure. We are so blessed to be able to go and witness the wedding of our friends. A week from today Jisca deBlaeij will become the wife of Brent Johansen,. Our friends Coby and Ad deBlaeij will see their youngest daughter marry. It truly is a big day, and all the family will be assembled.
We may have thought about visiting South Africa sometime in the past, but somehow the opportunity to share in such an important event as the marriage of people you care very much for seemed to elevate the idea to a possibility...and then to a reality. We will be very excited to finally be on the plane headed for Cape Town. We depart at 3:25pm on Tuesday. I will be blogging from P's iPod Touch, so I might not be as long winded. Back to laundry and packing.
We may have thought about visiting South Africa sometime in the past, but somehow the opportunity to share in such an important event as the marriage of people you care very much for seemed to elevate the idea to a possibility...and then to a reality. We will be very excited to finally be on the plane headed for Cape Town. We depart at 3:25pm on Tuesday. I will be blogging from P's iPod Touch, so I might not be as long winded. Back to laundry and packing.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Home Again
Pink today. Of course, it's my favorite color, and we're back home and in the 'pink.' It was five days of travel to get here, but it was worth it. My own bed is going to sleep me very well tonight. It's after midnight, so this will post on Monday, but we actually arrived late this afternoon. We were both quite bushed! The drive through the Chicago area went very smoothly. That was a blessing.
I've discovered that a daily blog is difficult to keep up when you go go go all day then have to be creative late at night. And I think my brain was fried from all the HEAT! It feels good to be wearing a fleece. Didn't think I'd ever say that again.
Tomorrow Laundry and Camper Cleaning!!! We probably will not be sleeping in the camper until we go to Florida after January.
Upon arrival home, I was blessed to be greeted by two huge roses on my favorite bush. They smell sooooo sweet. What a nice surprise.
I've discovered that a daily blog is difficult to keep up when you go go go all day then have to be creative late at night. And I think my brain was fried from all the HEAT! It feels good to be wearing a fleece. Didn't think I'd ever say that again.
Tomorrow Laundry and Camper Cleaning!!! We probably will not be sleeping in the camper until we go to Florida after January.
Upon arrival home, I was blessed to be greeted by two huge roses on my favorite bush. They smell sooooo sweet. What a nice surprise.
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