Took myself off for a stroll round the vineyards, drinking in the beautiful contours of the surrounding Overberg mountains.
Yet another of Stefan’s notes on the napkin ring which reminds us of the date – we’re not superstitious and how could anything unlucky happen on such (yet another!) hot sunny morning?
Had a giggle over breakfast with Iain and Margaret – particularly about the coffee pot which had perplexed us yesterday morning. You know the syndrome – one of those insulated pots that are hard to get into! I just managed to find the formula before John felt exasperated enough to abandon the project. This morning he tried again, following my instructions ‘to point the arrow towards the pourer’. We all nearly fell off our chairs when he tried to line up the arrow to himself – well he was the pourer wasn’t he?! It was me not being able to think of the ‘spout’ word!!
Anyway, protracted goodbyes as we all took leave of the B&B and headed off in opposite directions – Iain and Margaret lucky devils are at the beginning of their trip.
Stefan kindly gave us a bag of their plums (Sungold and Letitia) for our picnic. I asked Stefan about Mr Sexwale – who had sponsored the Nelson Mandela statue we’d seen yesterday and whose name I also spotted in a local newspaper. He’s apparently a local ‘bigwig’ who was in prison with Mandela and has since ‘made good’ and is a local benefactor. The newspaper also spoke of concerns about the degenerating appearance of Franschoek – we hadn’t noticed any apart from some demolition work in the middle of town. Apparently the Hugenot hotel and attached buildings was being demolished to make way for another development, but the liquor store tenant in an attached building refused to move, so it had been stalemate for a month, with the hotel part of the complex semi-demolished and obviously an eyesore.
Just as we were leaving I was chatting to a woman whose husband had been over here on business in Durban and they were now combining the trip into a holiday. He works with the R’n’A and had been in Durban sorting arrangements for the S.African Golf Open. Any openings for Dan I wonder? He did say it’s a hard career to get into. Both their children went to Nottingham University (daughter, pharmacy and son, business studies) spanning 7 years consecutively.
On the way to Cape Town I phone Jean and to my delight she’s managed to gather 9 family members together for a picnic on Sunday at Kleinmond where Joan and Val live. They are the widows of Alex and Ivan (who both died last year) respectively who were sons of Mary (one of my grandmother’s sisters) – the daughters being Eileen and Peggy (Jean’s mother) I will get this written down in family tree diagram for us to understand better!
Pass through Stellenbosch – another major wine-producing area – but doesn’t seem so charming as Franschhoek.
Our B & B is at Seapoint – due east of Cape Town and we pass mile upon mile of townships – more dilapidated than most we’ve seen elsewhere.
Tom Tom takes us through a housing estate and we arrive at a very unprepossessing frontage of high wall, double electric doors and single pedestrian door – no hint of what’s behind… and boy is it amazing. It opens out into parking space for 4 cars, the biggest swim pool and terraced sundeck we’ve had so far and a beautifully restored hunting lodge built in 1700’s by Admiral Lord Nelson and classed as a National Monument! It has been ‘renovated and decorated with a gentle hand and great care by Jonas himself’ (the owner together with Marten (from Prague) who we meet the next morning at breakfast).
We have a fruit picnic in our courtyard and then decide to walk to Cape Town’s renown Victoria and Albert Waterfront having been told by very giggly Zoleka the housekeeper that it’s only a 20 minute walk. One and three quarters hours later we arrive hot and exhausted!! We gulp down a beer and see the swinging bridge in action, and are quite disorientated by the crowds having come from the relatively unpopulated eastern Cape.
A very refreshing dip in the pool and drive to Mouille Point to try Wakame that has been recommended. Can’t park, so I go into the restaurant to see if they have a table. They’re full but she reluctantly offers us a terrace table, but it just seems all too hectic and noisy so we drive back towards B & B for Theo’s, which was also recommended, a steak house with its own butchery. Steaks priced at Ladies (250g), Medium (350g) and Large (450g)!! I start with lightly battered whole baby squid with skordalia (very very garlicky mash) and based on the waitress Janice (who’s travelled 6 of the 7 continents) I opt for the medium fillet. SO tender. I have my first Amarula since being here – a liqueur made with a native fruit – that a friend introduced me to years ago and which I enjoy on rare occasions.