Friday, November 6, 2009

The Long Way Down...

So where was I.....

Oh yes, packing my suitcase once again! Time for this bird to fly south again but thank goodness I relented and packed a jersey because the weather is doing a fabulous impersonation of the middle section of winter!

I must say for long haul trips this one was just that - a very long haul. But the flip side of that coin was that i got to see some different places; places I haven't seen for a while. I flew off my little island early in the morning and headed off to the mainland.


The red roofs of Lisbon....

This is the second time I've spent time in Lisbon and I'm not convinced that the folk there have grasped the concept of being friendly.

But the upside of the time I had there was that I found a fantastic little guesthouse run by foreigners = friendly and welcoming. I really am going to have to learn Portuguese though if for no other reason than to foil those tricky taxi drivers!

Then it was off to the airport again and flying north for a few hours found me landing in Frankfurt - it's been a while since I visited there (not that this was anything more than a transit!)


The great thing about this stage of the journey was that I no longer had to worry about my luggage! The joys of computer codes and tags.....and faith in the system! I had been warned that I would have to change terminals which didn't really worry me as that pretty much goes ahnd in hand with travel these days. Be warned though...changing terminals here means making sure you have sensible shoes and hoping like hell the travelators are working!! It does also help following someone who knows the airport. Suffice to say the new (to me) terminal is quite impressive!

Even more impresive is having empty seats next to one and a really friendly flight crew.


The further south we headed to more it began to feel like home turf. I woke early - just before dawn and the view from high above the clouds was awesome. Below the clouds was the desert and I could see from the amazing lightning show that it was storming down there. In my mind I could smell the rain; the African rain.

And then the sun came up.
Soon thereafter we landed in Namibia.




This is abolutely a visit that is on my bucket list! But for now I bid my fellow travellers farewell and watched them depart into the desert while I awaited my next flight; my final flight.
Travelling next to me was a chap who had never been to Cape Town and in front of me two youngsters experiencing their first flight.

" Ladies & Gentlemen , this is your Captain speaking. For some unknown reason the flight tower have asked us to stay in a holding pattern above Robben Island until further notice"

And there she was...the Mother City and that majestic mountain and the most magnificent day.
I felt proud to be 'home'

8 comments:

  1. Those are some great photos. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Hope you post more to let us live vicariously through you.

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  2. So good to have you back home, my friend!

    And thank you for the beautiful pictures - we can never be reminded too often of how beautiful our city is.

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  3. @ MM - I also hope I can post more but I'm not connected where I'm staying. Oh for uncapped fast speed internet!!!

    @dm - it is actually good to be back...for however long it may be for!!

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  4. Hi my Possum friend! Beautiful pictures...I needed a trip, even if it is virtual at this point.

    Did ya save some of the good stuff in the flask? Actually, I should replenish your supply for your patience...

    Missing you!

    xo, Mango

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  5. What stunning photos..and it sounds like a fantastic trip. Love those red roofs of Lisbon.

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  6. i spent 10 months in Africa several years ago (re)meeting and getting to know my Father's side of the family and his homeland. I fell in love with the continent and most every place I went. When it was finally time to pack up my bags and head back to Canada, I felt like I was leaving home and shed a tear for the Table at Cape Town that I hope to see again one day. Beautiful

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  7. Africa has a way of creeping into ones heart and soul
    As a child of Africa it will always own a big part of me

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  8. There really is nothing like it, right? That view from the top, looking out on the Mothercity. I always feel kinda teary eyed when I think about it, all the history that surrounds this country and then ... ... I just sigh. :)

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