Buitenverwachting

South Africa was "beyond expectation" which is the translation of the Afrikaans title of this blog. It also happens to be a vineyard that went way beyond my expectations of what a vineyard could offer in terms of wine, food and ambiance. Every photo tells a story, but I'll just give you an inkling today of the great trip I had with Abbey's parents, her brother and three other friends of the family.

What was it like in CapeTown and environs, i.e. Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Agulas, Cape of Good Hope? Imagine the most beautiful place you've ever seen. Add water in the form of two oceans, throw in some mountains. Deep blue sky, clear air day after day. Foliage (fynbos) representative of the California coast, Spain, and a little Arizona. Voila! You have the combination. Hard to describe. I really want to go back and do more of the same.

The Martins lost no opportunity to test the vineyards. We started tasting early and kept going. My palate was challenged to try many varieties and it was such fun to be with oenophiles to help me along. Roommate Kelly (female!) and I enjoyed shopping on the Wharf, touring Kirstenbosch Gardens together. On our way back from the Cape of Good Hope we stopped to view the penguins just waddling around the rocky shore of False Bay.

Would love to go on, but for now I'm going to get this posted before leaving for the day and before the power cuts out again. I'll try to add photos on another post.

Captions: MeJane with Pat and Jane Martin in the Forest Reserve, Stellenbosch;