Our bags were packed and we were ready to start a new adventure to Germany. We flew out of Charlotte-Douglas Airport about 4:40 pm in the afternoon on a flight to Frankfort, Germany where we began our tour of the highlights of Germany. Our flight was a little late taking off, but it caused no major problems. We flew over familiar areas as we crossed over the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River. As we flew eastward we watched the sunset on our first day.... read more

I discovered too late as I am writing this, I should have been recording our knowledgeable guide, Ben. As I look back on our trip I struggle to remember all the names and places, but here goes. We started the day by stopping at one of several "picture frames" in Cape Town that provide a scenic view inside. This one frames Table Mountain, our first planned stop of the day. From there we traveled with hundreds of others to the cable car station to ride to the top of Table Mountain. The wind that prevailed the past two days, stopped the cable cars and now everyone was making up for lost time. Fortunately for us, Ben was able to secure tickets quickly and gain quick access to the cable car. I am not sure how he ... read more

After breakfast at the hotel, we made sure our suitcases were securely packed and walked from the hotel to our gate for our flight to Cape Town. Security at Johannesburg was quick with fewer requirements than ours in the U.S. We made the approximately 2 hour flight with no hitches and Ben, our guide, was waiting for us at the airport. Having lost the morning for seeing the city, we started on our adventure straight from the airport. Our first stop was the oldest building in Cape Town, the Castle of Good Hope. This fortress was built in the 17th Century by the Dutch East India Company to replenish supplies of the Dutch ships. It is built in the shape of a 5 pointed star similar to forts in the U.S. When built the castle was ... read more

Today will be our last full day at Hippo Lakes. We have two game drives scheduled and dinner around the campfire. Again our first drive began at 7 am. The one Big 5 animal that resides locally is the African Buffalo and thus far it has been elusive. We are on the hunt for it this morning. I have also been on a mission to photograph a very noisy and "annoying to me" bird called a Red-chested Cuckoo. This bird begins it's song at 4 am and continues endlessly throughout the day. I have seen it several times but it has not posed for a photo. This morning it was sitting proudly in a tree top and I finally got my photo thanks to Shaun, our guide, spotting it. We also found a crocodile sunning itself ... read more

After a little later than usual breakfast, we climbed aboard 2 vans and made the 3 hour drive to Welgevonden Game Preserve. We stopped along the way for a little shopping before reaching our final destination. Our goal for the day was to find as many of the Big 5 African animals, Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, and Buffalo. We signed in and headed out on our adventure. We were riding with our guide, Fin, along with Shea, Justin, and Nick. We had a fun group as we searched the area. We quickly encountered Warthogs, Wildebeests, and the sought after Rhino. We continued along and found 3 Rhinos grazing close to the road for nice photos. Zebra dotted the landscape and we soon came upon an elephant cooling herself with muddy water. She systematically tossed water over ... read more