Cape Town, South Africa

When the Fall 2012 voyage left Cape Town, South Africa, because of high winds we weren't able to leave at night, instead leaving the next morning, which allowed us the rare opportunity to leave a port in the daylight, and I remember watching Table Mountain, Lion's Head, 12 Apostles Mountain Range, and one of the world's most beautiful backdrops of a city, slowly fade away as we sailed away. I remember wondering if I would ever see Cape Town again. I remember wondering what it would be like to live in Cape Town, a beautiful city but a city with a difficult history and continued issues despite significant peace and conflict resolution. For five days I was fortunate enough to see Cape Town again, and briefly feel like I lived there, renting an AirBnB for the entire time. I went to the nearby grocery store, I stopped for coffee at various coffee shops and read my book, Marty and Matthew visited me a couple of times and stayed with me in the extra bedroom, I made breakfast for them and opened up the balcony doors for an unobstructed view of Table Mountain, and it all somewhat felt like I lived there. Adding to that feeling, the AirBnB owner lived next door and one day he invited us over for a happy hour get together, which I was excited about since he is a writer, as are Matthew and Marty. He had an incredible library room with a wall of bookshelves. We talked about South African writers and he shared with us his thoughts about living in Cape Town. He was welcoming, open, gracious, and the best AirBnB owner I've ever met. Matthew, Marty, and I also went to Camps Bay, where we walked on the white sand of the beach and the rocks by the water, with the 12 Apostles Mountain Range lighting up from the lowering sun. Our friendship definitely grew stronger and closer in Cape Town with all the time we spent together. Matthew and I also went to Robben Island, where we saw Nelson Mandela's cell, and a former prisoner led a tour and gave us more insight into the horrible, but triumphant history, of the island. I ran out of time to visit Robben Island in 2012, and I am grateful I was able to return to Cape Town and experience the power of a first-hand account of apartheid in South Africa, which was absolutely a necessary part of understanding the complex history of the country, a place I was able to call home for those meaningful five days.       

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