Wow, I cannot believe that it has already been a month since the mid-semester trip. What a busy month it has been! Back to back conferences and many project deadlines have kept me on my toes. I am happy to report that I took the long weekend (thanks to the national Heritage Day holiday) to relax.
Our plan was to head to Stellenbosch Friday, Simon’s Town on Saturday and Cape of Good Hope on Sunday; however, we never made it past Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is the wine region near Cape Town. It is surrounded by mountains and covered in vineyards. This area is primarily an Afrikaans region and the European influence is evident from the Dutch Architecture that surrounds the city centre and the University as well as the language of people walking along the streets.
Taking the train out there took a little longer than expected, as did the walk to our hostel. Note: Maps are not always drawn proportionately, train stations do not always have taxis readily available and return tickets are only valid for one day. Also, one can buy anything from chips, chocolate and nuts to vapor rub, credit card holding key rings and nail clippers on the train. Once we made it, we decided to just take in the area with a nice late lunch and walk through the marketplace.
Lunch at the Big Easy was delightful and perhaps a bit indulgent. It was the first time that I had the privilege to order wine for the table, which meant I got to taste and approve before it was served. We felt very proper and sophisticated!
After making one or two purchases from the market, we decided to get some snacks for the room and some magazines and headed back for a girls night. Girl talk and movies consumed the evening and it was quite nice to just relax!
The next day, after quite the adventure, we found our selves on a wine tour of sorts. We serendipitously landed at Beyerskloofs, the source of our wine from the day before. Then walked our way back towards the city to visit another estate: Louiesenhof. Next we had an Italian lunch and people-watched back in city centre.
It was nice to stroll the old streets. Dorp St., esteemed as the oldest street in Stellenbosch, has many cute shops, galleries and eateries. We made sure to enjoy some gelato and again enjoy the nice weather.
Generally it was a laid back weekend with friends that seemed to easily pass the time and I enjoyed the scenery and the conversation. We ventured back toward Cape Town on a rainy Sunday-the magic of the weekend was officially over. We missed mass as a result of the train time, but not to worry, we heard an hour long of preaching on our train car. We figured that would count.
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