Shortly out of Cape Town, along the highway, we saw our first Townships. These are shanty town communities originating in Apartheid das, built along the roadside or less desirable land locations. Children played in and out of the lean-to fences, while tin roofs were held down with long pieces of waste wood, used tires and general large debris. There was a whole series of electrical wires, running above the homes, seeming to have no real order to how they were placed. Certainly a stark contrast to the structured and orderly, Colonial Dutch-style homes within the city areas, and the kids began to refer to these areas as “District 9”, from the movie. If you have seen this movie, you may be able to relate to how and why these communities were established. Regardless of living circumstance, the community tended to go on their daily business; laundry on the line, children playing and adults meandering around. Another interesting observation was the number of people walking; on most roads and highways people are walking along the side - using walking a a viable (yet slow) mode of transportation. Locals in cars, use the ultimate ride-share program, stacked full with people, one pickup truck may have 15 people in total, in the front and back, of all ages; grandmas, parents, children and babies. It really looks quite hazardous when you are travelling along the motorway at 120 km/hr.
We reached Stellenbosch and checked into our ‘home’, at Devondale Lodge, a winery and golf course development. The 25 units are mostly owned and used as secondary winter homes, with 4 remaining in a rental pool. The unit was very spacious, with 2 living levels and a backyard and patio that faced a large courtyard pool. The development was lacking the old-world charm, since it had been built in 1995, but what it lacked in charm, it made up in practicality. The kids befriended a local family, next door to us, daughter to the owners (Provoyeurs), who had a 4 year old son (Oliver) and a 4 month old puppy (Monty). Soon everyone was good friends. We learnt that the developers of the property were Olympic sailors (including the 1994 BOC Around the World, single handed yacht race), and decided to retire here and develop the property. Like most of the surrounding area, the land has a gentle slope, surrounded by mountain ranges. Stellenbosch, is most famous for the Wine Route, which consists of an integrated series of over 200 wineries within a close range from the centre of the town.
Wine touring, tasting and 4 young children did not seem like a compatible combination, so we attempted to fill our few days with mainly child friendly activities, with wine tasting as an aside. Surprisingly, the combination was quite successful. We started our activities at the Spier, a large winery with an African themed restaurant and entertainment. We knew this was a good choice from the entry, with all of us getting face-painted (Zulu style) and outdoor tent and tree-top dining. There was a large serve-yourself buffet, a series of entertainers which roamed tables to perform, and generally an abundance of loud, African-style evening activities. I am sure a few people would consider this “commercial” level of African culture, a little obnoxious, but for us it kept the kids entertained and gave us an introduction to the sights, sounds and tastes African culture.
Our next day consisted of a drive to Boschendale, an estate winery founded in 1665, and a wonderful example of colonial Dutch architectural. The estate has lovely grounds and offers a famous “Pique-Nique” lunch in the front lawn. The lunch is a wonderful concept of seating yourselves out under the shade of the trees, and having individually packed picnic baskets brought to you. The kids lunch packs are served in a hobo-basket and pole, which delighted all of them. The adults are equally content, with a bottle of white wine and a basket of goodies - pates, baguette, cold cuts, cheese, etc. We played an informal game of rugby on the lawn and enjoyed the afternoon.
We left from here and arrived at Villiera, where we had booked our first game tour. This family winery (Grier) has decided to use some of their lands and re-establish native plants and species to the reserve. Alexander Grier, our tour guide, was helpful in explaining how the Wildlife sanctuary reserve is established, which requires applications and approvals for every animal, with subsequent monitoring of the herds and how they are developing. Animal conservation in Africa has become very regulated and monitored affair (thank goodness, since some species were hunted to extinction!). We had our own private tour around the reserve and saw Springbok, gemsbok, wild pigs, zebras, and many birds.
The next day, we ventured off for a bike tour with Ben, David and Anna, while Sam was invited to stay with his new friend, Oliver, for the afternoon. We headed to Delvera, where the Biketopia centre was located and geared ourselves with Mountain Bikes for our tour. Delvera is a small artist-like community, adjacent to the Klapmutskop Conservancy, where there is a bike park, trails, craft stores, and art shops, all in the surrounds of pastoral land. We started our event with a great outdoor lunch, where we sampled Bobotie, a local meat-curry dish (yummy!), prior to our 10km ride. The bike trails were a combination of riding through the vineyards, single track trails through the hillsides and some technical ladders in a forested area. Perfect for Ben and David, yet a little challenging for Anna. On the whole, it was a beautiful ride and we all returned back to Delvera with smiles. Of course, we stopped by the wine shop, which hosts over 600 local wines of the region, and spent time with the sommelier who picked and packed a 12 bottle variety of the Sauvignon Blancs for us to leave with (they also ship worldwide!). Each bottle, as it was selected, was explained in great detail, including the winery it is produced from and the history of the owners. I believe that this sommelier, could have likely answered any question on all 600+ bottles! Our evening ended with a recommended drive to the “winery in the sky”, Delaire, a five-star incredible winery, hotel and restaurant (on the list to return to, sans enfant). We dined at Ginos, in Stellenbosch, an Italian eatery with great homemade pizza, pastas and calzones.
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