Happy Feet

The big perk to this trip was my visit to Cape Town. Friends from Xavier, Brian and Jessica McInerny, currently reside there. Normally Jon and I don’t get much down time on these recruiting trips. So this was going to be a nice break from the constant motion. What is even more amazing about visiting with Jess and Brian is the fact that I went to high school with Brian. He was three years ahead of me at school but we played soccer together and I had always looked to him as a role model. It has always amazed me that I have been fortunate enough to see many places in the world. I remember thinking that I would probably move back to Wheeling after college. Obviously none of that happened, but it is nice to be able to talk about the “good old times” with Mac.

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was like being on the coast of California with the best parts of Mexico thrown in. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and you have the mountains and the water minutes away. Plus you have Penguins! Cape Town is known for having a large population of penguins. I would have never guessed that they thrive in this type of climate, but they are everywhere. We spent the day roaming the beaches for penguins and eventually headed out to the mountains. We climbed up Cape Pointe and visited the Cape of Good Hope. Both played an integral part in the colonization of the country. There was something very humbling about being at the Cape of Good Hope. The wind was powerful and being among the waves and the mountains was just overwhelming. I felt like a very small part of something much larger than I could ever understand.

The evening was spent at a winery/restaurant with traditional South African dishes. The food has been delicious and the wine is amazing. Pinotage is a unique type of wine to the area and I could have finished a bottle on my own. I probably did by the end of the night.