One Lady in London: Puppies & Wine & Bruce Springsteen

On Wednesday, our group was booked for a tour of the Cape, going all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, but unfortunately there was a crazy storm all through the night and into the morning, so Sidney decided it'd be best to postpone and go another day. I was kind of bummed because I was really looking forward to the tour, but also very excited because it meant I got to go back to bed after the alarm went off at 6 am. Since the day was free, we really lounged around before going to lunch and shopping around Observatory. Mandi and I found a little fabric shop right in town that makes custom designed garments, and the fabrics are absolutely stunning. There must have been at least 200 various tribal prints and patterns in the store. I picked out my fabric and embroidery pattern, and a week from today will be picking up my brand new tunic. So cheap too, 270 Rand, so like 27 bucks. We came back, hung out with our housemates and ended the night with our first group dinner in the house, tacos, before packing for our trip to Stellenbosch.

We spent all of Thursday and today, Friday, in Stellenbosch. Located about 30 miles east of Cape Town, but still in the Western Cape, Stellenbosch has a quaint little downtown area and is famous for its hundreds of wineries. As with the rest of the Cape Town area, Stellenbosch was settled by the Dutch and retains many traditional Dutch buildings with white walls and thatched roofs. Sidney's wife, Cynthia, actually grew up in Stellenbosch, so she showed us her old school as well as some of the sights in the small town. We then stopped for lunch, probably my best meal here yet, at a hotel that was built in the 1800s. Unfortunately when we arrived and spent time in town on Thursday it was pouring so I didn't get to take any pictures. It really is a charming place though, and I would highly recommend it as a morning or day trip for someone visiting Cape Town.

About halfway up on the mountain, about in the center, but slightly to the left, do you see that object?

...yeah, that's a castle.

Our little motley crew

The sun started to come up right as we were leaving the town and headed out to our estate for the night. This place was incredible. I had no idea where we were staying or any details, we were just told to pack an overnight bag, but it was incredible. We stayed at Glennconner Cottages, which is like a ten minute drive out of "downtown" Stellenbosch and into the mountains. It's a beautiful estate with smaller cottages owned by a photographer named Emma who rents it out as a bed and breakfast. Sidney and Cynthia had stayed here before, and it was adorable. The main house is old from the exterior, but remodeled inside quite nicely. There was no heat, which made for a very chilly sleep, but we spent time with Barbara and Rob, the two people looking after the house as the homeowner was out of town, in the coziest living room by the fire, or in the kitchen for a wonderful meal. I'm a city person, and it's not like we've even been in the city that long, technically Observatory is considered a suburb of Cape Town, but it was so nice to step away and just have some time to relax and enjoy the beautiful views and each other's company while listening to the one CD we could find in the house, Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits. There were also three dogs at the estate, so they, and we, got lots of lovin'.

Meet Humphrey and Coco.

Wally, the love of my life.

The estates had chickens, as well as, wait for it.....baboons. I didn't see one, even though I tried, but Rob said that there is a colony of about 20 of them on the grounds that he sees occasionally. Apparently baboons are a legitimate problem in South Africa- they're sort of like deer in the US. Rob said that once the baboons wandered onto the porch and banged on the windows. While I did really want to see one, it's safe to say that without a doubt I would lose any and all composure if I heard a bang on the window and a baboon appeared.

Friday was our day dedicated to what Stellenbosch does best- wine. After a fantastic breakfast prepared for us by Barbara, we hit the road to Muratie- my favorite of the two vineyards we went to. I think the best way to describe Muratie is charming. It’s quaint, has an old-time feel, and everyone was very welcoming and hospitable. Our sommelier (ten dollar word, right?) was incredible. She was so kind, told us all about the very long history of the vineyard and kept our glasses over-runneth. Wine, like everything else, is so cheap here, so I had to buy a bottle. Twist my arm.

We ate lunch at Muratie before going to Uitkyk (pronounced eight-cake), our second vineyard. Much more modern, Uitkyk didn’t have quite the vibe, nor the wine, that Muratie did. It was certainly still good, and I definitely drank my five allotted glasses, but it just couldn’t top our previous visit.

After vineyard number two we spent about 45 minutes back in the square of Stellenbosch before coming back to Cape Town. Exhausted both from a day of drinking and a rough night’s sleep, our play is to unwind for a bit before cooking dinner and calling it a night. Tomorrow we have plans to go to a renowned market in the morning before heading to Newlands to see a rugby match! We have tickets to see Springbok (think Invictus) play a world all-star team. Much of our house is going as well, so it should be a great day, especially as the forecast, for the first time since we’ve been here, calls for sunshine all day long!