Life lessons from a little town

by Elizabeth Scotch (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

"Do you think this is a sign that we should extend our holiday?" I asked my boyfriend, Jonathan when our car wouldn't start for ten minutes. " Definitely, " he answered and we burst out laughing. For a long while, I had been feeling stuck, uninspired and frustrated especially after our clichèd George- Plettenberg Bay - Knysna holidays, I would dread going back home in the familar routes I could sleep drive through.Make no mistake, the Garden Route is one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.But, Franschhoek had offered us two weeks of fun and "originality", we were born again and all things had become new. A few hours earlier, we had sat cross legged on velvet cushions by our rented apartment's balcony, enjoying our last meal in the " French corner" - a slow roasted leg of lamb from a recipe we found online.While we ate, we watched the late afternoon sun reflected in a glowing pathway of yellow and orange in the sea nearby.We could simultaneously feel and smell the ocean, the air was so fresh we could bite it like crisp green apples. Before this trip, Jonathan and I were routine people.Except for one area where we were adventurous, we did things exactly.the.same. way. We both worked at the same jobs we complained about for years, liked the indoors and when we went out for movies it would be at the same cinemas. We visited the same restaurants, had the same meals... Did I mention that despite our church having many services we attended the very same one? But, in this little town that wraps around mountains and is framed by the coastline, we had taken our spontaneity to a whole new level.Every day was a possibility for adventure, new experiences, new discoveries and we were open to them.Some days we went on bike tours.Others we had picnics on the banks of Berg River or in the gardens of Hugùènot Museum for an entry fee of R20 which was not even a percentage of what we spent on the drive to George.One hot Saturday, we shopped a storm while Jon sipped on wine ( in a plastic coffee container ) and listened to some soulful jazz under the oak trees of Franschhoék Village Market. Yet another day, we accidentally stumbled on Cafè Bon Bon and had lunch under the shades of the vines.There we met Mornè, a local whom I silently forgave for telling me how beautiful the beaches there are.Surely he didn't know I'm a Capetonian and he has never seen Clifton 4th, Muizenberg or Camps Bay Beaches. Our car later started and while driving back home, one of the joys of our road trip was looking out to the not so familiar crazy bends, turns and huge cliffs dropping down into the turquoise waters.Another was planning a lunch date with fellow Cape Tonians Jillian and Johan - a couple we made friends with at My Wyn Cellars.Yet another was chatting away the clichès, why did we go to the same places over and over again to do the same things? Why did we spend time complaning about our jobs and not actually do something to change them? Why did fun live hours or a R10 000 ticket away? Just an hour away from home, we had discovered a whole new world and a side to us we never knew existed! Franshhoèk for us in CS Lewis' words was "The adventure that led us to our destiny." The transformation worked in all areas of our lives and playing safe is now a thing of the past.I have put down a well detailed plan of the business I have always wanted to start and Jonathan has finally admitted: law is his calling. This morning on our way from church- a different service this time, we walked by the Sea Point promenade.The moment we took our eyes off the Atlantic and looked up to Signal Hill, Jonathan asked, "The Sunset Bus, paragliding or hiking?" "All three." " You sure about the paragliding?" He asked again. "Routine lures the brain to sleep," I replied.