Getting our Kicks on Route 62...

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by Mrs Plod

We left Montagu this morning, after a delicious breakfast (most beautiful fruit plate!!) and a quick whip through the Montagu Saturday market. We snagged some pancakes (crepes, to you Americans) with cinnamon-sugar for the road. There was a bit of a hustle this morning--we had plans to spend as much of the day as possible with Tessa and the gang and we wanted to be in Cape Town by noon. As it turns out, we got to our meeting spot at about 12:30. Our journey from Montagu to Cape Town took us along the picturesque Route 62--the "fortified wine route of the Western Cape." Calitzdorp (nearer to Oudtshoorn) is famous for its port; Montagu, for its muscadel; and Robertson for its brandy. We were not able to partake of much of the bounty of the region, but Ross was chuffed to see the Klipdrift distillery on our way through Robertson. He had bought a bottle of "Klippies" to enjoy in the evenings, and I occasionally had some with Coke! Once we found the Browns just outside of Cape Town, they guided us to our lunch spot, another perfect alfresco opportunity at a wine and swine farm called Klein Joostenberg. The sky was clear and blue again, and we enjoyed the "winter" weather in shirtsleeves. After lunch, we went to check out a new animal encounter center called the Giraffe House. It could be a cool little site to visit, but they didn't have all their animals, and it looked like things still needed quite a bit of work. After seeing some critters up close (or closer than at Addo) the Mathee/McKeags went home, the Brown and Schupbach boys went bobsledding (carts with wheels down a steep track, I think--something boys of all ages enjoy!), and Tessa and I went shopping at the Tygervalley Center. I found some books I had been thinking about, and a cute shirt. It was fun to look at stores and products I remember from my childhood, and also to see what is new in SA. After a couple of phone calls from the family, Tessa and I decided we'd better head home to Ruthie's house to regroup. We were scheduled to go out for supper with Ruth, John and Fabian, so we cleaned up a bit, and I worked on my blog. At 8:00ish, we left for the Quarterdeck, a nice restaurant at the Casino in Cape Town. Traffic was a complete mess, and the closer we got to the Casino, the worse it got. Someone was having a back-to-school (school starts up after the June holidays on Monday) party at the ice rink, and everyone in Cape Town seemed to be invited and in attendance. When we finally got inside, it was something else! The restaurant was buffet-style, and a varied and tasty one it was. We had a delightful meal and chat with Ruthie and John, and then we headed back to Ced and Sandra's at Woodside Village. It was a very late night for all of us, but we'd had a great day!

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