After the big city of Cape Town, we were looking forward to the 'winelands', the name given to the region east of Cape Town known for developing pinotage red wine. We had two days of wine tours that included small, high quality wineries that were located around Stellenbosch, where we were staying.
 |
| tasting by the fire on a cool day |
 |
| Anura Winery, frog mascot |
Anura Winery is located in the foothills of Simonsberg Mountains and is named for the Latin term for amphibian order of frogs and toads, started planting grapes in 1996. While they started with Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Granache, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Malbec, they expanded to whites and more reds including Pinotage.
 |
| even the weather vane is froglike |
 |
| mobile bottler makes the rounds to smaller wineries |
 |
| cheese from their dairy farm makes great tasting |
 |
| the pool area at our hotel |
 |
| Dutch Reform church, 1686,rebuilt, in Stellenbosch |
The old church had 11 stunning modern stained glass windows created using a French method where thick colored glass is set with concrete. The Turk and I were given a detailed tour of these by a church deacon that helped us appreciate the dedication of the church members.
Most church members were buried under the floors of the church until 1803.
 |
| new pulpit built 1863 |
 |
| thick glass, modern design |
 |
| three different artists created windows |
We toured the Stellenbosch University botanical gardens which were started in 1922 and found, again, quite a collection of bonsai. The vegetable garden retains the original paths and plant history.
 |
| protea |
 |
| protea |
More beautiful buildings, interesting signs, and delicious food and wine were part of our days in Stellenbosch. A relaxing end to our African adventures.
 |
| Oom Samie se winkel-oldest store in Stellenbosch - a bit of everything! |
 |
| Spek and Bone are best friends, and the name of a great restaurant! |
 |
| The oldest vine, and oldest Turk |
Spek and Bone was a favorite of ours, located behind the oldest store in Stellenbosch, and sharing its space with the oldest grape vine in the area. The owner explaines, "The restaurant is named after our pig and our puppy, Spek and Bone, who are surprisingly best friends and inseparable”. The pets were named after the classic food combination of pork and beans. We also enjoyed OppieDorp for dinner. Ostrich and springbok steaks. Turk had lamb shoulder. All with Neil Ellis Cab 2014, delicious! This is one of the wineries we visited the day before.
 |
| Cape Dutch |
 |
| artisan creating giant beaded giraffe |
 |
| home in Stellenbosch |
 |
| original small dams to control river through Stellenbosch |
 |
| larger gabions to control high water |
 |
| Oldest home - the kitchen |
There is a story behind these hand carved, very tall, giraffes. When I took the picture, I was chastised by a man from the store. Undaunted, I politely challenged him and he immediately backed down and wanted to talk. When he found out I was from the States, he proclaimed loudly, ' I like Donald Trump!'. I was a bit surprised as this was the first time the entire trip I heard a comment supporting the Trump. I asked him why. He said, ' I am Zulu. In our tribe, we respect men who are confident. Donald Trump is confident.'
I asked if he was respected when he made mistakes, and the answer, without a pause was YES. I did not say what was in my mind - that this could explain the decline of the mighty Zulu tribe who blindly followed confident, and poor, leaders.!
Our 2 1/2 week visit to Africa came to an end. Our home survived Hurricane Irma prior to our departure. Our trip was revised to allow us to more time to get electricity running at our home. The logistics were seamless and remarkable in their complexity and success. The animals were beyond expectation. But most of all, the people we met were mostly warm and welcoming. They seemed truly happy to show us their country and answer our questions about their lives, their families and their politics. Thank you Botswana, Zambia and South Africa!
