South Africa - Days 8-9

March 29-30, 2010:

Brad went to work on Monday! He said it was much different than working in the ER back home and saw lots of diseases that you don't see in the USA because of vaccinations. He also saw a lot of HIV/AIDS. He is working Monday-Thursday this week. While he is at work, Anderson and I hang out in the city...going for walks, shopping, napping, hanging out in the parks, etc. In the evening, we head down to the water for a jog. Here's some pictures from our sunset jogs...pretty cool run!!

South Africa - Day 7

March 28 , 2010:

We went for a run along the water in the morning on the Sea Point Promenade. Then had a lazy afternoon of hanging out at the beach (Camps Bay). We grabbed some pizza at Bacini's...a very family-friendly place in the City Bowl. Anderson hasn't been eating as much since we've been here...not sure if he's not liking the food or just finally out of a huge growing spurt.

Camps Bay

Anderson at Camps Bay...he loves playing in the sand. He sat there are played for about 1 hour while Brad and I read our books! So relaxing!! As you can see, it was a beautiful day...not a clould in the sky!

South Africa - Day 6

March 27, 2010:

On Saturday we headed out on a full day self-driving tour. It was a pretty long day in the car with lots of stops. Anderson did great and slept in the car between most of the stops. Throughout the day we saw all sorts of animals including penguins, ostrich, zebras, baboos, antelope, and lots of birds. And we weren't even on a safari!!


First stop was Kirstenbosch Gardens. It was soooo beautiful!! For all of you flower and landscaping fans (Grandma Suanne and Grandma Shorty) you would have loved it. The gardens are set in the foothills of Table Mountain National Park. We took the stoller up as far into the mountains as possible. It was Saturday so we expected it to be pretty crowded but it was almost empty besides a large group of boy scouts. It was so peaceful and refreshing...one of those moments in life that you wish you could put in a bottle and bring it out when the craziness of life gets to crazy! Anyway, see below for some pictures...although they don't do the gardens justice!

Mom and Anderson at Kirstenbosch Gardens

Canopy of trees at Kirstenbosch Gardens

Dad and Anderson looking as cute as ever!

Dad and Anderson at Kirstenbosch Gardens

Anderson at Kirstenbosch Gardens

Anderson looking out over the gardens and city...wearing a new South African t-shirt we got him made by a company named Keedo. I love their clothes for children...very well made and soft! Apparently, they used to have a retailer in the USA but were having trouble with returns and exchanges. However, they do have items at their online store.

We found a gorilla!

Our next stop was Simons Town. It is on the opposite side of Cape Town (which is on the Atlantic Ocean side). Simons Town is on False Bay. It was a very cool port town. We stopped here for lunch and had some really good fish and chips. It had been raining on our way to Simons Town but cleared up as we sat down for lunch. It was warm and sunny!!

Mom and Anderson at Simons Town...this was our lunch view!

Brad at Simons Town

Then next stop was Boulders Beach...home to the African penguins! They are also known as the jackass penguins because they sound like a donkey. There is over 3,000 of them on this beach! A few years ago they were in danger of going onto the endangered species list but they have trived in this location!

Penguins coming on from an ocean swim!




These penguins are life-long monogomous partners...so sweet!

Anderson loved watching them...saying "Bird, bird!"

The next stop was Cape Point Nature Reserve. We got here a little late but hope to return for some fantastic hiking!

The Talley Family at Cape Point






Two zebras...can you see them?!?!

Anderson feeding some birds that ate right out of his hand!

The drive home was amazing! We took Chapmans Peak...it had crazy drop-offs and very narrow roads! This is just a sample...

Chapmans Peak

South Africa - Day 5

March 26, 2010:



We headed to the beach to enjoy the sun! We sat on the beach at Camps Bay and soaked it in. It takes about 10 minutes to get to there from our flat. Camps Bay is one of the nicest and wealthiest neighborhoods in Cape Town. The houses are amazing and there are lots of beautiful people too! South African's are very particular about their body and most are in excellent shape. Camps Bay also has lots of really fancy spots to dine...not many were baby friendly so we opted to eat at home. In fact, of all the of the places we've gone to (about 7 so far) only 2 restaurants have had baby chairs. Luckily we brought a portable baby chair that we can strap to any chair...so we've been able to get by.

Dad and Anderson at Camps Bay

Mr. Cool Guy

Anderson is heading out to the water...

Diggin in the sand...what a great day!

Mom and Anderson at Camps Bay

South Africa - Day 4

March 25, 2010:

We took a walk through the surrounding neigborhoods of the downtown area (referred to as the City Bowl). There are lots of hills in Cape Town because it is right up next to the Table Mountain National Park. It reminds me of walking in Seattle...not quite the stroll we're used to in Denver! We packed a lunch and found a park with some playground equipment. The playgrounds here are not quite as sophisticated as playgrounds in the USA but still lots of fun. There are tetter-totters, merry-go-rounds, and swings made from old tires.

Our lunch spot - De Waal Park

In the evening, we headed down to the waterfront area known as V&A Waterfront. It is very touristy...many cruise ships park not far from here so there are lots of tourists from all over the world. There is a huge mall, lots of places to eat, an aquarium (which we haven't been to yet), and tons of people watching! We had dinner at a sushi place call Willoughby's...it hit the spot!! After dinner, we walked along the waterfront. We got to listen to an African band...I tried to get Anderson to get a picture but he was not happy about it. He did pull out a couple of dance moves though!!

V & A Waterfront

Check out Anderson...he's terrified!! And I'm getting a kick out of it...nice mom!

After dinner, we wanted to catch the sunset on the beach waterfront. So we drove a few minutes over to an area called Sea Point. Isn't it beautiful?!?!

South Africa - Day 3

March 24, 2010:

Our first full day in Cape Town! We took in the incredible views from our flat...we can see all of downtown, the ocean, and Table Mountain! For the rest of the day we explored the areas surrounding our flat. There is a market with vendors selling all sorts of African souvenirs and gifts called Greenmarket Square. There is also St Georges Church, a beautiful park called Company Gardens, and lots of museums. The closest grocery store is across the street and down a block. There is also a pedistrian outdoor mall, called St George Mall, a block away with tons of cafes and shops. Its really busy during the week. Downtown city living is something we haven't done before...it sure is nice walking across the street to the store to pick up some milk!

Mom and Anderson at Company Gardens (just 2 blocks away)

Dad and Anderson at Company Gardens

A rose garden...check out Table Mountain behind the park!!

South Africa - Days 1-2

Ok...so I've been meaning to post for awhile now but we ran out of internet time and I just bought more time at the store today. My goal is to post something from each day that are here so that you can get a daily taste of what we are doing while in Cape Town and surrounding areas.

Day 1 and 2 - March 22-23, 2010:

Flight to Cape Town wasn't too bad. Anderson slept about a total of 6 hours in the 28 hour period. He was pretty good considering the amount of sleep he missed. The flight from Denver to Minneapolis was easy.

The flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was a little more interesting. We gave Anderson Benadryl thinking that he would knock out for a few hours but it didn't have any effect on him. Luckily, we got to sit in the bulk head seats and had a little extra leg room. I had requested a bassinet for Anderson...the flight attendent attached it to the wall. He could only go in it if he couldn't sit up...so he had to be asleep when we put him in it. Needless to say we didn't end up using the bassinet! A nice man decided to move seats so that we had an extra seat for Anderson in between Brad and I. The bulk head seats were nice but it was difficult not having the diaper bag right in front of me.

On the flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town we decided to sit in a row (three seats across) with an extra seat in between us. One nice thing about international flights is that they are often not full. So, it was easy to find an extra seat for Anderson even though we didn't have to pay the full ticket price (you do have to pay 10% even for infants under 2...different from domestic travel where it is completely free). We liked this set up the best. Anderson had a seat to lay down on and we didn't have to worry about bothering anyone sitting next you us. We will request this as much as possible on the way back. Also, we weren't in the bulk head seats this time so the diaper bag was right by me. I preferred this as well.

We arrived in Cape Town at 11:00 pm (8 hours difference from Denver) and we were picked up by Steve (a local that manages the property we rented for the trip). Brad crashed right away and slept pretty well through the night...I guess those crazy, random ER hours come in handing sometimes...he can sleep anytime of the day! For Anderson and I, it was a bit of a different story. We were up from about 1am-5am the first night. Its gotten better since then and now he's sleeping through the night without any interuptions. It took about 5 nights though.

Here is a picture of our place...trust me you don't want to see any pictures of us on the flight...it wasn't pretty!

And we're off...

We're leaving for Cape Town, South Africa this morning. Stay tuned for exciting adventures to be posted. It was a pretty busy weekend getting ready for the trip. While we're gone, we'll have our house on the market so I also had to get the house in "showing" order. Whew...glad that's all done!

Now, onto the 28 hour flight...I've got a portable DVD player, tin foil, lollipops, matchbox cars, teething crackers, books, cheerios, and hopefully my sanity to help entertain Anderson. Wish us luck!!

Lots of love to all!!

Our future?!?!?

We went to the Children's Museum of Denver is week! Anderson had a blast. He played with trains, got to be fireman, climbed in a tree house, played in the grocery store, and tons more. We got some great videos of Anderson playing at some of the exhibits! Check it out.

PS...Grandma Shorty - you should be proud...he had the most fun at "Whole Foods" and makes a pretty good grocery clerk! Don't ya think?!?