Oh Cape Town, how I love thee...

I think I speak for G as well when I say that I truly feel blessed to be living here in London - not only because of the traveling, having the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the European culture, etc., but because of the lifelong friendships we're making along the way.  When we first arrived, we were lucky to befriend a couple from South Africa - here temporarily, just like us.  After getting to know them, and learning about their beloved home country, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit them (and have our very own personal tour guides throughout the trip!).  Andy and Jade - we're so thankful to have met you two, and will never forget our amazing adventure throughout Cape Town.  Two other friends joined us as well - Vic (Brit) and Karol (Polish)...I think it's safe to say that the six of us experienced what felt like a once in a lifetime holiday together!  Although, I do hope that we make it back there sometime in the near future :)

Before I dive right in, check out the beautiful views from the villa in Camps Bay that we called home for a week!

 

View of Camps Bay from our balcony

Looking out onto Lion's Head

G playing with Jack (short for Jackpot, which is what we named him)...he would come visit us every now and then from a neighboring villa :)

Our welcome to Cape Town:

Our "welcome" shot...the first of many caramel vodka shots throughout the trip

The boys in front of Table Mountain

Celebrating our arrival!

First up was a private tour throughout South Africa's popular wine country.  Basically, 99.9% of the restaurants in Cape Town allow you to bring your own wine when you dine (so supportive of their wineries!), so the best part of this experience was picking out wines from each of the wineries, knowing that we would enjoy them together as the week went on.  We visited Fairview, La Petite Ferme, and Graff Estates.  All were lovely!

Fairview:

La Petite Ferme:

Tasting straight from the barrel!

Graff Estates:

Our view during lunch...absolutely incredible!

Sipping my cuppa while overlooking the beautiful scenery...

duunnn dunnn...duuuunnnn duun...duuuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn (here comes Jaws!).

Yes, we went shark cage diving, and it was amazing!!!!!!  Jade and I were a bit skeptical at first, but I am SO glad we ended up going through with it, and didn't chicken out in the end.  To see such a powerful, feared creature up close and personal like that, in its natural habitat, was pretty incredible.  All six of us were able to go into the cage at once, and our group witnessed the biggest shark of the day - over 13 feet long!

Lookin' gooooood in our wetsuits

No turning back now!

This one got a little too close for my comfort...

Shark week!

Shots from the underwater camera:

During our drive back from the shark cage diving, we made a pit stop in Hermanus - the spot for whale and seal watching from the coast.  We spotted a number of Southern right whales and adorable seals just a few feet from the coast!

Since we all survived to tell the tale of our brush with death from a shark attack, we decided to test our fate once again, by spending the day out on a safari at Aquila Game Reserve.  We saw, up close and personal, the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, and buffalo), and a number of other animals as well.  I was most excited to see the giraffe (who doesn't love giraffes?!), but it just so happens that the giraffe was lost - missing for 3 days now.  Um, did you just say you lost a giraffe??  How in the world do you lose a giraffe?  They're pretty damn tall!

Oh, hey there Buffalo...don't mind us, we're just passing by...

Yea...he didn't like that too much.  This is a glimpse of the Buffalo CHARGING our vehicle!  It was exciting terrifying!  A few inches closer, and his horns would have pierced the side of the vehicle (which is made out of canvas...not gonna do much against the horns of a buffalo!).

This guy was pretty close to charging us as well!

Heeeere kitty, kitty, kitty...

Blue Wildebeest

Champagne break!

Hippos!  Apparently the #1 killer in Africa - who knew?

Eland

Springbok

Sleepy leopard

This guy sure knows how to capture your attention...

Next up, a day trip out to Boulder Beach to see the African Penguins, Cape Point, and the Cape of Good Hope.  

Boulder Beach:

Boys being boys...jumping from boulder to boulder

Cuddling - so sweet!

A group of penguins sunbathing on the boulder...

Apparently some of the penguins are well-known for trying to hitch a ride :)

Cape Point:

On our way from Cape Point over to Cape Hope, we were told to keep an eye out for the Baboons!  We spotted a troop of about 20...  

Cape of Good Hope:

Cape Town from atop Table Mountain...

Life's a Beach...

Our afternoon at Clifton Beach:

Camps Bay:

Cape Town Nights...

Catching the sunset over the 12 Apostles of Table Mountain:

Karol teaching me how to salsa :)

Supporting Andy's Springboks (South African Rugby team)

Fantastic dinner at La Colombe - one of the top-rated restaurants in Cape Town

Long Street

G and me hiking up Lion's Head...

Scaaaary part - using chains to scale the side of the cliff...

We made it to the top!!

Robben Island

G and me at the V&A Waterfront...

At Willoughby & Co - the BEST sushi we've ever had!  And yes, it's a restaurant inside a shopping mall!  haha  We liked it so much that we actually ate here on two separate occasions :)

Saying a tearful goodbye to Cape Town...

One last stop at our favorite bar - it's basically a pop-up bar on the side of a Cricket Field (they're playing a game in the background) - the field has Table Mountain as a backdrop, and overlooks the Camps Bay Beach...not too shabby!

Birds-Eye view of London

A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our friend, Charlotte, for a couple of nights (in from France!), and Grant's Dad, Bob, for a couple of nights as well.  We had a wonderful time, and enjoyed checking out some new spots with them - both with breathtaking (literally) views!

Duck and Waffle is currently the highest restaurant in the UK!  It's located on the 40th floor of Heron Tower, to be exact.  The whole experience was just amazing...upon arrival you're directed into a glass elevator which whisks you up to the 40th floor.  You're then greeted by a simple, yet luxurious, bar full of fascinating cocktails (some of which include roasted bone marrow seasoning), before being escorted to your table to savour a selection of food ranging from their famous "duck & waffle", to bacon wrapped dates or ox cheek doughnut (all delicious, by the way!).  We truly enjoyed our dining experience, and couldn't get enough of the wonderful ambiance and spectacular views!

*Photo courtesy of Charlotte Derby

With Bob, we were excited to check off a big bucket list item of ours (and his!)...the London Eye!  The fact that we had our first sunny, clear day in probably 2 months, was a sign that "today should be the day!".

Kristin's brush with Royalty!

Yes, those rumors you've been hearing are true...I met, chatted with, and shook the hand of Prince Charles (aka the future King of England!).  I'm still in awe...did that really just happen?!  Yes, yes it did.

How on earth did this happen, you ask?  Well, a friend of mine (fellow American) works at a UK charity, Shakespeare Schools Festival.  A few weeks ago, to launch their 15th year (which happens to be a landmark year, due to the fact that it's the 450th Anniversary of Shakespeare's birth), they held a Festival Gala in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall...and thanks to my friend, my name was on the guest list!  It was an amazing afternoon (I urge you all to visit ssf.uk.com to learn more about this wonderful charity) - the performances were very impressive, and of course, I will never forget my once in a lifetime brush with royalty!

London Bucket List - Hampstead Heath & The Monument

Around this time of year, I usually find myself thinking back, reflecting on the past year that has come to a close.  As I sit here thinking back to the good and the bad these past few years in London, I can't help but wonder about the limited time we have here.  Have we made the most of it?  Did we accomplish everything we set out to do?  Have we dedicated enough days to being tourists in our city?  As you can imagine, the list goes on and on, and it's nearly impossible to stop my mind from going around and around in circles.  Grant and I aren't sure what the future holds for us, so all we can do is live in the moment (this is something I'm trying to continuously remind myself of)...there's nothing we can do about the past, and there's no point worrying about what the future holds, so we need to just take one day at a time.

So, this brings me to another resolution of mine for this year...to take advantage of this amazing city that we live in, and explore, explore, explore!  

This past weekend, we did just that!  It's time to start crossing things off our list, so that there are no regrets once this adventure comes to a close.  Plus, how fun is it to play tourist in your own city?!  I encourage all of you to do this, at least once a month.  It's extremely refreshing, and a good reminder of how lucky you are to be living where you are!  I'm convinced that every city in the world has some hidden jewels, and many things to be proud of.

To keep us committed to this resolution, I'm going to start a London Bucket List series...

Hampstead Heath

I've heard about the amazingly huge and beautiful Hampstead Heath ever since we moved here.  It's only about a 30 min tube ride north of us, so why it took us this long to get there, I don't know.  The important thing is, we finally made it!

Hampstead is a beautiful borough of London, with proper English mansions...I could have walked for miles, just admiring the homes.

And the Heath was just as stunning.  Our main goal was to make it up Parliament Hill, in order to get a glimpse of the view of the city.  Even though it was quite chilly, we managed to find a bench and enjoy a little picnic we brought with us (wine included!) while overlooking the city.  It was such a nice, relaxing day exploring another neighborhood in this huge city.

The Monument
There's a tube stop, which we pass through on a regular basis, called Monument.  It never once occurred to me though, to look into what the actual Monument was.  Luckily, one of Grant's coworkers from Australia is in the same boat as us, busy trying to fit it all in, and she told us about The Monument (completed in 1677) - built to commemorate the Great Fire of London (1666) and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City.  311 steps later, you're rewarded with some pretty spectacular views of the city (by now, you know that G and I are suckers for good views of the city!).