Our final visit during our short stay in Cape Town was to the Castle of Good Hope, parts of which were built in the late 17th century. The Military Museum and the William Fehr Collection were excellent and informative, though I have to admit that by the time I’d read about the Eighth Frontier War I started to wonder whether those folk ever stopped fighting each other.
Changing of the guard
You could easily spend several hours in the Military Museum
There are some wonderful views from the top of Table Mountain.
We were thankful for the cable car, as we chose the hottest day on record to go to the top.
The bush fires in the distance were threatening to get out of control.
Interesting rock near the path to Maclear’s Beacon
At first, we couldn’t find the penguins. This was because we followed the signs saying ‘Penguins’ rather than entering the visitor centre, and we ended up paying to get into a small beach with only a couple of penguins on some nearby rocks. However, the entrance ticket also allowed us into the visitor centre, through which, on the nearby beach, there were many penguins.
We enjoyed some fabulous meals in Cape Town.
Pork on quinoa at a Peruvian restaurant
Lunch on the way to see the penguins
Bobotie pie
Mini potjiekos
One evening we went to Addis in Cape for some Ethiopian food.
It was an unusual meal at a unique venue. Billed as ‘theatrical dining’, we didn’t really know what to expect. The website of Stardust in Cape Town mentions performing waiters and waitresses, and we thought that we might be serenaded at our table. In the event, it was a full-on show, with up to a dozen people who also served the food, on stage singing, telling jokes and doing magic.
The MC was very entertaining, and the dancer below was particularly light on her feet.
Of course – who did the magician have to pick for his ‘assistant’?
The performers/waiters/waitresses are mostly drama students, and the venue gives them a good opportunity to showcase their skills. The place was packed, and we all enjoyed their enthusiasm and skills.
The food (we had Moroccan tagines) was very good as well.
The table was booked by my friend Elisha, who I’d not seen for twenty years when we both worked at the University of Botswana. It was a delight to see him again.
We spent an hour at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens on a day trip to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. These gardens are extremely good, and in a wonderful setting.
Living stones from the Karoo
We booked a full day winelands tour for Rand 650 (about £35), which seemed like a good deal as lunch was also included. You can actually book private tours, which are more expensive, but the group ones tend to be much more fun.
We visited four vineyards: Villiera, Tokara, Solms and Fairview. They were all different, so it was really good to see a variety of setups. We ended up sampling over twenty wines, and there was some enthusiastic singing in the van back to Cape Town at the end of the day.
At Villiera, we toured the production line and then tried various sparkling wines (at 10:30 am) and then some other varieties. One that caught my tastebuds was the Inspiration Noble Late Harvest sweet wine. I haven’t drunk sweet wine for many years, but I’ve obviously been missing something good. The sweet wine was described as “…intensely fragrant with hints of honey, raisins, marmalade and nuts penetrating the aroma.” None of us could taste any of those things. In fact, the only time in the whole day when anyone could taste something in the description was later on when we were all agreed that there was a definite hint of green pepper in one of the wines.
Bottling at Villiera
Sampling, at Villiera
Tokara
Tokara was probably the most up-market of the vineyards we visited – it was certainly very plush both inside and out.
Of the various wines sampled, I enjoyed the Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2014, and Tokara Director’s Reserve Red 2011 (which at R350 was the most expensive one we tried). The latter is described thus: “The aromas on the nose are classic for this style of wine. Heady notes of cassis, black berries and dark cherries. There is a slight herbal lift and freshness to the nose with hints of tomato puree and tomato leaf and the typical hint of mint which is indicative of its origin.” Everyone asked, “Can you taste mint? I can’t.” Everyone raved about the olives which were also available.
The toilets at Tokara were pretty fancy as well
Sampling, at Solms
After a decent lunch, the third stop was Solms Delta Estate, just outside Franschhoek. A gorgeous location.
Solms
I quite liked their Chenin Blanc 2014. which was on sale at R55.
The final place was Fairview, where we tried a variety of locally produced cheeses – the soft one went particularly well with their sweet & sour peppers with chilli sauce.
And then another six wines. I enjoyed La Beryl Blanc, a dessert wine.
