Wow, I can't believe it is March already. Last month, we spent an extended weekend in beautiful Cape Town. We felt that having lived here already more than two years, we still hadn't visited Mother City properly.
Table Mountain was first on our list, but unfortunately there was a strong wind and the cable car was closed. Well, no match for us, we decided to hike. And quite a strenuous hike it was, two hours straight up with big boulders to climb, no shade but breath-taking views over the ocean! Luckily the cable car was functioning on our way back down.
Next day we drove to Franschhoek and visited the car museum, which had been on Knut's list a long time. Amazing collection of cars! After that we had booked a lovely picnic lunch at Boschendahl winery. Before collecting our picnic basket we tasted a few wines in order to choose our preferred lunch wine. Seated in the garden under oak trees, enjoying cheese, salads and patés, life could be worse…
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| Camps Bay |
The guest house we stayed in was centrally located, which meant we had a short drive everywhere. On Valentine's day we decided to have breakfast in Camps Bay. We found a lovely café by the beach, where we could enjoy the sea view while eating. In the afternoon we went to Waterfront and had a late fish and seafood lunch. S was not feeling well and had to rest in the guesthouse.
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| V&A Waterfront |
On our last day we went again to Camps Bay for breakfast, so that S could also enjoy it. Some shopping and then on the plane back home to Joburg.
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| Our guesthouse at 5 Camps Street |
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| Breakfast in Camps Bay |
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| Camps Bay |
In August, just before returning to Johannesburg, we celebrated S's confirmation. The priest kindly offered to come to our home, so family and godparents gathered in the garden for the ceremony, followed by lunch. Here are some pictures from the day. 
For the third year in a row we travelled to Mozambique for a week long holiday over Easter. We drove first to Komatipoort, just before the border of Mozambique and south of Kruger park, and stayed there one night in order to arrive at the border early in the morning. To our surprise there was no hassle at the border and no long queues so we reached Maputo Marina early. We parked the car and were picked up by a speed boat for a 90 minutes ride out to Manchangulo Beach Lodge, our destination. The muddy waters at Maputo Marina slowly turned into turquoise, clear sea, and the occasional splash of the close to 30 degrees water was only refreshing.
On our arrival the boat reversed towards the sandy beach, and we jumped off barefoot in the warm, ankle deep water. The people from the lodge where there to greet us and took us to our family villa along wooden boardwalks under the shade of leafy trees. 
After lunch we ran down to the beautiful beach and jumped right into the crystal-clear warm Indian Ocean. Dinner was served on our terrace, a three-course meal beautifully served on plates delivered right to the table. We only needed to pick which wine bottle to open from the fridge. 
The next day after breakfast, we were taken on a small boat across to Inhaca Island and the marine reserve. A gazebo was already set up with chairs and a table underneath, and a cooler box full with cold drinks. The day went by snorkelling and trying stand-up paddle boards and kayaks, which were also brought from the lodge. 
J and S were keen to try diving so they signed up for a discover scuba diving course. After a theory and a pool training session, they were ready for their first dive! It was so cool they decided to go for another dive two days later. This time it was even more awesome with colourful corals, a stingray and a turtle sighting and a catfish, which S really thought was a shark. 
The week passed quickly but we enjoyed every minute. By the time we had to return to reality, we were tanned, relaxed and rested, and ready to take on autumn in Johannesburg.
