Saturday in Stellenbosch

This past Saturday I decided to meet a friend in Stellenbosch, the winelands area to check things out as well as try a bit of wine.

So, I woke up at 7am and took the mini-bus to the train station. I then took the hour train ride to the winelands town of Stellenbosch.

I felt like the train was completely safe on my way there... but I had a bit of a train fiasco.  I hadn't eaten anything since about lunch the day before, including no morning coffee... and I was extremely dehydrated... it didn't help that I had drank a number of drinks with my friend the night before... so the fiasco was made much more worse because of my physical condition. Anyways, the "fiasco" was just that the windows on the train were completely fogged up... and all the windows around me were jammed and I couldn't open them. Well on these trains, they don't say what stop you are at, nor have a map on the wall. So I was freaking out because I did not know where to get off. In the end, I used my "street smarts" and was finally able to figure things out and arrived safely to Stellenbosch. :)

Upon arrival, we got some breakfast and then went to Bergkelder which specializes in a number of alcoholic beverages. Their wine label is called Fleur Du Cap. For about $2, we were able to try 5 red wines. I tried their Pinotage, Shiraz, and 3 Cabernet Sauvignons. One of the cabs was from 1999, one was from 2009, and the third was a unfiltered cab from 2009.

The 1999 Cabernet was like no cab I have ever tasted... very unique! It was soft, rich, complex... and just wonderful overall! I decided to buy a bottle of the 1999... and guess how much it cost? $10! 
$10 for a bottle wine that has aged for 13 years!

I have decided to challenge myself to go back to the winelands at least 3 more times... and go to at least 10 wineries total.  I already am planning on taking a day off Thursday and going to 4 wineries :) 

 

After wine tasting, Jaen and I went to a cute little dessert and coffee place called Mila. Jaen got a piece of beet root and hazelnut chocolate cake.... and I got an apple croissant, which was delicious!

I walked around town for a bit after dessert and found this really cool CD store!  I also spent some time at a cute bookstore.

About two hours later I went for an afternoon coffee and scone. I sat outside at this place called the Java House (Beth it is the same place that we went on the winelands tour in 2010).  I got this book about a white South African that lived in Khayelitsha (the township that my organization here runs most of it's local programs out of).  I'll let you guys know what I think when I'm done!

In the town of Stellenbosch, there is a lot of historical architecture which has the style of this place above.

It's winter here so the vines aren't in bloom, but here is a picture I took while on the train ride back of a vineyard.

A cute little boy that sat across from me on the train ride back to Cape Town.  I also looked like a little kid on the train ride back because my head was out the window the whole time... taking in the landscapes of South Africa.

After an eventful day, I made it back to Sea Point where I was staying and took a walk along the promenade. The smell of Sea Point is amazing!  The salt is completely in the air.  It had rained the day before so the waves were quite large that day... look at the person on the left and then the size of the wave!

Is there anything better than the sunset by the ocean?

That's all seaweed there on the beach... crazy!

I decided to walk to my favorite cafe (mainly because they have free wifi and great views). I sat outside and had this view... you can see that the Atlantic Ocean is about 40 yards away! But what was so amazing about this day was that I was able to cap it off with being able to talk on the phone with my mom, dad, Grandma, and a couple of my friends!