Day #3

11/20/08
This morning, I woke up extra early to finish writing some scholarship essays. It was a brilliantly blissful, clear morning, hot with rich, blue skies. I was so rejuvenated and eager to make the most of the day, as I skipped down the San Francisco-like street that leads from Bradley's place to Main Street.

I typed away editing my essays and Kenz brought me a delicious piece of Lindt dark chocolate. I booked our tickets for Robben Island and headed out for the day...

Kenz and I stopped at "Kauai" (an amazingly fresh and healthy fast-food restaurant in South Africa--America, please take note) and ordered fresh salad wraps. I love Kauai's menu selection and their health-conscious philosophy. After Kauai, we stopped at "Gelato Mania", where Kenz enjoyed "Berry Delight" and I enjoyed "Koko-nut Kiss"-it was delish and reminded me of the deeply missed "Sugarland", on Franklin Street. After gelato, we caught (called) our first Cape Town taxi-called Ricky's-to Table Mountain and shared the cab with two Dutch guys to get there.

Kenz and I took a 60-person, Visa-sponsored, 360 degree-rotating, white cable car up the flat-by-nature mountain. Table Mountain is a 1086 m high and we were lucky enough to go on a clear day, with an almost aerial view of the entire city. It doesn’t operate when it’s dangerously windy and there’s little point in going up if you’re going to be wrapped in the cloud known as the “tablecloth”.

Table Mountain overlooks the sea, sky, city, harbor, and all of the beautiful "scapes" that compose Cape Town. It even overlooks Lion's Head, the mountain that we climbed two days ago. It's difficult to look at such beautiful gem-like majestic land and not thank God for the beauty of His fingertips. Kenz and I took a few minutes to stand in awe of the breathtaking creation.

We took a taxi from Table Mountain to V&A Waterfront to do some shopping before meeting Bradley after he got off work. We met him at 5 at the red clock tower, after snapping some shots of the boats on the glistening waterfront in that precious "golden-hour" sunlight. We stopped at a grocery store to pick a few things up for tonight's "braai", meaning barbecue/BBQ in southern/American terms.

Before coming here, I heard a lot about South African "braais", mainly from Sarah, our South African friend here at school, but also from Ben and Bradley. I couldn't wait to partake in the local experience. We picked up braai bread, got ready, and headed over to B's co-worker's house, Henry from London, for the event.

The braai reminded me of home. Corn on the cob, potatoes, and lots of meat, although this meat included lamb, steak, chicken, and boerevors (sp?). It kept coming out on one plate after the next, as Elan, a white South African, grilled it all up. I loved the boerevors, as I put them on a croissant-like hot dog bun, drizzled first with ketchup, then hickory smoke flavored BBQ sauce. It was delicious.

The evening was ever so enjoyable. We all enjoyed ourselves on Henry's balcony that overlooked the water that was painted with a cotton candy-swirled sunset. We passed plates and platters around vivaciously as the evening progressed with laughs and conversations.

And oh yeah! Let me rewind a bit...on the way to Henry's we spotted a warehouse with an artsy entrance, so of course I had to check it out. It is called "Lil'Drey's [heart] De Ci de la" and is run by Audrey, a creative director. Just as we walked up to the entrance, a man was closing the garage doors to the building. We sweetly begged him to let us in, and he did. I then discovered what looked like my DREAMLAND, but far more incredible than I could have ever planned.

Audrey recently opened the warehouse-flipped art haven, filled with imagination, inspiration, that is dedicated to being a creative space for artists and the community. She opened it a week ago and jovially toured us around the space, explaining every detail.

She paints old wooden highchairs (with water-based and acrylic paint), dressers, desks, etc.-and makes them colorfully bright and fun! She lines the insides of drawers with decoupaged newspapers and world maps, giving attention to the small things. She has collected all of her favorite things and displayed them in this space.

When we walked in, she was painting pots, as she worked at a small kids table, encircled by colorful smooth-stoned (painted) rocks. Just outside of the circle was a chalk board display featuring work of kids in the community. The entire place was centered around her children, as she wanted it to be an escape for them after school, and a place to express themselves, paint canvasses, play legos, ride an antique tricycle, and more. It was not a "fragile" place, she said, but rather a comfortable, inviting place.

Audrey rents out spaces to local artists to come and just "do their thing." She teaches art lessons, children's art classes, and will continue being an artist as she produces and renews the old into a work of art.

Some random things that stuck out to me:
-Nelson Mandela's face sculpted from chicken wire
-Diaper bags and bibs made from fashionable vinyl
-Her beautiful multi-colored striped logo that was reflected in painted furniture
-Glass-top desk/dresser withc action figures, comic heroes, and comics
-An old Operation board game
-Quotes painted on the walls
-Pillars of painted brick painted all different colors
-Her kids' artwork displayed, matted, and framed (she values what they do)
-Furniture painting with oil paints and no alcohol, toxins, etc.
-Mosaics

Wow, Maddie would have loved this place. I could see Audrey's contagious enthusiasm and it shined in her in a way that illustrated that she was living out her passion. Her husband and family have supported her tremendously all the way through this vision, which has been vital to her in the process.

Audrey is going to go so far in life if she continues following her heart. How I would love to one day open a similar space someday!

Cheers,
~C