Photos!
March 17, 2010
I thought you might enjoy this lovely belly dancer... we certainly did! She has mastered the art of isolating body parts. Unfortunately, sometimes 'you can't go back home' and this Turkish restaurant had changed ownership and this dancer was the only improvement. The food was pricier and not as good as we remembered, and though the service was fine, the serviettes were not. With oily Turkish food, substantial napkins are a necessity and the restaurant provided flimsy ones.
The Cape Argus Cycling Race through Cape Town is the world's largest. All day long, the beach road was filled with cyclists riding past world class scenery. The course was changed this year and included more ups and downs at the start of the run. The wind picked up and the gusts made for a hard ride. Nevertheless 38,500 cyclists turned out. The winners took less than 3 hours to finish the race.
We headed out from Cape Town mid day and took a Sunday train to the
wine-growing area of Stellenbosch. A train trip that would normally
take little more than an hour became an interesting exercise in patience
for us and our fellow travelers. We did learn the lesson not to
travel on Sunday, if given the choice. Late trains, changed platforms
(without notice or announcements) all taught us that it is better to
take a non-stop train rather than change trains. We could not beat the scenery however.
Along the way were lovely old English and Afrikaans tombstones. Though the plots are old, many are well tended and covered with fresh flowers.
We were picked up at the train station in Stellenbosch by our hostess, Marie Beukes, who runs a Bed and Breakfast. We became old friends 8 years ago when last in South Africa and we were soon at her lovely house just outside Stellenbosch.
The view from our room! You cannot tell in this photo, but you can see Table Mountain in the far distance. While having a sundowner, the view is unbelievable. South Africans have many nice terms for things, and a sundowner is a drink while watching the sun go down!
It did not take me long to jump into the pool. I forgot a bathing suit, so I borrowed this apropos t-shirt.
We take a short cut to town through the Jan Marais Nature Reserve.
Town has many nice houses (stay tuned) but very few 'Beware of Dog' signs. This one features a Rottweiller.
I'm not sure how scared I should be about this Bassett Hound!
No hand painted beware of dog signs yet! No hand-painted signs anywhere in fact.
My new bike (rented at less than $5 per week) will insure a lot of new adventures and an opportunities to travel far and wide with more photos coming.
Stay tuned. This afternoon, we will be riding to some wineries where we will be tasting the world class wines of Stellenbosch.
Cheers!
Cheers back at ya! Sounds and looks like a REALLY beautiful adventure.
Keep having fun and be safe on that bicycle!
Susan H
Posted by: susan | March 17, 2010 at 08:55 AM
You took a train !!??? & survived. That is good news since I always heard that I could not take a train any time anywhere anyhow cos it is too "dangerous"
You look cute in your SA swim shirt
Glad to hear you enjoyed your sundowner
Sometimes when one goes back ..it is not like the 1st time but "time" to try another new place instead...
Happy days
Love , Linda in 84 degree Venice
Posted by: Linda | March 17, 2010 at 11:08 PM