You are probably wondering where I was going when I listed my apartment for rent in December.
The cat is out of the bag now: I was in South Africa and Botswana for almost three weeks.
I left for Cape Town on November 30th and arrived at 11PM at night. Even though it’s an 11-hour flight, there is only a one-hour time difference, so luckily I didn’t suffer any jet lag. I had a connecting flight from Amsterdam and since the flight from Paris to Amsterdam was late with barely enough time to make the flight, my luggage didn’t make it.
I stayed at St. James Manor, a five-star hotel in fishing village of Kalk Bay. I was given a spacious suite in the converted Manor house, built in 1874, and passed out on the king-sized, comfortable mattress. It was summer in South Africa and the next morning I woke up to sunny, blue skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. My room had a terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean and I breathed in the salt air while watching the sun glisten over the blue water. After a hearty English style breakfast of eggs and sausages, I was given a tour of the hotel and the connecting properties they own including the St. James Seaforth, a modern guesthouse, and the St. James Homestead, reserved more for families or for private stays.
A very special part of my trip was the Rovos Rail train, the Pride of Africa, that goes from Cape Town to Pretoria in three days. I was taken to the train station that morning at 11AM to board the train. Before boarding the train you are escorted to a lovely salon where you are served drinks, coffee, tea, and snacks including tea sandwiches and serenaded by a violinist.
I boarded the train at 12PM and was shown to my room, cozy, handsome stateroom done in rich mahogany. On the bed was a bottle of Champagne, a great way to start my voyage. The outside door of my room had a brass plaque with the name of the suite, Mafeking, based on the Siege of Mafeking, a 217-day battle in the British action the Second Boer War in 1899. Under the plaque was my name.
Walking through the other cars, I found the lounges, which were decorated with comfy, plush sofas and club chairs, and the elegant dining car, where lunch was soon served. Meals consisted of a cross between modern cuisine and traditional South African dishes, such as Bobotie, a ground beef oven baked dish covered in an egg custard, melktert, pastry with a milk filling and cinnamon served with a local doughnut called Koeksister, and slow roasted Karoo lamb shank. The best dish was the grilled Cape Rock lobster tails, which were so delicious, they indulged me and let me have another portion.
Dinners are formal on the train and a jacket and tie was required and since I couldn’t have my luggage delivered to the train, all I had to wear was a T-shirt and jeans. (Luckily, I packed a few pair of underwear in my carry-on, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste). I met a lovely British gentleman on the train about the same size as me and he was kind enough to lend me one of his shirt and ties, so I didn’t have to embarrass myself by wearing my Golden Girls T-shirt to dinner.
Outside the three excellent meals everyday, there wasn’t that many activities on the train except to relax, read in the lounges, or socialize with the other guests. I read Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, published in 1947, the classic and quintessential book about South Africa. I met many interesting people, mostly couples, from all over the world, and they were as passionate about travel as I was. We shared some our favorite and also some of our disastrous travel adventures. Two couples, one from Florence and the other from South Africa, were on their honeymoon.
The last car in the back of the train was open sided, so much of the daytime I watched the scenery. The first day we passed through Worcester, in the Hex River Valley, a valley in a beautiful mountain range surrounded by the largest producing vineyards in South Africa, accounting for the grapes for about 25% of the country’s wine. There were two stops on the train, the first day at Matjiesfontein, a quaint colonial village with a railroad and vintage car museum, and the next day at Kimberley, where we visited an historic former diamond mine. One of the highlights of the train ride was reserve of thousands of flamingos and we passed them in the middle of a rainstorm, so the bright pink flamingoes against the blackened sky was stunning.
After breakfast on Tuesday, we arrived in Pretoria at about 12PM. I said my goodbyes to all the wonderful people I met from all over the world including Italy, the United States, Switzerland, Germany, England, and Australia and promised to be in touch.
I was given a brochure about the other journeys that Rovos Rail offers and fantasized about going on the 9 day Namibian Safari or the Dar es Salaam journey which travels through South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania.
I will write another Africa post tomorrow and in the following weeks, will post about Johannesburg, Cape Town, and safaris in Botswana and South Africa, so stay tuned.
St. James Manor, Kalk Bay, South Africa
http://www.stjamesguesthouses.com/index.html
Rovos Rail
http://www.rovos.com
Bobotie
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
