Wow, what a weekend! Ocean, waves, soft sand, mountains, sunsets, vineyards, and so much more. The festivities began Saturday morning, when I met up with a family friend who was visiting Cape Town. Kristen is from my hometown of Barrington, RI and was visiting Cape Town to do some photography for her portfolio. She kindly invited me for a weekend drive down the southern coast of the peninsula. Having never done this particular trip before, I was more than eager to tag along! We rented a car early in the morning and began our adventure drive.
We passed through the local beach town of Camps Bay, where Saturday morning joggers and bikers were getting in their exercise and finishing up with a morning coffee at the many cafes and bakeries along the beach strip. We continued the thirty-minute drive to Simon’s Town, home of the famous Boulder Penguins. All along the drive, I couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful scenic view. There were cliffs on both sides of us, with beautifully colored aqua water at the base of these ginormous rock formations. We stopped numerous times along the way to capture the scenery. The water was so clear that although I was standing hundreds of feet above the cliffs, I could still see at least five or ten feet deep into the water. It was breathtaking. At one point I was staring out into the open ocean and when I turned around, I was glancing at rolling hills and mountains in the distance. What more could you ask for? I was in heaven.
We reached Simons town in the late morning and quickly ushered over to the penguins. What adorable creatures! They were all sunbathing on the rocks and having a grand old time. They certainly had a beautiful habitat with lots of tan-colored soft sand and rolling waves to play in. They were just too cute! I wanted to take one home but figured my roommates would not appreciate an EIGHTH roommate. Taking into consideration that our apartment is already pretty messy, I fought the urge and left empty-handed.
Our next big stop was the Cape of Good Hope, the southern most tip of the African continent. Upon our arrival to the Cape, we were greeted by a big baboon who thought he was hilarious messing around with all the tourists. He was causing quite a commotion with the guards and they started yelling and chasing him through the parking lot. I couldn’t stop laughing. The baboon even jumped on someone’s car hood and sat there for at least ten minutes….he clearly didn’t want them to leave. I was told to clutch firmly to my purse and any snacks I had, as they are known to be very clever and take these items from you with ease.
We made our way to the cable car and took a quick five-minute ride up a large incline, were we got out and were greeted by a massive expanse of ocean. It was stunning! There is a lighthouse at the very end of the land and it reminded me of being back in Bailey Island, Maine. It’s amazing how I can be thousands of miles away from home, at the edge of the African continent, and still be reminded of the simplest things back home. I love that about the world. For as large as it is, it can sometimes feel comfortingly small. It took a while for me to actually conceptualize that here I was, standing at the edge of Africa!!! It was extremely windy and the waves were crashing hard below us. I walked around for a good twenty minutes taking it all in, amazed beyond belief. It was hard to keep my eyes from staring but there were so many different views that I wanted to capture in my memory forever. I may never see something as beautiful as this for the rest of my life.
We spent a good amount of time at the Cape of Good Hope, taking pictures, walking around, appreciating the view, etc. And funny enough, on the way down in the cable car I sat next to a woman from Raleigh, North Carolina. We started chatting all about Davidson and how I enjoyed my time there during college, etc. Small world connection at the edge of Africa….check.
After cautiously avoiding all baboons on our way to the parking lot, we continued our drive back up north on the other side of the peninsula. We stopped for lunch at a small coastal town, Hout Bay. It was a fun surfing town and reminded me a lot like Cape Cod, with small shops lining the beach strip. We ate a delicious lunch at a nice Greek restaurant overlooking the ocean. After we had our fill of food and sun, we piled into the car for one last beach stop before finishing the drive to the Winelands.
We drove to a surfing town, Muizenberg, which is known for its colorful houses on the beach. These lifeguard houses are all wonderfully colored in bright greens, pinks, blues, etc. With the sun slowly setting, it created the perfect background to capture a few landscape photos. We also came upon some horses galloping along the beach that made the scene that much better. I’m not sure they would allow this at Second Beach in Newport or Narragansett Beach in Rhode Island, but here in Africa, anything goes. And sometimes that’s a great thing.
We arrived in Franschoek around 7:30 pm. Franschoek is north of Cape Town and is in the wineland district of the country. We stayed at a quaint, cozy cottage set in the back of one of the vineyards. It was an adorable little setting, with the most comfortable bed that I’ve ever slept in! Seeing that my bed back home in Cape Town is basically a cardboard plank, my appreciation for great bedding may be a bit tainted. But nevertheless, it was wonderful. We grabbed dinner in the downtown village of Franschoek and sipped on some local wine before calling it a night. After a fun-filled day of beaches and lots of sun, I slept soundlessly.
Waking up to a glaring sun around 9 am, I took a quick run through the vineyard and showered up before heading with Kristen to breakfast at a vineyard down the road. Driving into La Motte winery, I was astonished. I had to literally lift my chin so that I stopped looking like a gawking tourist. But quite literally, the place was breathtaking. Driving in, you are greeted by a Greek statue with a fountain and surrounded on both sides with endlessly running grape vines at the base of rolling hills. The restaurant is a large venue in the back, with an open-air patio where they were serving breakfast.
More dining rooms extended towards the back for what I imagined were very packed lunches and dinners. We lucked out and managed to get a seat for breakfast. The food was delicious and we sat there for at least two hours because we simply didn’t want to leave! I made a promise to myself to bring my family back here when they come to visit in March. I wanted to be able to share this wonderful experience with them.
We were due to meet up with Kristen’s friends at another vineyard down the road, Haute Cabriere, for lunch. We drove around the town for a bit, and then headed to the Haute Cabriere Winery for lunch. It was extremely hot on this Sunday, about 98 degrees, so we tried to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Luckily, this restaurant was in a very unique, cave-like setting at the base of the tasting room and cellar. I was introduced to a delicious new Rose-Chardonnay blend called Tranquile. Although I am not usually a Rose drinker, it was the perfect drink for a hot afternoon. I highly recommend it! Great company and conversation accompanied a delicious lunch. We were distracted from the heat by the great wine and atmosphere. 
With full stomachs, smiles on our faces, and three bottles of wine to go, Kristen and I said our goodbyes to our two fellow lunch guests and headed back to Cape Town. It was such a fabulous weekend and I was sad to the leave the winelands. Immediately upon driving into Franschoek late on Saturday, I felt myself relax and hadn’t stopped being in this state my whole visit. It has something to do with being in the open air, rolling hills, and sprawling grape vineyards that puts a smile on my face. Amazing. It certainly makes me want to visit Naples, California when I return back home to the States.
All in all, it was a fabulous weekend filled with relaxation, lots of great food, a great friend, and wonderful memories.
