Africa Wine and Wildlife Safari – first days
by Michelle Alten
Thursday- Today, after a long flight from Seattle and then Amsterdam, we arrived in Cape Town. It was late at night, and the lights of the city shimmered, taunting the surrounding darkness.
Our group at Cape of Good Hope
Friday- I am eager to see Cape Town and watch as the shroud of darkness lifts. The sunrise paints clouds and towering mountains a rosy pink. Glowing rock walls rise above the sea at this southern edge of the world. Seattle, Rio, Vancouver, they have all met their match. This dramatic setting, a showstopper where mountains meet the sea, is certainly one of the most stunning I have seen.
Cape Town Waterfront with Table Mountain
All photos © Wolfgang Kaehler
After breakfast we head for Table Mountain and take a cable car up the rocky aerie. The surrounding sandstone peaks are draped in clouds resembling a bride’s diaphanous veil. The silhouettes are soft and mysterious. On the plateau, we ramble winding paths between heather, watching as the dassies or rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), rabbit-like rodents, scramble among the sandstone boulders. The plateau dishes up views of the mountains and the sea.
dassie or rock hyrax (Procavia capensis)
Not far from town we wander through magical Kirstenbosch Gardens, among the world’s most famed botanical gardens. Trails wind through clusters of fynbos, proteas and cycads. Aloes show off vibrant scarlet blossoms that sit like glamorous bonnets atop each plant. A sun bird, with its iridescent plumage, catches my eye as it rests on a bird of paradise blossom, competing with the flower with its beauty.
Protea at Kirstenbosch Gardens
Protea at Kirstenbosch Gardens
Bob and Michelle at Kirstenbosch Gardens
Saturday- We venture to the infamous Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic and Pacific currents meet and for centuries have challenged sailors enroute around the continent. These turbulent waters were the nemesis of explorers seeking a sea route to the East Indies, the trade paradise for spices. A restaurant overlooking the sea, serves us dishes of fresh calamari, langoustines, and prawns. Superb! Trails edge above the towering cape, giving us views of turbulent sea below. On one path I encounter a baboon and see more in the bushes. There’s no place to go, so I skirt the edge of the path hoping he or she won’t be bothered by my presence since I’ve heard they can be quite dangerous. He goes scampers by me, barely noticing my presence.
View from Cape Point
Flowering aloe plants at Cape Point
Along False Bay we walk the boardwalk to The Boulders to find the African penguin colony. Since we have seen the stunning King Penguins of South Georgia, I’m not expecting to be stunned by these smaller, less regal penguins. But here I am, adoring these little creatures who come bouncing with the surf onto the beach then fumble onto their little feet to join their friends. Their damp black and white feathers glisten in the afternoon sun. Some, at their nest, appear to tend to their chicks, while creches of grown youngsters, looking like awkward adolescents, wait for the adults to return from the sea.
African penguins
Sunday-We set off today for a visit to some of the Cape Wine regions and begin with a drive to Vergelegen—pronounced fair-kha-lay-kin—an elegant winery and former estate in the famed Stellenbosch wine region. We follow a garden path, winding through the gardens with a group of giant campher trees, resembling a gathering of old men and majestic cedars with dusky blue foliage. Clusters of hydrangea and lavender soak up the morning sunshine. We gather on the winery verandah to taste sauvignon blanc, a cab franc and a cabernet. The Dutch began the wineries in the Cape region while the French Hgenots, escaping persecution, brought with them vines from France. The result today are wines that have taken on the French, Californians and other world wine leaders to compete on the world wine scene.
High Constantia
As we head on to the Constantia region we are caught in a hammering downpour. At Groot Constantia, we explore the Cape Dutch home. A young man tells us of a ghost who creeps above the rafters. As we admire the antiques I suddenly hear screaming. I jump. But its not the staff shrieking at the ghost. They are screaming at a baboon that has stolen the duck eggs at the pond, which they found dripping in egg yolk.
Vergelegen Cape Dutch architecture
David and our group at his wine cellar
Bob is tasting a red wine
Dodging the relentless rain, we make our way to High Constantia, the second oldest winery in the Constantia region. Cozy in David van Niekerk’s wine cellar, amongst barrels of wine, we taste sauvignon blanc from 2013 and another from 2015, Bordeaux blends from 2006 and 2007, cab franc from 2010 and 2015, his wonderful champagne, along with other wines. David, who looks like a young Robin Williams and a rascal’s sense of humor, explains to us the different effects on the wine of the various types of wood barrels, the differences between the younger and older wines, and other important wine tips. At a long table in the cellar, as the rain pounds the metal roof, we gather around a barbeque with springbok and an array of quinoa, Greek and other colorful salads. Conrad, another South African who planned our tour, regales us with a story of how 300-year-old bottles of the region’s sweet wine were discovered on a sunken ship were still delicious. David pulls out a bottle of his neighbor’s dessert wine, and we finish the evening with this lovely wine as the debate the details of the story. Despite the deluge, it has been a memorable day!