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Rravik18 jun 2009Leer

On January 14th, the last day of Vitka's stay in the city (his flight was at 6 PM, so he had to leave the house by 2 PM at the latest), I suggested we visit the University of Cape Town again. I liked it so much there, and I gathered he did too, as he didn't object at all to my suggestion. So we did. We went. We swam in the pond. We spent time on the green square in front of the main upper building. Time flew relentlessly. We had to return. We needed to eat and pack. At 1:40 PM, Brian, an acquaintance of Ira's, arrived for Vitka. I had called him in the morning and asked him to take Vitka to the airport. We said goodbye. The two weeks flew by unnoticed. But a lot happened. There will be plenty to remember. And today, as I write this post, it is already January 22nd. I have returned to my former life. I go to work. I am writing a book. What happened this week? Well, I saw Ira a couple of times. Three times with Kristina. Last week we went to the movies together. I try to go every Wednesday now. It's possible it's useful for my far-from-perfect English. Also, on Wednesdays, the ticket price is just fifteen rand all day, whereas all other days it's thirty-three. So I see no point in missing such a wonderful opportunity. I saw Stas and Anshen a couple of times. And Kirill and Sveta took off to Kimberley to Kirill's mom. I don't know if they've returned or not. For some reason, I can't get through to him. We can't reach Katya either. Ira and I know she made it home safely and has been there for two weeks now. Maybe she's completely immersed in her studies to distract herself from memories and somehow re-adapt to her once-familiar life?! And yesterday evening around 9 PM (it was Wednesday), I went to the Waterfront to watch a movie. Irinka couldn't join me, so for the first time here, I went to the cinema alone. The movie was "Anywhere But Home" starring Reese Witherspoon. However, as it turned out, I had to wait more than an hour for my screening. I went for a walk. It turned out that on a Wednesday night at 10 PM, the Waterfront is almost deserted. But it is unimaginably beautiful! Everything around is in lights. And it reflects in the ocean water, which seemed thick like molten glass and was so peaceful yesterday evening. I strolled slowly along the railings. All around, cafes and restaurants were illuminated by myriads of shop windows and Christmas garlands that hadn't been taken down yet. Music was playing here and there. Sometimes live: artists were performing, and sometimes it was coming from speakers. In one place, a choir of black people was performing, likely singing national folk songs. Something gurgled in the water. Something large, about a meter and a half, shiny, smooth! It was amazing to meet a seal at the pier. It turns out some of them can appear here at night in the calm. The screening for the movie I chose started at 10:45 PM. I bought a ticket and went into the hall. And imagine! I was the only one there!!! What a joke! ? In the largest hall of the local cinema, the movie was being shown for only one person — me! I had a blast! For the first time in my life, I was honored with such a privilege: I was alone, and the screening wasn't canceled! Back home, they say in such cases: "The screening is shown for a minimum of two people!" So my mood yesterday was super, and the day went accordingly. January 22, 2009 Night Cape

Rravik15 jun 2009Leer

Ira left for Egypt almost a week ago to relax and meet up with her mom. Stas and Kirill were working, so the four of us—Nick, Katya, Kristina, and I—were planning to climb the mountain. But Kristina was out partying with friends until late last night and didn't get home until 5:30 AM. And Katya got moody, saying the summit was covered in clouds and visibility would be poor. In the end, Nick and I set off to conquer it on our own. It's interesting, I write "summit in the clouds"... What can one understand from that phrase? After all, summits veiled in clouds over different mountains in different parts of the world look different. For example, on the Perya or Kruglytsa mountains in Taganay, Zlatoust—our Ural mountains, which are not inferior in height to many local ones—I have never seen such a "summit in the clouds" as I often observe on Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, and the Twelve Apostles mountains (in the photo on the right). Ours are... somehow different. Not better, not worse, but in their own way. And how is it here? Every time I manage to see this miracle, I associate it with a giant paw made of clouds. This paw is often below the summit. The cloud drifts, crashes into the mountain, rises, rounds it, sliding down a bit with a light but viscous mass—to the altitude from which it drifted—and, as if nothing happened, continues to move on. An incredible sight! Today I conquered the third summit in the city, after the 350-meter Signal Hill and the 670-meter Lion’s Head. We climbed the multi-peaked one, and to the highest of its peaks, Devil’s Peak. A kilometer into the sky! To tell the truth, I expected less from this mountain. People don't climb here as often as they do on Lion’s Head and, especially, on Table Mountain—the highest, most beautiful, popular, and, finally, the most civilized mountain in these parts. They say there is even a restaurant at its summit. And to get to the top—the only one among local mountains—you can go up, and then come down, by funicular, in a cable car. I think that's exciting! Why haven't I been there yet? you might ask. I'm savoring the pleasure! I'm saving the sweetest for "later"! I plan to go up there with Vitka when he arrives in January, if everything works out with his visa. My invitation reached him, he bought his plane tickets, now all that's left is to send the documents to Moscow, to the embassy, and wait for the visa. Back to Devil’s Peak: the road was tiring and long. Even after driving to the very foot of it, we spent seven hours on the ascent and descent!!! My muscles still ache, my legs and even my shoulders (I carried a backpack with water and food on them) are sore! In order: Nick picked us up with Katya in Sea Point, we bypassed the center and left the car in the parking lot at the Cecil Rhodes memorial. The memorial is beautiful. Who is Cecil Rhodes? I surely mentioned him while describing Kirill's story about Kimberley. This man made his living searching for diamonds, and the mining in the Big Hole was already completely finished under his leadership. Cecil Rhodes owned many lands in the country, including in Cape Town. The university and surrounding areas belonged to him. After his death, Rhodes bequeathed his wealth and lands to the state. He would certainly have become a national hero here if he had black skin. But as it is... well, everyone knows and remembers him anyway. At the memorial, Katya and I parted ways. She said she wouldn't go up the mountain, called James, and asked him to pick her up. And Nick and I set off on our journey. There was almost no mood for it until we reached the summit. Climbing was hard and not very interesting. As it turned out, the interesting part was waiting for us at the top. We didn't even take any photos until we climbed up. What surprised me was that from the highest point we even saw the "Cape of Good Hope"! I never thought you could see it from the center of Cape Town, from one of the mountains! Nick even declared that, in his taste,