Somerset West and Cape of Good Hope
Trip Start
Apr 03, 2008
1
2
27
Trip End
Jun 25, 2008
Capetown,
South Africa
Sunday, April 6, 2008
First day out was more than expected, as James and I headed out to the wine country and vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschoek not more than an hour from he and Roger's place in Somerset West. After a couple wineries with a fantastic lunch at Moreson Winery (where i tried a meat called kudu), we returned home to have our first set of 'sundowners' (aka countless or copious amounts of wine) on the steps of his home overlooking the mountains east on the horizon. Series of pics below depict the difficult life of a wino, from roadtripping thru wine country, to lazing about on the 'stoop' with a 12-ounce glass of wine.
April 5
Baboon at Cape Point
. So as to not break the pattern or mold of a lazy lifestyle, the morning greeted us with nice sunshine which seemed to dictate that we not overextend ourselves in our approach to sightseeing activities in/around the Cape. We did decide to head out to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern point or landmass in Africa. An hours' drive from the house found us passing thru quaint towns of Muizenberg, Simons Town (for which we stopped to visit with a colony of 3,000 Jackass peguins - kid you not, that is their name. In addition, there were countless rodents called Gisa, which James indicated was the closest relative to none other than the magnificent elephant), and Kalk Bay. The sun playing off the water reminded me much of the Adriatic and Croatia, which brought back fond memories of my recent residence. Onward to the Cape, we took the furnicular to the top of the hill/lighthouse and stood on the point with countless tourists representing a hodge podge of cultural diversities. Blue skies ensured us of beautiful views from this scenic point, and we moved on to Cape of Good Hope. Within the park, there is a diverse amount of wildlife, from ostriches on the beach, to zebra on the highlands, to baboons nearly everywhere. Our friendly baboon siting took place as we entered the park, where a baboon was just chilling out on top of a visitor's car.
From the Cape, we slowly made our way back toward Somerset West, with full intention of getting there for another round of sundowners. A leisurely lunch was in order though, so we stopped at a restaurant near False Bay called Black Marlin. Great fish, outstanding wine, and serene views. Sundowners - it seems a pattern is slowing unfolding here, and with price and quality of wine on hand, one can understand why.
Several days later, with the coming of Mario from Croatia, we decided to once again hit Cape of Good Hope as well as several other sites. Attached are pics from my trip with James trip out to the Cape as well as that of Mario and myself. Both days - absolutely incredible with spectacular views from Cape Point as well as Cape of Good Hope. With animals to boot... Stellenbosch pics will follow, as we definitely enjoyed vineyards as well...
