“Not any African experience is the same. We are a diverse continent full of vibrant cultures. You can see it in the way we talk, the way we live and the way we dance to the beat of our own drum.”
This was on the cover of our meal on Air Kenya and we think it is a great way to start our blog on our amazing Africa adventure. Having been to Africa in 2006 we were worried that we would be disappointed in doing it again. As the saying above says “not any experience is the same” and no truer words have been spoken. The 2023 adventure was different in many ways with only a few repetitions. We experienced so many things so we will break this blog into three or four narrations.
More than half of the group chose to take a quick stop in Amsterdam on the way which made the 30 hour journey more tolerable. Amsterdam is one of Europe’s true jewels, with it’s maze of canals and numerous bridges bordered by slender gabled buildings. This charming city has an outside reputation for everything from exceptional art, architecture and innovative design to nightlife. The city’s condensed layout and our central location allowed us to experience many of the highlights of this city. We cruised the many canals, enjoyed the wonderful 17th century architecture and the numerous parks and squares. Amsterdam has the world’s highest museum density and is home to cultural treasures which were a must do for many, like the Van Gogh, Anne Frank House and Rijksmuseum. We also had to experience the brown café, the “bruine kroeg” in Dutch, internationally renowned for its dark wood and smoke-stained walls. The atmosphere is absolutely “gezellig,” which entices people to make themselves at home. Gezellig is not a word that can be translated to English; it’s more of a cozy feeling that you experience. Of course we also tried some dutch culinary favorites, couldn’t do the herring though.
Next stop Cape Town a vibrant multicultural city with a mix of city and suburban living centered around Table Mountain. Our hotel, The
Portswood, was convieniently located just steps away from the V & A waterfront and the large outside patio was a great meeting place for the group to bond and get to know one another. Technically the waterfront is a working harbour but it is better know as a shopping destination. Covering 123 hectares (think: 180 rugby fields), the V&A Waterfront is divided up into five shopping districts: Victoria Wharf, the Watershed, The Alfred Mall and Pierhead, The Clock Tower, and Breakwater Point. With more than 450 stores, you’ll find everything from local designers to big international brands. For crafts and local talent, the Watershed was a must. There are also a myriad of restaurants to try and wet your whistle. In addition there were many opportunities to have some fun on the water 
which many of us did. While in Cape Town we took the revolving cable car to the top of the world on Table Mountain. The weather was perfect and the vistas outstanding, it was awesome. We also toured the District Six Museum, the Castle of Good Hope and the Kirstenbosch Gardens. The day finished with a taste of safari, an evening of wining and dining in true African style. We experienced Djembe drumming and a delicious 14 course authentic Cape Malay and
African meal. We were immersed in the spirit of Africa as we savored interesting cuisine. Another spectacular day was our tour of the Cape Penninsula, starting off with a Seal Island cruise at Haut Bay where we cruised on the ocean and saw thousands of Cape Fur Seals. Driving along
Chapman’s Peak drive, one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world, was outstanding and led us into the Cape of Good Hope. We took The Flying Dutchman Funicular to the top to see the upper lighthouse and spectacular vistas. The finishing touches to a fabulous day was lunch at the beach and a visit to see the penguin colony at
Boulders Beach, which is the only place in the world where you can get up front and personal viewing the African penguins, cute little guys.
Next stop Somerset West, stay tuned.