capetown – WANDER OUR WORLD

1. März 202122. Juli 2021

Moving in to see sea views

Hello, Bonjour and Molweni from Cape Town where I live and work for two years. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I have arrived about 9 months later than planned. But I think all of us have realized by now that planning and COVID-19 are not much compatible.

I have started my work by now, so my adventures are concentrated to the weekends, next to buying all items you need to have to sleep well, make your life easier and drive around town. One weekend, I visited Camps Bay and ended up in the Chinchilla roof bar. Incredible how empty the restaurants are, I was basically the only customer. I remember the time when I had to book a table to actually be sure to have a seat in the restaurants, COVID definitely changed a lot.

I walked to Camps Bay retreat to enjoy a drink with the view, but I had to learn that with COVID now you must make a reservation in this place to be able to enter, so this one has changed as well.

The parking situation is quite relaxed at the moment plus you can park now most of the time without paying, this used to be different. So there are also some positive changes with this ongoing pandemic, even though I must admit I would rather go back to the old normal than enjoying these new privileges.

With my horse lease, I try to be in the stables three times per week. It’s just gorgeous there, a lovely and well managed place with a fabulous jumping horse I ride and lounge. We also started with some dressage lessons that I enjoy a lot. Plus the views towards Table Mountain are magnificent from the stables.

Cowsy and I concentrated to take the right steps

Africa is an extraordinary opportunity at the moment
David Adjaye

I have finally found a longterm rental apartment where I am living at now. And can’t wait to settle in finally with my own proper furniture to feel like home. However, only a few things will come via sea freight but this keeps being postponed and postponed. It should have been arrived a month ago but I still get the same stories that the weather and wind is too terrible in Cape Town.

Hello bad weather, I think I can see you rolling in in the next 73 days

In the meanwhile, another short hike, waited for my on the edge of Signal Hill. The path goes along the side of it and would eventually lead to Lion‘s Head. However, I didn’t hike the whole path as security is always a topic here and I am not confident the whole trail is secure. This topic is unfortunately a downside in this magnificent country, so many epic places but one must always be aware that not everywhere is a safe place to wander around. This is still something I must get used to it, if I ever will. But I already understood why cars will always leave a good amount of space between them and other cars when waiting at a robot. You should always give yourself the extra space in case of emergency and you need to take off.

Views from the hiking trail on Signal hill

My newest lessons learned in my new home town:

Free parking – during the ongoing pandemic the parking is free in town;
COVID changes – inform yourself which restaurants require a reservation upfront due to COVID-19 &
Safety First – leave some space between you and other cars when at a robot, so you will have an emergency exit if needed !

Cheers to wandering the world and exploring my new home town – bye bye, salut and hamba kakuhle ∞

24. Januar 202122. Juli 2021

Between hikes, horses and loadshedding

Every now and then it happens that I don’t have any electricity anymore. This doesn’t happen only to me but to everyone in South Africa, it’s commonly referred to as loadshedding where Eskom the supplier cuts off electricity for some hours in some areas. There are schedules in place to check when your neighborhood won’t be supplied with electricity. Shortly explained: there is not enough electricity to supply the demand of everyone, we don’t need to go further into the details of corruption and mismanagement…

I learned to be more aware of the loadshedding schedule as some restaurants can’t serve food, you won’t be able to pay with card and during evening time you find yourself in the dark. Loadshedding is a concept one must integrate into life here!

Empty streets in front of Table Mountain Nationalpark

I still enjoy very much my horse lease as well as the lovely views from the stable onto the Table Mountain National Park. It’s gorgeous every single time.

So far, I still haven’t found a final longterm rental apartment place but I hope by next week I will. Can’t wait to settle into my own place with my proper furniture to feel like home. We will see what the time will bring.

Many wonderful views, hard to choose the right one

Another short hike waited for me along Signal Hill. The path goes along the side of it and would eventually lead to Lion‘s Head. The views from here offer the epic Lion‘s Head view and also the ocean side with Sea Point, Fresnaye and Bantry Bay along the Waterfront to be spotted.

My newest lessons learned in my new home town:

Cold and dark – be organized for loadshedding or you must eat cold food,
Free space – parking lots are free of charge and plentiful during COVID times &
Be fast – if you want to eat out, order before 6.30pm or you won’t be served due to the current curfew!

Cheers to wandering the world and exploring my new home town – bye bye, salut and hamba kakuhle ∞

17. Januar 202122. Juli 2021

Capetonian views

Hello, Bonjour and Molweni from Cape Town where I live and work for two years. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I have arrived about 9 months later than planned. But I think all of us have realized by now that planning and COVID-19 are not much compatible.

View on the Marina Residential Apartments

By now I believe I am the queen of apartment hunting, I have seen lots and lots of apartments. It’s time to get one longterm rental now and I think I know which one I prefer, we will see if and how it will work out though as it seems as if COVID-19 is making up its own plans without me; again!

I found myself a gorgeous horse lease in Constantia, a lovely gelding, a former racing horse that loves jumping. We get along quite well so far and I am looking forward to get to know him better and to our dressage and jumping lessons.

The past days were either windy or very hot, proper summer days that I experienced here. During the days it could hit something in the 30 degrees celsius with a little wind breeze it was actually nice. Some of the evenings however the wind decided to pick up and do it’s own crazy dance! During one afternoon, I decided to have a look at the roof top bar on top of the Silo hotel but underestimated the wind. The views were stunning but my food was flying everywhere except into my stomach.

Due to the current pandemic you don’t need any reservation you can just show up, there will be plenty of free seats to choose from. Nevertheless, you should remember that there is a curfew in place so the last food order will only be considered before 6.30pm. I will surely go back once there is less wind to enjoy my food.

Table Mountain, Lion‘s Head and signal Hill from top of Silo hotel

My last week of holidays has started and I spent the time at the pool and in the gym as much as I could. I explored the waterfront and found the baby seals again. They are very sleepy and always lay around on one of the platforms. The parents are much more playful and I spent an afternoon just watching the adults catching fish and enjoying themselves in the harbor. I enjoyed my time at the stables and wanted to go on some hikes.

However, sometimes life has a different plan. The hiking didn’t happen. One morning I drove to Alphen trail in Constantia to meet a group of people that go hiking together 3 times per week. Before we wanted to start I collapsed unfortunately and found myself laying on the ground with lots of worried faces. Even a security guy was there with guns and a big dog. He took care of me until a friend came around to pick me up and drove me to the hospital. So, I checked out the South African hospital from the inside much earlier than I wanted. They took well care of me, did blood tests and heart tests and luckily didn’t find anything except of low blood pressure.

Views that hopefully won’t repeat themselves any time soon

After 2 hours, I came out of hospital with luckily only a bruised knee and hand, which I guess I must have fallen onto. I was very relieved I could go back home as during these COVID times I surely don’t want to be in hospital. Despite the ongoing pandemic I must admit the situation in this particular private hospital was not too concerning. Everything was kept clean, there were empty beds and no one waiting in the entrance hall. I am unsure how the rest of the rooms looked like but what I had seen was ok.

Since the incident, I enjoyed the views from my apartment during the last days of my holidays before my first working day in Cape Town will start.

My newest lessons learned in my new home town:

Cheeky birds – the seagulls will share your food plate with you even if you disagree,
No reservations needed – you can spontaneously get a seat at the roof top bar on top of Silo as not many people go out during COVID-19 times &
Early dinner – last order for a meal outside is before 6.30pm due to the current curfew, otherwise you must cook on your own!

Cheers to wandering the world and exploring my new home town – bye bye, salut and hamba kakuhle ∞

29. Dezember 202019. Juli 2021

Moving 13.000km in 35 hours

Hello, Bonjour and Molweni from Cape Town where I live and work for two years. Due to the ongoing pandemic, I have arrived about 9 months later than originally planned. But I think all of us have realized by now that planning and COVID-19 are not much compatible.

In March this year I applied for my visa, which was just before the lockdown. It was then unsure what‘s the next steps to be taken. However, South African government made it very easy as no steps were to be taken at all until September, when SA finally opened up its borders again. Of course in a very COVID like manner; with much confusion which countries can enter, what requirements need to be adhered to and the possible chance of finding yourself in front of closed borders the next day.

In the meanwhile I had started my new job in Cape Town remotely and worked from home while I was in a hustle of trying to apply again for a visa. Until one morning in late October I got a call from Berlin, which was someone from the embassy asking me if I am still interested in my visa. Of course I was! I was desperately waiting to apply again. All they needed were new medical certificates that I got to send them over.

Working from home while waiting for my visa

While I was waiting for my visa to be issued I asked myself how will that visa actually come into my passport that the embassy had sent back to me in April? No one from the embassy responded to my emails and calls so I took my passport, gave it a last hug and sent it via courier to the embassy, just hoping for the best! 10 days later I was to find my passport including the visa in my postbox, what a day.

So by mid-November, I held the hardest paper to get in my hand. I booked my flight for early January 2021, little I knew that COVID would surely have new surprises for me. I must admit there is never a dull day during this pandemic!

20 December, I heard about the plans from the German government that wanted to ban all flights from UK AND South Africa! I checked my calendar, just making sure it was not April fools’ day. All countries are open to fly to and out of the 2 ones Germany wanted to ban, 1 is my future home country. How lucky must I be! Chances were low that anything between mid-December and mid-January would come across – I thought. Surely enough COVID thought it got a bit too easy during the past days.

Next day morning was Monday 21 December and the news told me that since midnight the borders for UK were closed already and the plans were for SA to follow as well. What had happened in the last few hours? I could just not believe it. I rebooked my flight to the 28 December but I was not feeling so confident it would take off. Here comes next morning, Tuesday 22 December where Germany announced its new regulation with a ban for all flights for UK and SA. No time to think twice, things were just running much quicker than I could act. Hence, I rebooked my flight again, I told the agency to book me on the next flight possible, which was next day 23 December.

The decision was taken: I shall spent my first Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere 13.000 km away from my family.

4 things you can‘t recover: The stone, after it is thrown; The word after it is said; The occasion after it is missed; The time after it is gone!
Deanna Wadsworth

Luckily my PCR test showed I was negative and I was praying that I will manage to get everything done in under 35 hours. I am quite positive that I won’t find many people that emigrated in under 35 hours, in a pandemic! With lots of support on both countries, my home and future home country, I made it on time to the airport with all essentials being organized.

My flight took off just as scheduled with a fraction of passengers than the A340 could carry, a miracle how the airlines can operate like that. Plus, flying back from SA to Germany with no passengers at all due to the new German regulation in place to fight the unknown mutation of COVID. 12 hours later, I landed in CPT, got off the plane, sanitized my hands at least at 3 different stops before I handed over my negative PCR test and my COVID immigration form.

*Flying into Cape Town is always a special sig*hting

Before the passport control, came the last obstacle, my temperature was taken and oh my word it was luckily below 37 degrees Celsius. Anything else I also would have probably just not accepted.

I don’t know where I am going but I am on my way
Carl Sandburg

The passport control was quick and easy, no queues at all and quicker than I could realize I had my luggage back and was ready to see Cape Town and my hotel for the next few nights. I was welcomed very warmly and had about the best start one can wish for if you move to a different continent. Lovely days of Christmas were ahead of me that I spent with some colleagues, I got to experience my first African Christmas under the warm sun and next to the table mountain. Nothing I thought of just a few days before.

Happy that I had such a blessed start, I look forward to a fun time to come that surely will have some unpredictable adventures waiting for me!

My new lessons learned while moving to a different continent during a pandemic:

Plans, no plans – COVID-19 and plans are just not best friends;
Warm Christmas – Christmas Day and sun does fit together very well, and
Mix it – Mixing up several languages in one sentence seems to be a thing here.

Cheers to wandering the world and moving to a different continent during the pandemic – bye bye, salut and hamba kakuhle ∞