As you're reading this, I might be driving through the French countryside, quenching my thirst with a Belgian beer, or snacking on
frites with mayonnaise.
This holiday is obviously an especially healthful one. Besides going home for Christmas in just one month (!), it's also my last trip of 2013. It recently occurred to me
how thankful I am to have traveled so much this past year. I ventured to
Malmö,
Berlin,
the Jura,
Lisbon, Óbidos, and Porto. And it all started in Marrakech,
my first visit to Africa. Hopefully not my last.
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| (Photo Credit: Jenna Finch) |
I reflected then on how we tend to have an oversimplified perception of the continent. We think wild animals roaming the Savannah, but often forget about the pyramids. And the last time I overheard a conversation about South Africa, they were hosting
the World Cup. But, gosh, how I'd love to explore it next. It's been on
my list for quite some time. If I could, I'd hop on the next
Emirates flight with
Megan and Mike's Cape Town recommendations, and hopefully meet
Jenna (the provider of these gorgeous photos) there.
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| (Photo Credit: Jenna Finch) |
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| (Photo Credit: Jenna Finch) |
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| (Photo Credit: Jenna Finch) |
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| (Photo Credit: Jenna Finch) |
Stunning landscape and
cosmopolitan eateries aside, I'm also fascinated by the country's history. It's devastating, in so many ways, but also enlightening. I mean that in the most empathetic sense after having read
An African Athens: Rhetoric and the Shaping of Democracy in South Africa (as I studied
culture in areas of post-ethnic conflict) this past summer. For instance: “It can be said that, for better or worse, Mandela has held tightly to his preferred rhetorical role, to perform the nation in a way that makes her appear to herself united yet diverse,” (31). If that's not something we as an increasingly global society should progressively embrace, I don't know what is. I'll be back Tuesday evening with a Brussels recap. Until then,
bon week-end !
I would love it if you visited South Africa so we could finally make this friendship official! Otherwise I may just need to make my way to Paris :) Thanks so much for including my photos in this post and it really is true that Africa is one of the most misunderstood regions of the world - people tend to automatically think of safaris and little starving black children running around naked - while there is so much more to it! Huge cosmopolitan cities, complex histories, democracies and dictatorships... pyramids! (like you said). It's much more than what meets the eye. Enjoy your holiday - so well deserved!
ReplyDeleteHaha, either way! I hope to familiarize myself with all of it some day :)
DeleteHave a great holiday! And these photos are GORGEOUS! Now I want to go to South Africa!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And they are, aren't they? (Nod to Jenna above!)
DeleteI was supposed to go to South Africa for 2010 but then the prices of hotels became ridiculous and then my travel partners broke up. *sigh* Still on the list, but I spent four months in Tanzania in 2007 so I want to visit a north African country before I hit up sub-Sahara again.
ReplyDeleteAnother good book about the uniting post-apartheid South Africa is "Playing the Enemy" by John Carlin. It's the book that the movie Invictus used as inspiration but it gives a lot more background and history information. Very well written and even my non-rugby friends have really enjoyed it.
So close! How lucky you've visited the southern part of the continent though. I hope you get to return and visit northern Africa soon.
DeleteI will definitely look into the book, too! Thanks so much for sharing.
I have always wanted to visit South Africa & Namibia as I have a very close friend who grew up in both countries and now resides in Australia. I will meet her in the middle one day!
ReplyDeleteOh, both places are fantastic, I'm sure. Sounds like a plan! :)
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