Aug 29, Day 6

Finally the sun! We woke up to a chilly but glorious sunny day. From Jenny and Pete:s garden, we could clearly see Table Mountain. They were about as happy as we were that we got to see it. 

We picked up our rental car. We'd lived in England and both driven on the left but it took a few miles before Denis began to feel comfortable and we were able to follow directions.

On the highway, we passed the back of one of the townships. It is sad how dire their circumstances seem. Some homes are made from corrugated steel. They seem to be the more fortunate people since we saw shelters made from cardboard and black plastic bags. I just couldn't imagine how they fared over the past few days. 

We saw wildflower blooms along the side of the road. The scenery is dramatic. All was going along fine until we hit a detour sign. We followed Google Maps' alternate route which put us on a 10 mile unpaved road! There must have been a long way 'round but with few roads, we just carried on. Fingers crossed the car didn't suffer.

Before leaving home, I'd talked to someone who works at Ridge Winery. She'd visited last year and had given me the names of her favorite wineries. I showed the list to Jenny who immediately said Creation should be #1, and, by the way, they have a seasonal food and wine pairing tasting menu.  She suggested we book and immediately pulled up the reservation page on her phone.  That's all the recommendation we needed to be all in. 

We learned that World's Best Vineyards had named them the fourth best vineyard in the world. The combination of ambiance, wine, and food made it a stellar experience. 

US politics followed us here. On our first night with Jenny and Pete, their other guest Tamar, an Israeli, was very direct in asking us who we were supporting for the Presidency. Today, a young Black server said he was looking forward to America electing their first woman president. Both Tamar and the server expressed how important it was to the world to not elect Trump. Both are acutely aware how influential the United States is in the world.

After a leisurely lunch and lots of mid-day wine, we really weren't interested in other wineries. Luckily, our Guest House for the evening was less than 30 minutes away. It's a lovely property right on the ocean. I'm not sure I'll spot any whales but I will enjoy looking from the balcony outside our room and looking for them. Fingers crossed for a beautiful sunset.

Aug 28, Day 5

After another night of wind, rain, and dropping temperatures, this morning there was snow on Table Mountain! The good thing was, for the first time we could barely see the top of the mountain. The bad thing was, it was one of the coldest days they'd had this season. Luckily, we'd thought to pack beanies and gloves. They came in very handy.

We took Jenny up on the offer to drive us around Cape Peninsula. We began our drive on Chapman's Peak Road. Very much like the West Coast's Hwy. 1, the windy road hugs the base of the mountain as it makes its way south to the Cape Point. Recent rains have caused some road damage (sound familiar to CA friends?) so we needed to pull over from time to time and wait to pass on the single lane. The scenery is spectacular with small towns tucked into the space between the mountains and the sea. 

Noerdhoek Farm Village was a great stop to stretch our legs and grab a drink. With lots of different little shops to buy food and crafts, it was a great place to take a break.

By the time we got to the place to drive all the way down to Cape Point point, it was getting later so we choose to drive on. The major reason I thought I might want to go is this is where the legend of The Flying Dutchman originated. In 1641, a Dutch ship went down in bad weather,. The captain swore he would turn the Cape, even if it took until Judgement Day. It is said that the tattered ship can still be seen trying to round the point in stormy weather.

Instead, we opted for a short hike to the Hidden Forest Cafe in Lower Tokai Park in Table Mountain National Park. While there are some worn paths, there really aren't any trails. Jenny was able to lead us directly there. We ordered a delicious lunch and sat outside enjoying all the people and their dogs who walked by or stopped for lunch or a coffee. It's really popular since dogs aren't required to be leashed. 

On our way back, Jenny decide to take another way. The good part was, we got we see a large variety of wildflowers. Nice, since I'd tried to time our visit for wildflowers. But bad since the recent rains had caused most of the paths to be watery. Not to worry, Jenny is an experienced bush hiker so we finally managed to pick our way through the bush and back to some semblance of a trail.

We barely had time to be dropped at Kirstenbosch National Gardens, which is why I'd opted to skip the Cape. I'm sure the gardens are spectacular at the height of spring. Still we enjoyed the forest canopy walk and the many proteas. But the best part was the number of different, colorful birds who were actively singing and feeding at dusk. Almost magical.

Pete treated us to another traditional South African meal, Bobotie. We have enjoyed top notch food and a variety of lovely South African wines. We will be sad to say goodbye tomorrow.