We were up early this morning—5:00 a.m.! We left Winburg at 5:45 for the 60-minute drive south to the Bloemfontein Airport. Bloemfontein is the capital of the Free State, one of three provinces in South Africa. After returning our rental van, all we had to do was cross a small street with our bags to enter the small regional airport. It only has two gates, and here you still walk on the tarmac to board the plane.
We flew our short, hour-and-forty-minute flight to Cape Town on Safair, a South African airline. Once we landed and collected our bags, we Ubered to our rental apartment—our home for the next week.
We’re staying in a spacious apartment that Douw arranged for us.
He’s also staying in the same location. We’re right across from the beach and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. After we dropped off our bags, Douw took us to one of his favorite restaurants just half a block away. Debbie and I had grilled calamari over rice with steamed spinach—it was delicious! After lunch, we took a stroll right across from our building. It is beautiful here!
Devil's Peak
We’re now unpacked and will meet up again at 7:00 to go out for dinner. Neither of us slept well last night, so after a hot shower it is definitely nap time! We both find it hard to sleep whenever we have an early wake-up call, especially before a flight.
Douw showed up right at 7 p.m. with an assortment of cheeses, crackers, chips, and a great South African Shiraz! No need to go out. I also captured a beautiful sunset from our balcony.
