Cape Town: Lessons from Robben Island

The tour of Robben Island was powerful and moving.  It's the dynamic story of South African history and Nelson Mandela.

Imagine being held captive in inhumane conditions...for 18 years because of something beyond your control.

Upon release, you become President of the country, and subsequently forgive all those that tortured you and your closest friends - all with the vision of uniting a country that is bitterly divided.  It is an incredible story, and many deep lessons of forgiveness to apply no matter what your circumstance.

This is a photo outside Nelson Mandela's home for 18 years.

The tour of the island is given by a former prisoner.  This was our guide: Zolile Mgijimana.

Cape Town: Baboons, Penguins, and Whales

Cape Town, South Africa is an amazing place.  The views are incredible, the food is great, and the weather is wonderful.  We were concerned about safety before coming, but haven't felt threatened at all. We felt more concerned for our safety in Barcelona than Cape Town.

It is hard to explain Cape Town.

• It's beautiful like Lake Tahoe, only not expensive.
• It's polite like England, only they don't respect traffic laws.
• It's common to see people waiting on the side of the road like Mexico, only the roads are paved.
• It's racially and economically divided like Missouri, only not everyone carries guns.
• It has wonderful hiking options like Colorado, only you can surf too.
• The shoreline is dynamic like San Diego, only you don't have to go to the zoo to see penguins and baboons.

Of all the places we have been fortunate enough to visit over the past three years, this is high on the list to visit again. If it wasn't so far away, it would easily make a wonderful place to live.

Minnesota Cabin Highlights

Our trip back to MN this year was a bit different for a few reasons:

1. Josh was unable to come with.

2. The weather didn't cooperate.

3. Grandpa is officially retired!

4. Grandma Pam wasn't there to greet us.

However, we did make the best of it and were SO GLAD to be with family and the best of friends. Our first stop was in Brainerd with Grandma and Grandpa. We had planned to be out at the lake most of the days, but as stated above, the weather didn't cooperate. We were lucky enough to have one fun day of boating and tubing! The girls had a blast tubing with Auntie Kirk.

Prague by Night

It is easy to see why Prague is such a popular tourist destination.  The city is beautiful and comes alive at night.  There are as many people out at midnight as there are at noon.  There is live music everywhere, and Czechs drink a lot of beer.  The consumer per capita is twice that of America.

We capped our trip with a few night photos, and a few more miles on foot.  Kirk snapped a few really pretty pictures of the city.

Thanks for coming to visit Auntie Kirk!  You will be missed dearly!  See you on the other side of the pond. 

Prague Highlights: Part 2

Our final full day of Prague was filled with food, more walking, a coffee experiment for Outing, and some 'pretty good shopping'.

We sampled lots of local fare from street vendors today in the Old Town Square.  Spiral potatoes, some cabbage/bacon/potato mix, Trdelnik (some delicious sugar pastry thing), sausage, and some wonderful Old Prague Ham (except for the hunks that Outing dropped 2 minutes after buying:)).

And finally, Mara narrowly averted being eaten by a hippo in the park:

Prague Highlights: Part 1

Prague is a highly acclaimed city.  We found it wonderful and a lot of walking.  We've been averaging 18,500 steps a day (about 9 miles/day).  Our girls lasted surprisingly well over the 50+ miles this week:)

The cityscapes are incredible, and there are thousands of tourists everywhere.  Prague has over 8 million visitors every year and is 7th among European cities for visitors (top six are: London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, and Moscow).

We had a fabulous night view of the city from our apartment:

Found another rainbow on our walk home...

We took a lovely boat ride in the rain...
Celebrated Mara the Princess...

Enjoyed the lovely streets of Prague...

Enjoyed a relaxing boat ride...

And saw the world's largest Castle...

Dresden Highlights

Dresden is a beautiful historic city - especially so at night.  The girls had a sleep over with Auntie Kirk, so Outing and I took the tripod out for a few snaps.  The rainclouds made for some dramatic skys over some beautiful architecture.

The city was extensively damaged in WWII bombings through controvercial bombings by the Allies.  Over 90% of the city centre destroyed, but you might never know it by looking at it today.

Dresden has a historical significance as the capital of Saxony, and was the home of previous kings and electors.  Today, it has a population of 500,000 and is one of the ten fasted growing cities in Germany.  It made for a perfect stop for the Anderson's on our travels across Germany...