Cape Town...Mother City.... Coming back here for the third time was again a good choice. South Africa is one of the most amazing countries in the world. Poverty and wealth are living next door. Desert-like landscapes, green sub-tropical areas and the wineries are so close together, you may think your mind is going crazy.
Being in South Africa calms down everybody. Live is going a little bit slower than in central Europe. In the beginning, you are shocked, when the electricity is switched off for 2 h and you realize that your mobile is running out of power. Well, since the electricity is switched off quite often (around 10 times during my 3.5 weeks stay), you are getting used to it. And for me, it did not matter that much, since I had a nearly mobile-free holiday. I only turned grumpy once, when I tried to get my daily coffee. I think I never trained so much before in any holidays. People already wisecracked about the "training team 4 Beaches" - the lodge were we lived. Stefan and I were running nearly every morning and afterwards we did some TRX and freestyle in the garden together with Claudius, Felix and Kerstin. For me, daily yoga was also great to start the day and to avoid a sore back. Cape Town delivered great windsurfing and surfing conditions this year. Together with Claudius, Stefan, Kerstin, Felix, Fenny and Eddie, I was on the water most of the days. I trained quite concentrated on my jumping skills and was pushed to improve my wave riding. Some sessions were one of those to remember. My first session ever in Paternoster was epic. I never went out in down-the-line conditions before and I enjoyed it the fullest. Also, our early-early-early bird session in Plattboom was one of the nicest sessions ever. Good-sized waves, only Claudius, Stefan, Eddie, Davide and me on the water, perfect golden sun-light...wow.
The reason, we had to do so much sports, is quiet simple: we are all super addicted to windsurfing and we all love to eat. South Africa is not only a beautiful country, it is also one of the countries with the most versatile cuisine. You can eat around the globe as Cape Town is a melting pot of nations. The best restaurant however was "homespun by Mat" in Table View.
For sure, there was time enough for some "normal tourist stuff". We run up to Table Mountain via Kirstenbosch, which is a beautiful way to climb up the hill. For sure, we had to do this full power and made it in 2.5 h. Crazy Italian, Dutch and Germans!! ;) We went to the Cape, !khwattu, Paarl Mountains and visited some wineries. Since, my brother and I adopted a penguin chick for Christmas as a present for my Mom, we also payed a visit to SANCCOB, a non-profit organization, which tries to conserve seabirds - especially the African penguin - and other sea-life. SANCCOB does guided tours through their breeding and rehabilitation center, which is really worth to visit.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I made a lot of new experiences, learned and laughed a lot and met new friends. Thanks Cape Town for the wonderful time and thanks to Claudius, Stefan, Kerstin, Felix, Fenny, Eddie, Mike and Jenny for the great time and memories!
