Sea and sun and clouds and rain

My last meeting of the day was with Paul in the Strand. As I walked to the car, I was greeted by the sun and the sea and wind-torn clouds and a spattering of rain. It was as if experienced the four elements right in front of me: earth, water, fire and wind.

Annelie's pottery class

Sometimes Annelie attend a pottery classes on a Wednesday night. I joined her this time and tried my hand at some free-hand sculptures. Afterwards, as I listened to the rain on the roof, I just enjoyed sitting back and watching my lady concentrating to get a piece of clay.

Emirates lounge flower

One of my favorite lounges is the Emirates lounge at San Francisco. As you walk down the stairs and hear the water from the fountain it is as if you enter a tranquil world so far away from all the anxiety of the big city. The flowers in the dining room are real, fresh flowers. It struck me that one knew that they are real because of the small blemishes on them... if you don't have blemishes, you are not real.

Early morning coffee

The Marriott Courtyard here in Foster City is an easy-going, no-frills hotel. I enjoy the Quick-Start breakfast (Oatmeal with a juice and banana). I usually get a tall coffee and take it with me to my first meeting. Walking around with my coffee in one hand, help me to blend in - here in California.

Scoma's

On a perfect Saturday evening, after having spent most of the day working on business models, we decided to drive out to Sausalito for dinner. We arrived in time to see the sun set on down-town San Francisco across an idyllic bay. We managed to get a table at one of the famous restaurants on the water's edge: Scoma's and had a memorable dinner.

Clouds of JFK

It always intrigue me why the walk from the gate to immigrations always turns into a footrace. This evening after arriving from London on Delta at JFK, I had to stop for a moment and experience this beautiful cloud in the distance. Bathed in the red of dusk, you could see that it was huge considering the tiny specks of planes over it.

Rainbow over Hydepark

Sitting in the back of a London Taxi on my way to a dinner appointment, I could not help noticing the faint rainbow across one of the lakes in Hyde Park. While the late afternoon sun fought to break through the heavy rain clouds many people were out cycling or walking in the park.

Playground on the other side of the Bar

I decided to have a mocktail nightcap in the bar on the ground floor of the Intercontinental in Dubai. The brightly lit lights of the fairground on the other side of Festival City reflected in the windows behind a lonely guy nursing a drink on the other side of the bar. Strange place.

Ko Un

Annelie enticed me to join her for a Festival of Poetry at Spier. Called "Dancing in Other Words", it featured famous Afrikaans poets, but also poets from other countries reciting their verses in their own languages. It was a very special experience, but one particular poet just blew me away. Ko Un is an eighty year old poet from Korea and the emotions just ooze out of the man as he speaks. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes shouting words that I did not know, I could relate to what he was saying deep inside my bones.

New Willowbridge offices

Back from an amazing Portugal trip, I arrived at our sparkling new offices in Willowbridge. While I was away, Adriaan and team managed a complex move to the new offices. As the staff was settling in, workers and technicians were adding the final touches. It is my prayers that this new home will bear much positive fruit.

Boxes of Port

Through good planning, we managed to ship a number of cases good Port within the weight limit as we departed Lisbon for Cape Town via Dubai. It was almost a symbolic end to the wine-tour as the boxes moved away on the luggage belt.

Cascais Miragem

Cascais Miragem is a no-frills, five star hotel on the beach with a clear view of the Atlantic ocean. We arrived here after our strenuous wine-tour and immediately ordered a few ice-cold, long beers. A perfect finale to an amazing tour.

Rua Augusta

Rua Augusta is a quaint little street in Lisbon where tourists sit at small cafe's, watching other tourists walking past while being served by waiters from India and Nepal. Traders from West-Africa attempt selling imitation sunglasses to you, while musicians from South America try to get a few Euros from you to stop playing on strange instruments. I am still trying to find the real Portugal here in Lisbon.

End of Tour

After about 800 km through the most beautiful parts of Portugal, having tasted 85 wines, visiting ten wineries, multiple meals and making a lot of friends, the wine tour ended in Coimbra on Sunday. Some of us will stay here for a few more days, others are returning via Amsterdam. We are particularly grateful for this enriching experience.

Rui Paula

Rui Paula is one of Portugal's best chefs. The wine-tasting tour-group visited one of his restaurants (DOC) in the Duoro. We enjoyed a seven course lunch supported by selected wines from the region. Afterwards we were in agreement that the food and wine of the region are uniquely special and now occupy a unique place in our hearts.

Caneiro Restaurant

After a delightful visit to the cellar and vineyards of Casa de Valle, we enjoyed the wine-tasting presented by the young wine-maker, Luis. Afterwards we invited him to have lunch with us at a local restaurant in the village. The octopus cooked in red-wine with rice (a local dish) paired well with the wines of the region.