Franschhoek and Swellendam, SA

Franschhoek and Swellendam

Our stay in Stellenbosch was superb and certainly was enhanced by the owner of our B&B, Mathilda. She one of these rare people who makes you feel totally at home and looks after your every need.

Mathilda (above with Diane) was the quintessential hostess. Should you ever find yourself in Stellenbosch, there's nowhere else you should stay, but at the the Batavia Guesthouse

This memorable sign was posted at Uva Mira - I should have known Salvador Dali was into the grape!

These wooden statues of extra tall and lean dressed up Africans appear to be ubiquoteaus and extremely popular. 

                            The grounds of the very old Boschendal Winery in Franschhoek.

We visited an interesting church in Franschhoek of the Dutch Reformed Church - beautiful woodwork and a classic style pipe organ. 

The Protea wines as well as several other label were part of the Anthonij Rupert Winery in Franschhoek. These are recyclable bottles that can be cut and upcycled to be used as glasses or vases. The Protea label is easily pealed off. The Rupert Winery wines were very good.

      

After Franschhoek we drove to Swellendam, where we stayed at a comfortable B&B - the Marula Guesthouse. Run by a German couple, Marion was very helpful in telling us about the surrounding area. We stopped at the Wildebraam Berry Estate, where we sampled liqueurs made of a hybrid berry they had developed and at the nearby Marloth Nature Reserve. The reserve has a waterfall that can be hiked to in an hour's time. But with possible rain impending, we opted not to do it.

The berry farm also had some inquisitive horses on their property who we stopped to greet. 

In the downtown part of Swellendam, we stopped in to see the huge, white Dutch Reformed Church, originally built in 1802. The windows are Gothic, the gables are Baroque, the cupola Eastern and the steeple is supposed to be a copy of a famous steeple in Belgium. Impressive, but we never did get into the church since it was closed on both days we stopped by. 

Some tasting notes: My favorite winery of the areas we visited was Neethlinghof - excellent wines and reasonable prices. My second all around favorite winery was Uva Mira (with Ernie Els running closely behind). But of the whole bunch, there wasn't one I disliked. I went to Asara, Kleine Zalza, Lovane, Jordan, Anthonij Rupert (who had the only Sangiovese), Ernie Els (apparently a South African golfer, had the most spectacular tasting room and dining facility) and Boschendal, one of the oldest in the region.

Stellenbosch, South Africa - 2016

Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch

We took Linda took the Cape Town International Airport and said our good-byes. It had been a tremendous experience to share with her - Amsterdam, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. But now it was time for her to return home.

Diane and I spent the night in the city of Somerset West, a sort of suburb to Cape Town. For us a served as a stop over to Stellenbosch. We left the following morning, after breakfast.

 

We arrived in Stellenbosch by mid-morning and checked into our B&B, the Batavia Guesthouse. We then proceeded to do what the area is known for - wine tasting. There are over 350 wineries to choose from. The first one we visited was Neethlingshof Estates. The grounds were spectacular as were their wines. 

Next door to Neethlingshof was Asara - The meeting point of African Gods. How could we go wrong with a name like that! Indeed, it too proved to be a producer of fine wines (both white and red).

The Bell Tower proved to be my favorite - a Bordeaux blend of dark berries with just a hint of oak.

Back at the B&B, the weather being cool, the proprietor came knocking on our door to provide us with a "kruik" for our bed, a rubberized container filled with hot water to stuff in the bed to keep us warm during the night. This is typical Dutch and it's something I hadn't seen since I was a child. 

In the morning, our B&B provided us with a healthy breakfast of fruits, cereals and eggs. The odd looking fruit on the top left is passion fruit - a delicious, tangy fruit found all throughout the region.

In the morning we visited Kleine Zalze Estate. These folks not only had a winery but their property included a restaurant, a golf course, a hotel and a housing development. 

The coup de grâce of the wineries visited, was the winery of the well known South African golfer Ernie Els - a beautiful winery situated atop a hill overlooking Stellenbosch. Good wines too.

Our last winery we visited was Jordan Winery. With beautiful scenery and very decent wines.

After a full day of wine tasting, it was nice to come home to our pied-á-terre in town. Yet the comforts it offers in our little room have a contrasting wall just feet away, that warns of lurking dangers. We're walled in by electrified wires and warning signs to potential intruders. Keep out!!! 

Cape Town, SA 2016

Cape Town

We've been enjoying the sights of Cape Town. The highlight was going up to Table Mountain. But we also ventured through the city, Hout Bay, Camps and the Waterfront district. Unfortunately, the day we had reserved for Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life, trips to the island were totally booked.  

                                  The cable car ride up Table Mountain starts here.

                                   Looking at Lion's Head from atop Table Mountain.

By cable car, it only takes about ten minutes to reach the top. Others take one of the many circuitous and steep trails that takes about two hours to walk. Yet others choose to climb its sheer cliffs.

                                  Downtown area of Cape Town.

              Waterfront district of Cape Town.

                             Hout Bay (note the sea lion next to vessel looking for a handout).

          I'd love to take home one of these giraffes, but they're hard to stuff in a suitcase.

                                                       Lovely Camps Bay

              Hermanus - a place where whales congregate but not when we were there.

                          This was Linda's last day in SA before heading home.

The visit to Hermanus was very nice. We then headed to our next stop, Sommerset West and Stellenbosch - part of South Africa's wine country.

South Africa 2016

Joburg to Cape Town

Our two days in Joburg, although interesting, were not much to comment on. It's a city of a downtown that's high rises and seedy looking outskirts, of high walls for the residential areas and the Soweto township. 

The only touristy thing we did there was hire a driver, Nelson, to take us on a tour of the Soweto township and the outlying areas. For what he had to work with, he did wonderfully. 

Soweto looked far less intimidating than I had envisioned. The streets were good, reasonably clean, had playgrounds for kids, shops, and looked safe. I had envisioned something far different.

                         This was Nelson Mandela's home during the Apartheid era. 

 

The most emotionally charged part of the tour was the Apartheid Museum. We easily could have spent the entire day there, but it was emotionally draining just going through it for three hours. 

 

There were lots of contrasts that were reminiscent of the days of the Third Reich. One can really understand the courage and determination Nelson Mandela had in pursuing his goals of self-rule for South Africa. He was willing to give up many years of his life for that struggle.

The rest of our visit to Joburg was through the downtown area, which was pretty much like any gritty downtown - cars, shops, high rise glass buildings and lots of people.

After our tour we were ready to move on to Cape Town.

The train from Joburg to Cape Town was delayed by well over two hours, which wouldn't have been so bad if we could have been waiting in a comfortable area. But where we had to wait, it was cool and breezy. Finally, word came that it was due to arrive in just a few minutes.

We boarded the train and found our cabin. We spread ourselves out and relaxed. Soon, a porter came by to offer us bedding for the night. We then went over to the dining car and had a beer and snacks as Joburg disappeared from our window seats.

After some more delays, the conductor announced that the train would be arriving in Cape Town three hours late. It didn't come unexpectedly. But in the end, we finally arrived in Cape Town - only two and half hours late - on time for Africa. 

During our 28 hour train adventure, we'd experienced mostly arid terrain. But as we closed in on Cape Town we began to see beautiful lush farms and vineyards. 

Upon arrival at the main train station in Cape Town, we took a taxi to our B&B in the Sea Point neighborhood of Cape Town. Stan, the manager, met us and showed us to our house with what seemed to be a dozen keys - each unlocking a separate door or gate. 

Security is key. All houses have their walls, electrified wires and signs that state "Armed Response". Not the way I'd want to live.

Our B&B consists of a series of small, colorful houses. At breakfast, the next day, we met a Dutch couple from Rotterdam who had lived in Cape Town years ago. 

The next day, after a big breakfast at the main house, we took a walk along the seaside boardwalk - the ocean was rough, the coastline beautiful.

After our walk, we took one of the local mini buses to pick up our rental car.  After getting the car and preparing myself for driving on the left side of the road, we navigated our way to the Cape of Good Hope. 

What a beautiful drive it was, going through Simons Town and Boulder Beach, a place full of penguins.  In fact, upon leaving, there's a sign that asks you to check under your car for penguins before driving off.

The walk to the light house at the Cape of Good Hope is nothing less than spectacular. The raw beauty is beyond words. We were at the end of a continent. Next was Antartica. 

On the way back to Cape Town, we drove along the western shore, which during sunset, was even more dramatic than the eastern side. It had been a very special day indeed.   

The following day, we toured the downtown area of Cape Town, walked through tthe Moslem neighborhood known as Bo-Kaap. The buildings are painted with vibrant colors. Afterwards we went on a shopping spree for African curious.