On Monday we checked out of the backpackers fairly early, we were eager to get to Franschhoek to see our friend Mike. We drove out of Knysna - sad to leave, but thankful for our happy experiences. We made our way along the beautiful, scenic road, taking in the amazing surroundings as we went.
When we got to Wilderness, we stopped at a view point and took a minute to admire the bay. Ross suddenly realised that (if he was still working) he would normally have been in a meeting at that moment. He was pretty chuffed to be appreciating breath taking sights of The Garden Route instead.
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| Wilderness |
We continued towards Cape Town, and as we were passing George, Mel remembered that there was a beach worth visiting called Herold’s Bay. We made the short deviation from our route and were happy that we did. We were met by a practically empty beach, with about 5 or 6 people scattered around, enjoying the sun and serenity. We watched the surfers for a while, then decided to continue on our journey.
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| Herold's Bay |
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| Herold's Bay |
The trip after that was pretty boring and uneventful until we got to Franschhoek Pass. We were stopped near the bottom for 5 minutes while a Mercedes advert was being filmed. Once we were back in motion, the steep turns took us high into the Franschhoek Mountains and over to yet another spectacular view of the Franschhoek Valley.
We found a parking along the main road and explored the small town on foot for about an hour. We then went to visit Mike at his coffee roastery, Terbodore. We enjoyed a delicious cappuccino and then went back to Mike’s flat to offload our luggage. He then took us back to the top of Franschhoek Pass, where we went for a lovely walk to a secluded stream, tucked away in a small valley running down one of the mountains.
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| Ross and Mike |
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| The beautiful stream on our walk. |
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| Franschhoek |
On Tuesday we had breakfast and went back to Terbodore for a cup of coffee. Then we said our good-byes and departed for a little mid-morning wine tasting. Firstly we went to Leopard’s Leap. It was stunning! The interior (and exterior) was very modern and state-of-the-art (intriguing for us plebs from little old Howick!). We tasted 5 wines while we admired the decor. We were a little disappointed with the experience, as there wasn’t much chance to chat about the wines and the process involved in making them. But the wine was YUMMY!
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| Leopard's Leap |
We then went to a smaller, lesser known vineyard called Lynx. We were greeted with a friendly smile from the wine maker and were promptly asked where we are from. He put out three glasses as we spoke (one each for the two of us and one for him) and poured our first taster. He explained the entire process in great detail, including the variety of grapes used to make that specific wine. He showed an interest in what we were doing in the area, as well as what we do back home. He proceeded to pour another 6 wines for us to taste, with a detailed explanation for each. Our experience at this second vineyard was a memorable one, as it was more personal and interesting. We recommend that everybody should stop there if in the area.
From Lynx, we made our way to Cape Town and our next stop - Craig and Lyndall’s. We had a refreshing swim at their flat, then went for a walk in their neighbourhood - along the Liesbeek River - which runs down a canal through the neighbourhood. That evening we had an awesome braai, opened a bottle of fine wine, and enjoyed the mountain view and sun-set (at 8:30 at night!!!!). All-in-all, a great day! These two little birdies quite enjoy the Cape - more frequent migration to this end of the country will be needed in the future.
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| Craig and Lyndall |
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