time with my man...more on SA

So now that I am back and sweating (did I mention that already?) and have already visited all the neighbors as required, attended one funeral, and taken a friend to the hospital I am reimescining about our time of relaxing and eating and being cool in South Africa. So you will just have to tolerate my ramblings and gushing and posting billions of photos of our time there for a couple more posts....I promise.

Our friends graciously offered to add our girls to their troop of watoto for a few days so we could venture out as a couple- I know they are awesome!! And as anyone who has small kids knows those moments, hours, days without kiddos in tow are a gift to your marriage- just to focus on us. I love my husband I tell you.....

Tim and Chloe graciously booked us 2 nights at a Westin hotel in Cape Town using their points. We so felt like complete out of place posers but we did not let that stop us from enjoying every minute. And check me out wearing jeans..holla!! The view of the city was awesome and the breakfast food was so yummy ( a bit of blue cheese may or may not have made its way inside my purse for later). Being complete urban-ites we loved every minute of wandering around the city. The first day we got up early and decided to climb Table Mountain.

except no one told us (nor are we smart enough to read up on it) that that hike is NO JOKE!! Straight up StairMaster for a few hours but it was amazing to enjoy being outside.

We hiked most of it with a man that kept yelling in Xhosa, shared his water with us since we ran out an hour in, and remarked about 2 hours in "only baboons should climb this!" South Africans are so friendly and funny in our experience...maybe it was the thin mountain air but we were feeling such camaraderie climbing with everyone.

we made it to the top!! it was freezin' up there especially to us island dwellers!

amazing views of Cape Town

we opted for the tram down and we met some Kiswahili speakers working there!

That night we even met a couple from...wait for it...Chicago in the pool! He also went to U of I and works for Jason's old company- I know right!

my first blow dry in over 6 months!! appreciating the small stuff y'all!

our view from our corner room over the city

We took the advice of 3 couples who all lived in Cape Town and ate at Blue's restaurant on this adorable ocean side strip.

Ask J if it was worth it? First steak in months!! We seriously had some of the best food of our lives in Cape Town!!

We also ventured to a small town about an hour outside the city called Franschhoek. It had lots of cute shops, restaurants, coffee shops, vineyards, orchards, and amazing views of the mountains.

Jason indulged me by going on a horseback tour of the countryside. I grew up riding horses and miss it so much.

J with Peter- our trail guide who in addition to spending a good twenty minutes railing against the dangers of eating garlic gave us many memorable quotes during our two hours togther...

upon meeting us he gasped and said completely shocked "you are one of the lucky ones" and then he went onto explain that all Americans are horribly fat and he was glad we made it out unscathed.

on wedding planning....."girls are so bloody stupid with their weddings"

on parenting....."children mostly cry for no reason and they need a good hiding that's all!" He also gave us the history of South Africa according to Peter.. interesting!

We met some characters I am telling you....one of the many reasons I love traveling.

gotta love Africa..rules are more of guidelines really

we stopped at one winery and the views were amazing....

the vino was pretty good too!

after our trail ride I asked if I could gallop a bit in their pastures because I miss riding so much....

it was a surreal kind of awesome with the thudding of the horses hooves and mountains as a backdrop....still have the bruises on my shins to prove it.

These few days of just us were a gift.