Only nine more left before we leave Cape Town for Singapore. Still so much to do here. Thank goodness we'll be back in December!
Last week we had the first "Dinner with the Stantons" evening with the students. Instead of cooking up a feast at home, we walked to our local restaurant, The Wijnhuis, for a very pleasant evening with Bonnie Chien, Shelly Amieva, Lucy Litvak and Adriana Campos. Bonnie is from Taiwan, Shelly and Adriana are both from Texas and their families come from Mexico, while Lucy is from Mill Valley a few miles from our home in West Marin!
Tim took four students to Riebeeck Kasteel on Saturday morning, to Goedgedacht Trust where they are doing research projects. There are a number of fine wineries in the area where Tim enjoyed sampling wine and olives. Not in quite the same jolly vein as last week's ramble in the Constantia Valley, since he was the driver, but very pleasant to explore a new area. The town of Riebeeck Kasteel has an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants and Tim stopped at the Bar Bar Black Sheep restaurant for some gazpacho. The menu there has pretty fine food for a teeny town. Click on the link if you want to listen to some Afrikaans "boere musiek" (farmers' music, also called "tikkie draai") and check out the menu.
Saturday evening our friend Pieter Jolly launched two new books, one called Rock Shelter, about cave houses in Lesotho, and the other on decorated Sotho houses. The event took place at the Iziko Cape Town museum, in the rock art gallery where we took the students last quarter for the first part of our field trip when Pieter was our rock art guide. The displays there are excellent - it was a perfect setting to show off the beautiful photos in these books. After speeches and sales quite a few of us carried on partying at Pieter's house. I took my camera along - click the link to see photos of the fun evening.
Last night we got the closest to Bluegrass we've been in Cape Town at the Alma Cafe where Blacksmith performed to an enthusiastic following. Lots of singing along encouraged, and Tim seemed to know all the words!
Today we woke to cold and rain. Winter is here. This evening we'll be environmental activists at a meeting at our old favourite, the Vineyard Hotel. We'll be protesting the building of another nuclear power plant near Cape Town. It will be a different sort of Monday evening compared to our old wine tasting nights when our friend Chris filled our glasses with generous samples of fine wines.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Constantia Wines and Sunday hike
We’ve been in Cape Town four months now and not yet ventured out to taste the blush of the vines, apart from the visit to my grandparent’s old fruit farm turned into a wine estate in Stellenbosch. So, last weekend, on a lovely clear Saturday morning, we set off with our friend, Pieter Jolly, in his 56 year old Citroen to explore our local Constantia Valley, a half hour from home.
The day was too short to visit more than three of the eight farms in this region, but I think we chose well.
Constantia Uitsig (uitsig = view) is much more than a mere wine estate, with three restaurants, a cricket oval, a hotel made up of guest cottages and spa, and, finally, rows and rows of vines. Sadly the tasting room abuts the main road and feels decidedly “touristy” leading into one of the restaurants.
Because Constantia Uitsig charges for their tasting (R20 for 6 wines) we only ordered two, one for Pieter and one for Tim and me to share. We started with a bubbly, the only estate of the three we visited to offer a Methode Cap Classique (South Africa’s name for Methode Champenoise). It was a good way to start our morning, but, ouch, the cost of this and all their wines was as unattractive as the setting alongside the busy road. The wines were very nice but a touch beyond our means.
Without being inspired to take any photos here, we piled into the Citroen and moved on to the next farm called Klein Constantia (= Small Constantia), winding our way along the back roads. We felt like we were miles from suburbia as we skirted the border of the original Constantia Estate, now subdivided into Groote (=Big) Constantia, Klein Constantia and Buitenverwachting (see below).
We passed through the guarded gates and Pieter led the Citroen along the dusty farm lane to the tasting room, passing ancient buildings that triggered old history lessons of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival in the Cape and the early attempts to make wine.
The tasting room was situated on the floor above the cellar with glass doors to view what was happening down there. There was a buzz of activity here, lots of tasters, all very friendly. We loved the wines, although they, too, were a little pricey. The hosts were extremely generous ending with a small tot of their famous Vin de Constance, a dessert wine made in the same tradition as that produced in the 18/19th century enjoyed by the likes of Napoleon.
Another plus – there was no charge for the tasting at Klein Constantia – bonus! They produce a cheaper KC label, not on the tasting list, but available from our local distributor.
Klein Constantia gets a big thumbs up.
Buitenverwachting (= Beyond Expectation) is almost next door to Klein Constantia and also part of the original Constantia Estate. Another lovely farm road led us past beautiful old buildings to their tasting room where, again, there was no charge. The mood was friendly and we made our way through half a dozen whites and reds, served by a young woman who works at weekends with her husband.
We weren’t able to see the cellar from the tasting room like we were at Klein Constantia, but there were casual tables, chairs and couches that created a comfortable atmosphere.
Outside, a gorgeous long lawn spread out towards the manor house where, from a side building, the cellar master’s wife served delicious picnics. By this stage we’d consumed enough wine samples to need to feast ourselves back to sobriety!
Some photos of our day and also of our lovely hike on Sunday in Kalk Bay with Nan and Daniel.
The day was too short to visit more than three of the eight farms in this region, but I think we chose well.
Constantia Uitsig (uitsig = view) is much more than a mere wine estate, with three restaurants, a cricket oval, a hotel made up of guest cottages and spa, and, finally, rows and rows of vines. Sadly the tasting room abuts the main road and feels decidedly “touristy” leading into one of the restaurants.
Because Constantia Uitsig charges for their tasting (R20 for 6 wines) we only ordered two, one for Pieter and one for Tim and me to share. We started with a bubbly, the only estate of the three we visited to offer a Methode Cap Classique (South Africa’s name for Methode Champenoise). It was a good way to start our morning, but, ouch, the cost of this and all their wines was as unattractive as the setting alongside the busy road. The wines were very nice but a touch beyond our means.
Without being inspired to take any photos here, we piled into the Citroen and moved on to the next farm called Klein Constantia (= Small Constantia), winding our way along the back roads. We felt like we were miles from suburbia as we skirted the border of the original Constantia Estate, now subdivided into Groote (=Big) Constantia, Klein Constantia and Buitenverwachting (see below).
We passed through the guarded gates and Pieter led the Citroen along the dusty farm lane to the tasting room, passing ancient buildings that triggered old history lessons of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival in the Cape and the early attempts to make wine.
The tasting room was situated on the floor above the cellar with glass doors to view what was happening down there. There was a buzz of activity here, lots of tasters, all very friendly. We loved the wines, although they, too, were a little pricey. The hosts were extremely generous ending with a small tot of their famous Vin de Constance, a dessert wine made in the same tradition as that produced in the 18/19th century enjoyed by the likes of Napoleon.
Another plus – there was no charge for the tasting at Klein Constantia – bonus! They produce a cheaper KC label, not on the tasting list, but available from our local distributor.
Klein Constantia gets a big thumbs up.
Buitenverwachting (= Beyond Expectation) is almost next door to Klein Constantia and also part of the original Constantia Estate. Another lovely farm road led us past beautiful old buildings to their tasting room where, again, there was no charge. The mood was friendly and we made our way through half a dozen whites and reds, served by a young woman who works at weekends with her husband.
We weren’t able to see the cellar from the tasting room like we were at Klein Constantia, but there were casual tables, chairs and couches that created a comfortable atmosphere.
Outside, a gorgeous long lawn spread out towards the manor house where, from a side building, the cellar master’s wife served delicious picnics. By this stage we’d consumed enough wine samples to need to feast ourselves back to sobriety!
Some photos of our day and also of our lovely hike on Sunday in Kalk Bay with Nan and Daniel.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cecilia Ravine Hike
The weather here has turned distinctly wintry so waking on Thursday to a windless, clear and sunny morning was a delightful gift. A hike was called for, but by the time I was finished the morning chores it was after 11:30 – time for mad dogs and Englishmen.
I decided to go back to one of my old favourite hikes, the Cecilia Waterfall loop that starts at the parking lot in Cecilia Forest and follows a stream sheltered by thick forest, up, and up. Ten years ago I was able to do this circuit in an hour, but today I felt very unfit as I trudged up the steps. After 15-20 minutes the path leaves the forest canopy and traverses up the slope, in the open. It was very hot and I simply had to stop to listen to some bird calls and mop my brow and catch my breath - what was I doing hiking in the midday sun?
The thought of the waterfall ahead of me boosted my spirits and roused me to the task of gaining the final elevation before dropping down a bit to the cool sanctuary in a small canyon along the dry and dusty path. I stuck my head under the water rushing down the moss and fern covered rock face, gasping at the icy contact, withdrawing almost instantly, letting the cool residue drip down my neck. Bliss!
After the waterfall the trail makes its last long haul up to the highest point on this circuit, and then drops down a myriad steps into another gully of trees. A last small rise and then down more steps to the contour path.
I looked at my watch. If I jogged this next section I might be able to make my one hour target. I got back to the parking lot with a very red face, but not from embarrassment – I’d done the hike in 55 minutes! Thank you legs, heart and body!
I’ve posted some family pictures from the last few weeks – take a look if you’d like to see Nan, Daniel, Ayanda, Nathaniel, Gareth and Naz.
I decided to go back to one of my old favourite hikes, the Cecilia Waterfall loop that starts at the parking lot in Cecilia Forest and follows a stream sheltered by thick forest, up, and up. Ten years ago I was able to do this circuit in an hour, but today I felt very unfit as I trudged up the steps. After 15-20 minutes the path leaves the forest canopy and traverses up the slope, in the open. It was very hot and I simply had to stop to listen to some bird calls and mop my brow and catch my breath - what was I doing hiking in the midday sun?
The thought of the waterfall ahead of me boosted my spirits and roused me to the task of gaining the final elevation before dropping down a bit to the cool sanctuary in a small canyon along the dry and dusty path. I stuck my head under the water rushing down the moss and fern covered rock face, gasping at the icy contact, withdrawing almost instantly, letting the cool residue drip down my neck. Bliss!
After the waterfall the trail makes its last long haul up to the highest point on this circuit, and then drops down a myriad steps into another gully of trees. A last small rise and then down more steps to the contour path.
I looked at my watch. If I jogged this next section I might be able to make my one hour target. I got back to the parking lot with a very red face, but not from embarrassment – I’d done the hike in 55 minutes! Thank you legs, heart and body!
I’ve posted some family pictures from the last few weeks – take a look if you’d like to see Nan, Daniel, Ayanda, Nathaniel, Gareth and Naz.
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