stellenbosch

a belated anniversary weekend, we left friday afternoon for the south african wine country. it is a short distance from the cape town airport and thanks to the wife's left-sided driving skills we made it there just after dark. the drive in was lovely but the camera was in the trunk so i was unable to capture the blues, pinks and greens that greeted us as we made our way into stellenbosch. the south african sunsets have truly been some of the most incredible i've ever seen.

we stayed at the kleine zalze winery just outside stellenbosch. due to availability issues we had booked a suite. the place was more like an apartment though with a kitchen, dining area, living room, bedroom, master bath and even a half-bath. it is amazing how after living in hotel rooms for 5 months something so small can seem so large. we were blown away by all the space.

we had a delicious, albeit loud, dinner at the hotel restaurant. it seems that a van full of english and irish rugby fans plus an all-day winery tour equals some very boisterous dinner companions. they were having a blast though and provided much entertainment.

we slept in and awoke to find our views were even better than we had hoped.






we had a relaxing morning and then made our way into town for lunch. stellenbosch turned out to be a cute town with a smattering of quaint white churches and smart little shops and restaurants.

after milling about we went back to kleine zalze for our wine tastings. they apparently do quite well in south africa and have won many awards. i really enjoyed their pinotage and the sauvingion blanc.

the winery also boasts an award winning restaurant, terrior, where we dined saturday night. it is supposed to be one of the top 10 best in the wine country and i have a hard time believing they aren't actually number 1.

we had hoped to do most of our touring on sunday to check out other wineries and take in more of the countryside but we awoke to a dreary day. overcast, chilly and rainy we had breakfast in town and then headed out to the fairview winery for some wine tastings and a late lunch. they had some nice wines, some even better cheese and a wonderful little restaurant.

even with the weather not cooperating it was a weekend we had hoped for...great wines, good food and just the two of us...a lovely way to celebrate the past 3 years.

this weekend we're back in "tribe mode" as we all head to the coastal town of hermanus to see if we can spot some whales. our last weekend in south africa...my how time flies....