Good Friday at Good Hope

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter this year!  To celebrate and take advantage of the bank holidays, David and I headed south to Cape Town.

Though we were travelling from the top of Europe to the bottom of Africa, the flight was not bad.  We were able to fly direct on a BA 747 (my first time on a double-decker plane!) and the time difference between London and Cape Town is only one-hour.  So we ended up getting 8 hours of sleep on the 11 hour flight, waking up refreshed in South Africa when we landed at 9:00 Friday morning.

Instead of taking it easy that first day, we hit the ground running, or should I say hiking.  On Friday afternoon, David and I decided to climb to the top of Table Mountain via the India Venster route.  We wanted to do something a bit more adventurous than the tourist trail, Platteklip Gorge, but I don’t think we really knew quite what we were getting ourselves into… 

We’d read reviews of the route and knew it would be a bit steep, so we hired a mountain guide, and we were glad we did!  Our first indication that India Venster was no joke came as we landed and were chatting with the man in the seat next to us on the plane.  When I told him our plans for the day, he replied, ‘Oh, you two must be rock climbers.’  Uh, what?  Then our cab driver from the airport to the hotel told us that one of his charges died from a fall on India Venster a couple of years ago.  Ohmygosh!  What had we gotten ourselves into?

The trail started off easy enough directly under the cable car.  Hendre, our guide, was full of energy and enthusiasm.  She began hiking up the rock steps through Phase I at a pretty fast pace, and only later, when we finished in two hours instead of the recommended three and a half, did I realize how fast we were going.  After the first section, we took a breather and then the three of us split off to India Venster on the right, while all of the hikers behind us headed to the Gorge.

During Phase II, we began scrambling up boulders to get higher and higher.  At the end of this unit, Hendre pointed to a group of people dangling off the side of the mountain above us and stated, ‘That’s where we’re headed next!’  David turned around and asked me, ‘What did you sign us up for?!’  But it was too late to turn back at that point.  We had climbed too far and we were too scared to try going back down.

It was terrifying at some parts, but Hendre was an excellent guide and helped us through all of the difficult parts.  She told us exactly where to place our hands and legs, and even made foot-holds for us when there were none.

When we finally reached the summit, we felt so accomplished.  We had made fun of the lazy people taking the cable car up the mountain, but by the time we got to the top, we were begging Hendre to let us take it back down.  And she agreed! 

I love how the foot indicating the trail is painted straight-up on this rock.  Who do they think we are, Spiderman?

David and I had never used staples or chains before, but we were so glad they were there.  Looking back at the description of the trail now, I realize it does specify Grade B scrambling.  Because I didn’t know what that was at the time, I ignored it when I signed us up.  Oops! 

The view from the top of Table Mountain was stunning.  And the view from the cable car going back down was even better! 

When we got to the top, the wind was blowing the clouds up over the mountain, and then dissipating before hitting the city below.  South Africans call this cloud-bank the ‘tablecloth.’

That evening, we had dinner with our friends, Laura and Kelli.  We joked that Laura was stalking us because she just happened to be in Cape Town during the same weekend (just like in Iceland).  We found out a couple of days before we left that not only were she and Kelli on the same BA flight, too, but they were also staying at the Westin at the V&A Waterfront.  What a coincidence!

Laura found a great restaurant called the Harbor House on the V&A Waterfront.  I knew I would be getting my fair share of seafood while in Cape Town, so I opted for the beef fillet that night.  David and Laura had the yellowtail and Kelli chose the prawns. 

Too many prawns! 

I couldn’t believe she finished that entire plate (with some help from the rest of us).  For dessert, we couldn’t decide, so we ordered the lemon tart with a caramelized sugar crust, the dark chocolate terrine, and the yogurt panna cotta to share.

All of the food in South Africa was amazing.  Of course, being on the water, seafood dominated every menu, but the variations were so great that we never got bored. 

The Westin had a huge breakfast buffet every morning featuring a waffle station, bread and pastry table, hot options like potato rosti and bacon and eggs, an Asian section with noodles and sushi, and a smoothie bar.  I thought it was even better than the Maldives, but David said that was blasphemy. 

The evening after Harbour House, we had dinner at Baia, one of the best seafood restaurants in Cape Town.  We split a lobster and asparagus starter and then David had baby Kingklip (that turned out to be one big baby!) as his main.  As it’s currently Fall in South Africa, I had the pear and Roquefort salad and butternut squash soup with sage butter, parmesan, and pine nuts. 

For Easter dinner, we ate at Panama Jack’s.  Our driver, Riaz, made the recommendation, but warned us that the location is a bit strange.  As we drove to the waterfront and had to pass through security, we realized the restaurant is in the dockyard.  Situated between cargo crates and heavy machinery, the restaurant is a favorite with locals, including the shipyard workers, and tourists alike.

I started our Easter meal off with vegetarian spring rolls, while David had an oyster shooter with tequila and hot sauce.  You know, a typical Easter Sunday meal…  

David chose his own lobster from the tank and it was served with rice and a trio of sauces, while I had the lobster saganaki – marinated with Indian spices and pan fried with garlic before being topped off with feta and cilantro.

Sushi is also hugely popular in Cape Town and the surrounding areas.  During our tour of the Cape of Good Hope, we had lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant at Cape Point.  We weren’t expecting much, as that area is so touristy, but Two Oceans was a pleasant surprise.  We had rainbow rolls, shrimp tempura with peanut sauce, and shrimp with special mayo.   Then we split a platter of Mozambique langoustines with warm lemon butter.

Our final meal was at Willoughby & Co., a trendy restaurant actually inside the mall at the V&A.  As we were waiting in line to be seated we were offered free glasses of local wine.  For our last meal, I had the shrimp gyoza and a couple of rolls, but David had finally reached his seafood threshold and ordered the steak marinated in teriyaki sauce with skewered veggies. 

As a testament to how delicious every meal was, I came back to London to discover I had gained three pounds while on holiday!  Eek!  (But it was worth it.)

The food wasn’t the only great culinary experience.  On Saturday, we had planned a relaxing day in wine country.  We didn’t want to drive, as we knew we would be drinking a lot of wine, so we went with a small group of people through a tour British Airways organized.  The group consisted of us, our driver, Ivan, a couple from Sweden and France, and a family from Israel.

South Africa’s wine country is made up of beautiful farmland just outside Cape Town.  Bordered by lush mountains, the farms are in the traditional Dutch style and date back to the early 19th century.  I told David as we were driving through the area that you could drop me in the middle of one of these vineyards or quaint towns and I wouldn’t know whether I was in Napa or Cape Town. 

Our first stop was Zevenwacht just outside Stellenbosch.  As we pulled up around 10:00, the tasting room was full of winos, enjoying their glasses with a breakfast of cheese and crackers. 

The pours were not samples by any definition.  They were full-on glasses of wine.  And the prices were incredible.  For $2, we were offered a sample of 5 wines.  And for $5, we were offered a sample of 9 wines.  That’s 9 glasses of wine for $5!  Unbelievable!  David and I ended up buying two bottles later in the day, along with some cherry-flavored dark chocolates and the total price came out to $11.  $11!

From Zevenwacht, we drove to Stellenbosch and strolled through the picturesque town, window-shopping and taking photos.  Then we drove to Franschhoek for lunch at an outdoor pizzeria featuring live music.  After eating, we walked through the Saturday market set up in the churchyard, before heading to our next winery.

On the way to Paarl, we passed Victor Verster Prison, where Nelson Mandela was held under house arrest during the last fourteen months of his imprisonment.  Unfortunately, during our trip, we did not have time to visit Robben Island, but we urge anyone going to Cape Town to book your ferry tickets in advance.  The tours are currently being conducted by former political prisoners, so the opportunity to hear the stories first-hand and see the prison with them is not to be missed.

In Paarl, we stopped at Laborie, where David and I purchased a bottle of white and a bottle of rose.  The sauvignon blanc was delicious, and really refreshing as the day was starting to heat up.  Fall in South Africa is like Fall in Texas – it doesn’t actually get that cold. 

Then it was off to Marianne, where they pair their wines with biltong, or jerky.  They offered springbok, kudu, and beef.  

I was hesitant to try the local meats, especially the springbok (it’s the national animal of South Africa, for goodness sake)!

But actually, kudu was my favorite, even more so than beef!

And finally, we made our last stop at Vergenoegd, a family-owned winery that also breeds show ducks.  I didn’t even know that show ducks were a thing, but their signature wine is called Running Duck and is shipped all over the world.  Every morning, they run the ducks through the rows and rows of vines as a natural pest control.  The grounds were beautiful, and we were glad that we had taken a day to relax and see some of the countryside.