Table Mountain, Afrogem and Cape Town

Friday we are doing a tour of Afrogem and Table Mountain, then down to the V& A, waterfront shops.
Cape Town is a port city on South Africa’s coast. Population is 3.67 million. CT is the oldest city in SA, colloquially named the Mother City.
In 2015, CT entered a drought that lasted into 2018. The city was projected to run out of water, but a combination of rainfall and savings by residents averted this scenario.
In the hotels guests are asked to have 2 min showers. Our hotel, Winchester Mansions is a beautifully restored 1900’s architecture. The hotel provides a free shuttle service to the waterfront and is close to the main shops.

Painting of Winchester Mansions

Gotta love the fabric.

Table Mountain in the background from Winchester Mansions. 

Abseiling appears to be a popular activity along the beach front.

Winchester  Mansions.

Lions Head.

A Dassie on the rocks from Table Mountain (badger).

Cable car to to table Mountain..

View from Table Mountain 

One of the 7 natural wonders of the world

Great views

Stunning views

Cable car ride.

Entry

Quite high up, 1,670mtrs

Stunning views

On top of Table Mountain.

The Cafe 

A Dassie.

The Waterfront entry to shops

After  our tour

 of Table Mountain, we went to the Waterfront shops to have a look around and something to eat.

Yes this lion is made out of beads

Rhino art

Statues 

Some great billboard signs

Art rhino

More great billboard signs

More rhino art

Picture opportunity 

Great waterfront.

Metal art sculptures 

This is our last dinner in Cape Town, we leave to fly home tomorrow and will spend a few days in Perth, visiting friends..

Mediterranean cutlets and some white sangria..

Time to say goodbye to the African sunsets, it has been a pleasure and we will be returning.

Franschhoek, wine country

Thursday we were picked up and driven to the beautiful Franschhoek Valley, which is known as the wine and gourmet capital of South Africa. The drive took just under an hour and we arrived into the Franschhoek township just after 8am. We were not disappointed with the breath-taking scenery, surrounding this well maintained township and valley. Here we were to board a wine tram and bus, which will take us to five different wineries.
The Huguenots first settled in this spectacular valley over 300 yrs ago, they bought with them their traditions and knowledge in wine making and viticulture from their native France and transformed the wilderness around them into one of the most beautiful valleys in the world.
This proud heritage can be seen and felt today in the village on the surrounding farms.
There are a variety of cellars to visit, we chose to visit, Allee Bleu, Solms Delta, Boschendal, Plaisir de Merle and Verde en Lust, where we chose to have lunch.
DH and I did not sample, but we had coffee and beer at different locations, personally I do not like the taste of winE and DH decided that he just wanted to have beer, there are a few craft breweries available, but the tram did not stop at them.
We spent 4 to 5 hours visiting the wineries, having lunch at Verde en Lust in beautiful surroundings of the vineyards.

DH organising out timetable

Some of the sampling rooms

More sampling rooms

Boschendal seating area, a gorgeous setting amongst the rose gardens, apparently roses are planted next to grapevines, to check to see if the soil is any good, if the roses continue to bloom all is good with the soil.

Garden setting

Tasting rooms

The mountains surrounding the valley, so tranquil.

Allee Blue.

We had coffee here.

Entry to Plaisir De Merle

Artistic statues throughout the town.

Our tram, there was sampling on board, DH and I had a taste !!.

Tasting rooms

Gorgeous gardens

Mountains in the distance.

Entry

Our bus before the tram.

The tram station.

Lunch, salad and corn fritters.

Lust restaurant 

DH had haddock fish cakes and beer.

Theses small homes are provided for the farm workers

Statues throughout the town and vineyards

The old train station, now a bar and cafe..

Small homes for the workers

Vineyards, now is autumn going into winter.

Franschhoek is a little like Margaret River in WA, but a lot more beautiful due to the surrounding mound set in a valley. The town is very arty and has a huge array of cafe’s, shops, art galleries and boutique shops. After our tour of the vineyards we spent a couple of enjoyable hours window shopping and of course a little purchase for me.

All things quirky appeal to me, so I bought a nigemi doll and some more bead wire animals.

Let me share with you some of the art that appealed to me, my fascination with rabbits and all things quirky.

Lion and elk made out of beads

Card art collage

More bead art

Rabbits

A giraffe pelvis with bone carved flowers

Rabbits

More bead art, a bull.

Gotta love these signs

More rabbits

Rabbits

So many beautiful things, hard to resist it all, but very pleasurable to view, a wonderful time in this beautiful part of SA.

Back to hotel for dinner and tomorrow we tour Afrogem and Table Mountain. 

Till next time.