Orange (and blue) for the Bird of Paradise plant at the KBG. It was a beautiful place with so many things to feast your eyes on. There are many wonderful sculptures as well as plants and trees. We had lunch at the KBT Tea Room...fancy. With all the English influence here, tea is a big deal. If we come again N will definitely be having high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel :) It's on the 'must do' list for many. Evidently this hotel is on the list of places to see and be seen. The bus tour info said once a patron reported seeing a 'vagrant' on the lawn. Turned out to be John Lennon meditating :)
After we visited the gardens we returned to the Blue Bus and took the tour once again to return to Sea Point.
We also did some shopping at the Green Market Square again this morning. It is fun to bargain and I did get some fantastic deals today :)
Tonight is the South African dinner buffet. We love this food! It's a good thing we walked miles and miles today. Perhaps our pants will still fit when we return home.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Good Sabbath!
Green, the color of life, fellowship! Pastor Trevor Rich picked us up for church again today. What a blessing that was for us. We enjoyed chatting on the way, then we arrive at the Nazarene Church and are so warmly welcomed by all the wonderful people in that church family. Edna had called last night to invite us to lunch with them after church. We couldn't accept fast enough! What a blessing to be able to continue the wonderful fellowship through the afternoon. They fed us wonderful baked chicken, chicken curry, rice, salad, and a lovely dessert. The only thing to top the food was the sharing of our love of God and family. It's always amazing that wherever you are in the world, your brother/sisterhood with other Christians is so precious. We love this couple, and God willing, we will have a long relationship.
I wish our family could all be here with us. It has been a wonderful experience on so many levels.
We will be returning to the Green Market Square tomorrow, then on to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Pictures for Rachel! We will be going on the Red Bus which goes to both places. It is such a great opportunity to listen to information about this incredible place. We will be taking wonderful memories home with us.
I wish our family could all be here with us. It has been a wonderful experience on so many levels.
We will be returning to the Green Market Square tomorrow, then on to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Pictures for Rachel! We will be going on the Red Bus which goes to both places. It is such a great opportunity to listen to information about this incredible place. We will be taking wonderful memories home with us.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Table Mountain
We said good bye to Ardjan deBlaeij this morning. He stayed in our room until he left today. He is flying through Dubaij (sp) and we prayed for his safety.
About 10:00am we took the shuttle to Table Mountain. The sky and the water are this color blue. We had a great ride up the tramway. P kept his eyes closed for the ride up, but on the way down he was very brave and wide eyed!!!
While on the top we took a hike all around. The views are so spectacular. I can't wait to post my pictures when I get home. We had a little snack in the Cafe while we looked out at the ocean and Robben Island, etc. Breathtaking!
When we reached the botton of the tramway, our driver was waiting for us. This shuttle service from the hotel is fantastic. We were driven to the Waterfront where we had a little lunch and then shopped in the Blue Market. Picked up some more souvenirs :)
Later, we walked around the Victoria and Alfred Hotel area and watched some great street performers. Ice cream cones and then back to the shuttle pick up area.
We had a message from Pastor Trevor's wife when we returned to the hotel. Now she's it in phone tag. We are excited that we may get to worship with them again tomorrow. What a fine family!
Two more days here in this beautiful country. So blessed.
About 10:00am we took the shuttle to Table Mountain. The sky and the water are this color blue. We had a great ride up the tramway. P kept his eyes closed for the ride up, but on the way down he was very brave and wide eyed!!!
While on the top we took a hike all around. The views are so spectacular. I can't wait to post my pictures when I get home. We had a little snack in the Cafe while we looked out at the ocean and Robben Island, etc. Breathtaking!
When we reached the botton of the tramway, our driver was waiting for us. This shuttle service from the hotel is fantastic. We were driven to the Waterfront where we had a little lunch and then shopped in the Blue Market. Picked up some more souvenirs :)
Later, we walked around the Victoria and Alfred Hotel area and watched some great street performers. Ice cream cones and then back to the shuttle pick up area.
We had a message from Pastor Trevor's wife when we returned to the hotel. Now she's it in phone tag. We are excited that we may get to worship with them again tomorrow. What a fine family!
Two more days here in this beautiful country. So blessed.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Brown, the color of the township roads, grey, the color of the tin shacks, blue, red, yellow, green, the color of the children's clothes and the pictures on the wall in the Township Kindergarten. It is the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay. They do have tour guides (a.k.a. guards) as it is not safe to walk through on your own.
"In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloureds, but also working-class Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities."
We talked with some of the women who had developed craft ideas into businesses. Not really in stores, just in their homes or on the sidewalk. Bought a few things. Visited a 'tavern.' Why they have those I'm not sure. There is not much money. The homes are shacks, except for the homes the Irish are building for them. An Irishman saw the way these folks were living and donated money, and organized teams to go and build small dwellings of cement blocks. We visited a woman who was living in one of these homes.
At one place there was a table outside where about five pig heads were lined up. They were heating up the fire to begin cooking the meat. Good thing I didn't have to eat for quite a while. The smell was unforgettable!
We also went to a 'Kindergarten,' the only school in the township. The older kids may go to school 'on the outside,' though not all do. The children were wondrously curious. They all wanted to have their picture taken. Can't wait to post my own pictures after we return home. I will post some I found which are much like my own.
We did the Blue Bus Tour but we didn't have enough time to do Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. We hope to do it before we leave.
Tomorrow.....Table Mountain Cableway. So excited!
In case you haven't seen yet, we welcomed Liam Joshua Ralya to our family last night. We cannot wait to hold him. We are indeed blessed! And in a couple of weeks we will welcome another little great grandson! It just keeps getting better.
Talk tomorrow!
"In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloureds, but also working-class Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities."
We talked with some of the women who had developed craft ideas into businesses. Not really in stores, just in their homes or on the sidewalk. Bought a few things. Visited a 'tavern.' Why they have those I'm not sure. There is not much money. The homes are shacks, except for the homes the Irish are building for them. An Irishman saw the way these folks were living and donated money, and organized teams to go and build small dwellings of cement blocks. We visited a woman who was living in one of these homes.
At one place there was a table outside where about five pig heads were lined up. They were heating up the fire to begin cooking the meat. Good thing I didn't have to eat for quite a while. The smell was unforgettable!
We also went to a 'Kindergarten,' the only school in the township. The older kids may go to school 'on the outside,' though not all do. The children were wondrously curious. They all wanted to have their picture taken. Can't wait to post my own pictures after we return home. I will post some I found which are much like my own.
We did the Blue Bus Tour but we didn't have enough time to do Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. We hope to do it before we leave.
Tomorrow.....Table Mountain Cableway. So excited!
In case you haven't seen yet, we welcomed Liam Joshua Ralya to our family last night. We cannot wait to hold him. We are indeed blessed! And in a couple of weeks we will welcome another little great grandson! It just keeps getting better.
Talk tomorrow!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Robben Island
Grey for the color of the cells in the prison at Robben Island. Apartheid was a terrible thing. What precipitates a thought in one person that he is better than and must take dominion over another because of skin color? It always baffles me.
This morning we rose early again and caught the shuttle to the waterfront where we boarded the ferry to Robben Island.
On a sunnier, lighter note, we spent some great time with Catherine, Julianna, and Rebecca, Adrian, Louie in our hotel room. Sadly they are leaving tonight to return home. We will miss the laughter and tic tac toe games they play with Papa. Today they presented him with a gift. It is a tic tac toe board in a South African motif. Many games have already been played to 'break it in.' The deal is he must take it along to the Conference Grounds next summer so they can play without always having to find paper and pencils :)
Now we are waiting for news from Josh to learn of our newest great grandchild. Maybe it's a girl, maybe a boy. We are just so excited to be great grandparents again. And then in another couple weeks Jessica will present us with our new little great grandson, Judah. How blessed we are.
Next post will have baby info.
This morning we rose early again and caught the shuttle to the waterfront where we boarded the ferry to Robben Island.
1961-1994: Apartheid Republic of South Africa
Our prison guide was a political prisoner from 1978-1982. He was an anti-apartheid politically active student at the time of his arrest. Mandela was already there when he arrived. Our guide shared his personal experience and it was very moving. We toured the prison and saw the cell in which Mandela had been housed. There were many interesting facts and personal stories of how the prisoners actually made a conscious decision to triumph in this situation. Many of them consider it a blessing to have been there. The older, well educated gentlemen turned the prison into a 'university' where they taught the younger men mathmatics, geography, philosophy, etc. They actually flourished in this place of terrible adversity. Learning about the results of apartheid was one of the things we were hoping to do. It was a good experience.
- 1961-1991: Maximum security prison for political prisoners
- 1961-1996: Medium security prison for criminal prisoners
On a sunnier, lighter note, we spent some great time with Catherine, Julianna, and Rebecca, Adrian, Louie in our hotel room. Sadly they are leaving tonight to return home. We will miss the laughter and tic tac toe games they play with Papa. Today they presented him with a gift. It is a tic tac toe board in a South African motif. Many games have already been played to 'break it in.' The deal is he must take it along to the Conference Grounds next summer so they can play without always having to find paper and pencils :)
Now we are waiting for news from Josh to learn of our newest great grandchild. Maybe it's a girl, maybe a boy. We are just so excited to be great grandparents again. And then in another couple weeks Jessica will present us with our new little great grandson, Judah. How blessed we are.
Next post will have baby info.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Safari Day
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.
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.
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.................................
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