Noupoort: Samur

With Garth behind the wheel, we almost got stuck in this narrow street in Samur-en-Auxois. It took a lot of skill, flapped-down mirrors and a lot of guidance to steer through the very small alley. One could almost say, Noupoort: Samur.

Chablis Grand Cru

More than ten years ago, I stood in the Grand Cru vineyards looking onto the Chablis village with a group of friends. It was raining lightly and it was a special wine appreciating experience. Today I was standing on the same spot with dear friends and it was even more special. 

Lunch in Hautvilliers

We had a simple lunch (bread, charcuterie, cheese and wine) at the look-out point close to Hautvilliers, just before the visit to Dom Perignon'a grave and then an excellent tasting of the family Gobillard's Champagnes. We are still going strong.

Veuve Clicquot

Under the village of Reims at the north of the Champagne region is an intricate network of caves, carved out of the limestone by humans over the ages. One of the more spectacular networks belong to Veuve Clicquot (the Grande Dame of Champagnes) and is stocked full of aging champagne. Me and Annelie explored the stash with other wine-friends.

Holiday flight

I cannot remember a time that I got onto an international flight without some business meeting in the diary. So this time was a strange experience for me when I boarded the flight with Annelie to Paris with the sole objective to go and discover great Burgundies.

Learning Mandarin

I have now been busy with learning Mandarin for eight weeks. I find the language and the written script fascinating as it tells so much of an ancient culture and a fresh way of looking at life. But I do struggle immensely to string words together in a coherent and fluent way.

Kindle at Meerenbosch

Lazy days at Meerenbosch means sleeping late, walks on the beach, food prepared on open fires and kindle books. When we built the house more than ten years ago, I decided that this will be a tech-free haven.... no TV's, no PC'c etc. but kindles do not really fall in that category, or does it?

Playtime with Nina

While Annelie was in town, I was privileged to play with my grand-daughter, Nina. Simple puzzles, one-word sentence books, play-dough and soft animals are definitely not intellectually stimulating and takes a lot of patience. So why is it then that I feel so satisfied with having spend time on such mundane activities.

Salt Eatery

Wessel and Andri are two young chefs that have worked abroad for a number of years. They came back to Pretoria and opened their own place recently: Salt Eatery. Me and Annelie enjoyed a late lunch there before returning to Cape Town. We loved the youthful exhilaration, the simple (but inventive) menu and the wonderful flavors. Pretoria's restaurant scene is now a better place.

Goodbye mom

We formally said goodbye to my mom this morning for the last time. My brother shared his memories about the old lady: her love for books and the confidence that she had in us and we thanked the Lord for being able to have known her and then it was done and final. I realized how important it is to formally end a chapter in your life.

Clarens drive run

It takes about 90 minutes of brisk cycling to the top of Clarence Drive and back. The morning, while cool, already had the promise of a hot day. Below us a family of seals were discussing the plans for the day and in the distance one could see the skyscrapers next to the Strand beach.

Strand sunset

The sun was setting behind the mountains on the other side of the bay. The low-tide sea was as calm as a restful sleep. It felt as if everything was settling into bed ready for the night. Even in the middle of Fall, the Cape can be so attractive.

Salute my mom

My mom passed away peacefully this afternoon at 14:30. Me and Annelie stood next to her bed as she slipped away closing the chapter on an older generation. In the past weeks as I thought about her, I realized how fortunate I am to be the son of this special lady. Picture of me and her on the first Vespa in Bethlehem.

In and out at Eugene Marais

I am spending time with my mom at Eugene Marais hospital this week. Because of her critical situation I get to see her only briefly a few times a day. My brother and I decided to take mom of the respirator (against medical advice). Her condition deteriorated soon afterwards, but have since stabilized. While still critical, she recognize us and is able to squeeze our hands back. Lots of soul-searching and unknown emotions.

Purple Hibiscus

I finished Purple Hibiscus, the first book of Chimamanda Adichie (author of Half of a Yellow Sun). There are so many things in this book that touched my African heart, so many things that I will carry in my mind, so many things that I would want to quote and re-think with others:
Just one example of Africans living in the US: "Sure, there has never been a power outage and hot water runs from the tap, but we don't laugh anymore... because we don't have the time to laugh." or "He is praised and not punished for challenging his teachers."

Presents at my birthday

I am blessing with such special people in my life. I realized it again on my birthday. My kids that arrived with sunshine, respect and laugher in person and on Skype. The grandchildren that joined in the celebration as if it was a fun party. The Heine friends that arrived with joy and passion and stayed for a four hour lunch - sharing their precious Sunday with me. And nobody more so than Annelie, who made the day even more special with her love, empathy and dedication - not just for me, but for everyone that she touches.

Test Kitchen

The Test Kitchen in the Old Biscuit Mill is frequently rated as the best restaurant in South Africa. Because of its popularity, reservations must be made months in advance. Me and Annelie were fortunate to experience the exhibition of culinary creativity today. Everything that touched our palate was prepared with a lot of skill and one could see the attention given to every small detail. Proudly Cape Town.

Lords dining

When our favorite restaurants were all full when we decided on dinner out on Tuesday at short notice, we ended up as the only guests in an unknown restaurant. Lords restaurant in the Strand specializes in Dutch food. In the end, we really enjoyed the dinner (including the "bitterballen"), the service and the music. We will return.