We had seen on our short walk through Franschhoek last evening, that there is a market on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We wandered over thinking it was a fruit and veg market. However, there were many stalls with people selling a wide variety of crafted goods. It seemed rather intended for tourists since bus after bus pulled up while we wandered through.
We needed to buy sunscreen so we decided to check out the local Woolworths. This Woolworths is only a food shop. Jenny had told us "Woolie's" is a bit like Marks and Spencer in the UK. Lots of prepared foods that you just need to take home and heat up. The variety looked pretty interesting. Further exploring and we found a pharmacy, Clicks, and got sunscreen.
We headed to Babylonstoren, another huge wine estate. It was founded in 1692 and while it produces wine, it is equally known for its vegetable gardens and restaurants. I had made a reservation at their fanciest restaurant, Babel, in March. Like many of the upscale restaurants in the US, it required a deposit.
We had been told one could spend an entire day at Babylonstoren. I thought it was an exaggeration but lunch took 2 hours (no wonder the restaurant is always full! I wondered if that was what is meant by the "slow food" movement. 🙂) and, of course, we wanted to wander.
All the menus ingredients are either grown or produced on the farm or neighboring farms. It was beautifully presented and delicious. We've gotten to an age where we often share plates. With an appetizer, slow-cooked lamb main, and a roasted fennel side, we, sadly, didn't have room for dessert.
We'd gotten to Babylonstoren before our reservation and spent some time walking around but had missed the waterblommetjies, water lilies. They are beginning to bloom and this is the the of year the buds are harvested and used as an ingredient. We'd wanted to see the large pond but had missed it so we wandered, spending hours enjoying the gardens, paths, birds, and beautiful views.
This meant that we missed going to any other winery.
Headed back to our accommodations and hung out for a bit. Jenny had told us that there was a big rugby game tonight between South Africa and New Zealand. It is a long-standing and bitter rivalry. We headed up the main road just in time to see South Africa score late in the game and beat New Zealand 31 to 27. It's always fun to be around a bunch of excited fans when their team wins 🙂
We were also out to pick up something to make in our kitchen for dinner. Since we had had more than enough for lunch. It was dark but we had been told by our host that it was very safe to walk in Franschhoek at night. In Hermanus, we were told to drive the one and a half block to the restaurant, it wasn't safe to walk. But in Franschhoek, there is security at just about every intersection in the tourist area.
Our host lit candles in lanterns on our private garden space. Luckily, I can enjoy it from the bedroom since the winds have kicked up, making it a pretty chilly (44°) evening. Looking for warmer weather as we head east tomorrow.
