So it’s 2017, me and Pips have been dating for just over a year and the time has come to do the big extended family introductions. Luckily for me, this means having to fly to Cape Town (a.k.a The Mother City) as that is where Pippa’s family live. I had never been to Cape Town before, but I had been to South Africa when I was younger. We went to stay with friends in Johannesburg, travelled to Durban and did safaris. However, I was around 12, so honestly, my memories were mixed. You also hear negative press about the country, and although Pips had always told me how amazing a city Cape Town was, she also jumped at loud noises so….I was excited but with a smidge of trepidation. It helps that Pippa’s parents live in a gorgeous house on the Marina but let me tell you, in no way did Cape Town disappoint.

The food scene is second to none, partly helped by the exchange rate meaning a high-end tasting menu with matched wines costs us less than £100 all in, tip included. We gorged on sushi, wine, steak, pizza, and seafood. You name it, somewhere over there is a restaurant smashing it. Then we have the city itself. I loved its vibe. Pips still had a car over there so she drove me around as I pointed at things out the window like a real tourist. I think the thing that still gets me now when we go there is the sheer drama and beauty of the landscape surrounding this busy city. The mountains are huge, the roads wind in and around them and the beaches, and it’s all so gorgeous. And the wine estates. So many to choose from and all are glorious. Safe to say we drank so much wine that by the final day all I could handle was a beer, I don’t think we drank wine again for 2 weeks after coming home!

The experiences I had that first time are still with me today. I swam with penguins at Boulder Beach (not recommended as the water is freezing, I very nearly drowned as my arms turned to ice), went to the top of Table Mountain with champagne for Pippa’s mum’s birthday and was blown away by the view, driving Chapman’s peak and seeing a troop of baboons…and that is the tip of the iceberg. Are there downsides and dodgy parts, absolutely, but like any country/city you have to have your wits about you and be sensible. I have had things stolen in London, but never on holiday (touches all the wood) as generally, I am more on guard there than I am at home. I can safely say that even if Pippa’s family were not living there, it would still be on my holiday list every few years.

And as soon as we can safely (Covid times), we will be going back there to support the economy of a country we both adore.

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