Three score years and ten

 We have moved from Cape Town to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Stellenbosch is of course the wineland capital of South Africa and we have popped into a couple.

The first was Groot Constantia, a vineyard which embraced Simon's restaurant, and a wine tasting barn which doubled as a museum. This area charted the role slaves had as the Dutch land owners developed the vines and tended the land to allow it to be the huge industry it is today. When slavery was abolished in England, it was still considered accepted practise in South Africa. The working staff here and in most of the bars and restaurants are still black Africans. It is almost as if the abolishment of apartheid has passed them by.

Next stop was to the big easy, a vineyard owned by Ernie Els. This was a much more modern operation  but with the same staff demographic. We wandered round his trophy room and sampled his wine before making off with a couple of bottles for later.We also sampled one his competitors brand in thr evening.

We are out at a restaurant called Dusk tonight as a special celebration so we will see what the wine list has to offer. Then tomorrow we carry on our journey through the garden route towards Plettenberg Bay.

271 to Golders Green

 The tour bus around Cape Town was the order of the day today. We picked it up outside the hotel and cruised along the beach side to the waterfront called the V & A.

This a huge development which is on reclaimed land and is a cross between Covent Garden and The Albert Dock. Far too touristy  and commercial for us and luckily we got the agent to move us to Camps Bay when we were planning the itinerary. 

So back on the bus through the business district and Muslim Quarter, which was very colourful, before the bus trundled up to the Table Mountain cable car terminal. The views here were expansive but it is disconcerting when they say you might have to walk back down if it gets too windy.

Tour buses are always full of interesting facts and today was no exception.

Then it was back to Camps Bay to ready ourselves for another food fest, this time at a place called The Blacksheep. Tomorrow we move to Stellenbosch and explore the wine lands...hic!!