Viewpoints and Vino- A Weekend of Delights.

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We have been incredibly fortunate with this Cape Town winter we’ve found ourselves in. It’s gorgeous! This weekend probably hit the peak of my incredulity at this winter weather- I spent all day Saturday in shorts and a t-shirt. Winter wear, indeed.

So, Saturday brought a relaxed morning, where I enjoyed some quality quiet time with the couch while Noble and Sarah went to run their errands. Around noon, we hopped in the car and drove out to Cape Point, which we can see from our balcony, but is about an hour+ drive away. It is the southwestern-most tip of Africa, and affords some really nice views of the ocean, beaches, and the lighthouses. Yes, there are two lighthouses, because the first one was built too low and couldn’t actually be seen by the approaching ships!

We climbed up to the viewpoints (climbed = carved out path to walk on), took a funicular up to the taller of the two lighthouses, and stopped at some scenic points in our drives to and from. We also drove past the largest informal settlement (squatter-town) in Cape Town (if not all of South Africa) which was amazingly huge and spread out. I was so amazed by the expansiveness that just kept on going as we drove past, that I didn’t even think to take a photograph. Whoops!

On Sunday, the beautiful weather continued, and we didn’t need any convincing to head out to the vineyards to enjoy some wine under the sun. We stopped first at Fariview Estates, which had been my favorite vineyard last time I was here. It was just as cool as I’d remembered, and I was really excited to pick up some of my favorite rosemary fig drizzle to bring home with me! Then we continued on to Franschhoek, where they were having the annual Bastille Day wine festival! Apparently it’s quite the tradition here in wine country, and both patrons and sommeliers are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue, but are even moreso encouraged to don a beret!

The festival is mainly held in a large tent, with food and wine tasting booths lining the entire perimeter. With your ticket, you receive a wine glass and 5 tasting coupons, to sample before buying... well, at $5 per bottle, why wouldn’t I buy some?! It was so much fun! I even got the chance to meet up with a new friend there and bond over delicious wines and South African travel stories. Along with the tasting comes great music, craft tents, and even barrel racing competitions! What a great way to spend a Sunday!

WIth such a great weekend under our belts, we were relaxed and ready for our last week of work with Edunova- a week of working in the schools and helping them with the next steps forward. More on that in another post. My South African winter days are drawing to an end, and I’m soaking up each and every one of them as much as possible!

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