By some miracle we got upgraded to business class for the flight from Johannesburg to Madrid (a 10-hour flight!) It seemed like almost everyone in business class had been randomly upgraded, and the flight attendents seemed kind of annoyed. The best part of the upgrade is we were in the front row and they put a little bassonett up on the wall in front of our seats for Riley to sleep in…
She slept pretty soundly, either in the bassonett or lying down next to me on the seat (yes, you can fully recline in business class, it’s awesome).
The whole trip from Cape Town to Boston was about 36 hours (24 hours in the air + layover time) so it was really nice to travel in style for at least part of the way…
January 8th, 2007 in
Happenings |
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We arrived in Cape Town on Christmas day and met up with Michael at the hotel (he’s been living in Namibia for the past 2 years doing the peace corp). We ended up at a delicious Indian restaurant for dinner, at an outside table tucked around the corner, which was great because Riley was teething and kind of unhappy. We discovered that Riley enjoys papadan crackers (both eating them and smashing them into bits with a fork) and the chef was nice enough to cook up a special mild veggie dish for her (which she ended up eating none of, but really loved scooping out with a spoon and smooshing it around on the table).
The day after Christmas we piled into 2 rental cars and drove up north along the garden route to a town called Sedgewick, where we stayed in a nice little inn right on a lake. It was beautiful, and just a 5-minute drive from the ocean. We had some beach days, and went to a big zoo that was pretty cool. For pictures click here and here
Riley and Eric in their matching beach outfits…
These stacking cups are endlessly fun to play with… at the beach, in the bath, anywhere really.
After a few days we headed back to Cape Town. On New year’s eve we went to Robben Insland (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) which was an interesting experience, then had dinner at Jimmy’s Killer Prawns. Dad, Mike and Riley turned in early, while Sage, Eric, Mom, and I roamed the streets and rang in the new year at midnight. pictures
New years day Riley took the gondola up to the top of Table mountain with Dad, while I hiked up with Sage, Eric, Mike and Mom. The view at the top was incredible… pictures here.
The next day, we watched a bit of the dysfunctional Cape Town parade, ate delicious samosas, wandered around the market, then headed to the airport
Riley waiting in baggage claim with Eric and the pinwheel…
Napping in the Madrid airport…
January 8th, 2007 in
Happenings |
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Our flight to South Africa included a 12-odd hour layover in Madrid. This ended up not being as bad as it sounds: both our flight from JFK and the next flight to Johannesburg were overnight flights, so we basically had the whole day to explore. Plus, Brigitte’s friend’s daughter graciously let her use her flat near the city center, as she was out of town at the time. This ended up being a very good thing, since most of us (and Riley especially) were pretty exhausted.
In the end, Elise, Riley and I ended up napping while David, Brigitte and Eric went exploring, guided by Angelea’s excellent recommendations and Eric’s obsession with seeing the football stadium (which apparently the largest, or newest, or in some other way most special ever). The museum at the stadium ended up being closed, but they found other entertainment at Ang’s favorite bar…
…and from a street performer who serranaded Eric.
A few hours later, they came back to the apartment (exhausted) for a nap, and Riley, Elise and I (somewhat rejuvenated) went out with Brigitte. By this time it was dark, and we could fully appreciate the city lights.
It was really cold, so Riley was bundled up in her lovely purple sweater (knit by her Grandma Brigitte) and hat (a gift from Will) and wrapped in my jacket.
Riley was pretty sleepy and took a nap on our way back to the airport…
…before riding with our bags as we braced ourselves for the next 11-hour flight to Johannesburg.
January 8th, 2007 in
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The night before leaving for South Africa, we went out to dinner at a fancy sushi restaurant with Eric and Mom. The food was fantastic, and I guess Riley wanted some too, which unfortunatly resulted in soy sauce spilled all over her white tights. Oh well!
January 8th, 2007 in
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Riley got this fantastically warm and soft coat from Rachel’s mother Emily last year at the baby shower, and we’ve had it in storage just waiting for the cold weather to come so she can finally wear it. It’s still a little big, kind of makes her look like a polar bear, but it definitly keeps her toasty during winter walks in Boston…
January 8th, 2007 in
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Riley is developing a keen Christmas spirit. It all began with some lights and standard bulb ornaments that Brigitte put up on the plants in Cambridge as part of her deck-the-halls campaign. Riley loved them. Especially the bulbs—she likes to pull the hangar part off and stick her finger in the little hole.
There was also one of those sealed globes with the snowman, tree, and fake snow that you’re supposed to shake up. It didn’t survive too long, but it was fun while it lasted. And here’s Riley sporting her red reindeer shirt.
These Christmasy feelings eventually matured into a more general fascination with Chistmas trees: first at Chloe’s family’s party, and then at the various trees we found in the many airports we visited on our way to South Africa.
Four flights and a few nights later, Riley discovered fiber optics on the streets of Cape Town. Some guy was selling those flower-shaped fountain light things on the street (basically a bundle of fiber optic strands with colored LEDs in the base) and we spent ages it seemed touching them (or almost touching, then pulling away) while Elise bought some topical pain gel for Riley’s two new front teeth. Then a few days later, to Riley’s delight, we found an entire Christmas tree filled with fiber optic lights in a restaurant:
(There’s a video, too. Although you can’t see much, you can hear Riley’s squeals.)
Riley’s fascination is not limited to lights (although those remain her favorite). There was a small tree at the inn where we stayed for most of the week, and Riley usually spent most of breakfast playing with the faux packages under the tree and various ornaments that were within her reach. Riley spent much of dinner on New Year’s Eve looking at the tree in Jimmy’s Killer Prawns in Cape Town. She was quite popular with the wait staff: they even let her keep one of the ornaments from the tree. (Not that it was her first—just the first she had permission to take.)
By the time we made it to Chicago O’Hare on our way back to Boston (don’t ask), Riley would let out a little squeak and point to the Christmas decorations in every new room we walked into. I was so proud.
January 8th, 2007 in
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My parents are pros at getting Riley to sleep…
January 8th, 2007 in
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In December we spent a few days in Mendocino in an amazing house on the coast the Sascha found. The house was actually kind of a bizarrly constructed building, but a great feature was that the master bedroom was on the opposite end of the house from all the other bedrooms, so we didn’t have to worry about Riley waking everyone up in the middle of the night. The weather was pretty blustery, so we mostly stayed inside and played with Riley and looked out at the ocean.
Riley’s favorite part was the staircase leading up to the bedroom which she went up and down all day long, always with a toy in her hand…
For some reason every night the power went out in the neighborhood – even the lighthouse went dark. It was definitly earie being in a strange house with everything pitch dark and the sound of the crashing waves outside. Luckily, Riley and I had gone through all the kitchen cabinets earlier in the day (one of Riley’s favorite activites) so we knew where the emergency flashlight and candles were kept. Will also had a mag light in his car. The first night dinner was already cooked, but the second night lasagnas had been prepared by Toby, but not yet baked when the power went out, making the electric stove and oven useless. Will came to the rescue though and baked the lasagnas in the FIREPLACE! They tasted a little smokey, but overall not too bad.
We played Apples to Apples by candlelight, and Riley slept through the whole affair both nights…
January 7th, 2007 in
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These pictures are old, and were taken with a treo (which explains why they’re not so great). I just found them though and the story behind them is pretty cute. Riley and I were waiting outside the Indian restaurant by our house to pick up take-out food and there was another family waiting as well. The 2 little boys in the pictures are twins and they were fascinated by Riley and really wanted to touch her. Their mother kept telling them not to though (most parents are very anti-kids-touching, germs I guess?) so they ended up holding their hands behind their backs and just leaning way in to look. Then, while the mother wasn’t looking, one of them gently reached down and kissed Riley on the foot, then looked up and smiled at me. It was one of the cutest things i’ve ever seen. Riley seemed to find it amusing as well…
January 6th, 2007 in
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