This post was originally from February 18, 2026

We have made it to the other side of the world and have started to settle in!  Our flights were long and uneventful, which is obviously a really good thing when you’re flying high in the air at warp speed in a tin can, right!? 

The one flight that made us laugh was from Paris to Cape Town. Have you ever seen the movie Bridesmaids? If you haven’t, please do because it’s a hilarious movie with so many great actresses! But if you have, remember that scene where they are at the bridal shower and Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne try to outdo one another with a toast to the bride? We basically had that happen over the intercom as Carolina (one of the flight attendants) was retiring after 33 years! It started with one tribute by one lady in French and then in English (and at the end of each tribute everyone claps) and from thereon throughout the entire flight there would be another one and another one and another one… in both languages!! And as you know, when you are on an airplane, each time the intercom comes on, the entertainment stops and we all HAVE to listen. At one stage Carolina was paraded up and down the aisles wearing a blinged out top saying ‘last flight’. It was super cute but I feel like we maybe got to know Carolina a little too well! 

After landing we had a few hours to pick up our rental car and check in to our Airbnb before meeting up with one of Liza’s good friends Else. Liza and I are big fans of a South African singer named Jeremy Loops and a few months ago Liza found out that he was playing the day we land. We knew it was going to be a bit rough with the jet lag and all, but also so worth it to see him live. And to top it all off, his concert was at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens – an outdoor concert with Table Mountain towering in the background! So the three of us enjoyed every second and danced up a storm as we watched him perform while the sun set behind the mountain. Not bad for the first day right?! 

Monday we got our bearings (and by that I mean slept) until it was time to go visit the family. It’s been 2 years since we last saw them so of course you see big differences in the kids who are now 6 and 9 and Liza’s parents (mom just turned 80). We were able to have dinner with her parents as well as her brother’s family. We offloaded almost two suitcases full of gifts and had such a wonderful visit. It’s so cute to see Liza’s niece and nephew vie for her attention. Mia is into gymnastics so I helped coach her with new tricks and Liza got to play with Luca and his new truck that we brought him. Her family is so lovely and it truly makes me so grateful that I can see my family whenever I want. 

Yesterday we packed our things and started our mini road trip through the wine country to the town of Swellendam to visit some more of Liza’s friends. Swellendam is just over 200km from Cape Town and the drive there is incredibly beautiful as it winds through vineyards and mountains. At one point we were winding our way down a mountain when just as we turned a corner a semi truck was smack-dab coming toward us in our lane. We only saw the truck when we both rounded the corner, which made for a major fright as the massive truck took up both lanes. Thankfully Liza is a master driver and her quick thinking saved us from being squished into the mountain! We made some stops along the way as there are quite a few cute towns en route and nothings screams ‘you’re in Africa’ like seeing baboons and ostrich on the side of the road! So cool! 

To give you a little bit of history, Swellendam was established in the late 1700’s by the Dutch East India Company so it is still rich in historical Cape Dutch architecture and provincial heritage sites. It is also incredibly beautiful as it sits at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains and right near the Breede River.

Before we came to South Africa Liza saw a thing on social media about how someone went to Pep (a local store that sells essentials and clothes) and paid off someone’s lay-buy (I think we would call it lay-away at home). So many people really struggle to get by just day-to-day and simple things like a school uniform would be impossible to buy in just one purchase. For this reason, Pep allows people to pay off their purchase in installments with no interest. When Liza saw the person on social media talk about paying off someone’s lay-buy she suggested we do the same. The staff at Pep looked up all the outstanding school uniform accounts and we were able to help 4 families. The ladies were very excited to call the families and we told them that they could tell them that donation came from Judith who is a dear friend of mine who just passed.