Sunday 1st October 2017
Stellenbosch, Franshoek and Paarl
Cobus Botha, a fellow golfer at the Busselton Golf Club and originally from South Africa, had kindly assisted us with suggestions as to how we might make the most of our 5 night stay in Capetown and he had recommended a buffet lunch at the Boschendal Winery, the second oldest in the country. Following Cobus’s advice we set off shortly after 9.00, firstly visiting the delightful university town of Stellenbosch with its tree-lined streets, quality shops, cafes and restaurants. Time constraints prevented us from lingering too long in the town and it was soon time to move on to Franschoek,home of the Boschendal Winery.
This is located a few kilometres outside of Franschoek and the extensive grounds are in a beautiful setting surrounded by mountains. We first go through some wine tastings which include one of the best Chardonnays we have tasted and then it’s off to the restaurant for the buffet lunch. For the next couple of hours we sample a wide array of gourmet delights, all a very reasonable price, especially by Australian standards and we leave having eaten more than our fill and drinking as much water as possible to dilute our alcohol stream!
Cobus, your recommendation was spot-on.
We now take more time to visit the town of Franschoek, which is a smaller version of Stellenbosch but with a similarly appealing ambience. The local Huegenot Museum is very informative and provides a detailed history of the area with its French connections.
A short distance on the road to Paarl we come across the statue of Nelson Mandela, called ‘ A Long Walk to Freedom’ and the bronze sculpture is a fine tribute to this legendary figure.
Another very rewarding day and now it’s off by train to Pretoria tomorrow.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret
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