Colours of the V and A Waterfront

The V&A Waterfront was a great place to hang out, eat, drink and take in the cosmopolitan colourful atmosphere with energetic dance and song, Belgian beer tasting, a wander around the Coca-cola Cratefan installation and the waterfront (with its own little feline resident!), a that hint of Christmas in the V&A shopping area. We watched the sunset behind Table Mountain eating fabulous pastries and cake from one of the best bakeries around, Velo Telo, another cool design destination!

1 Wineland tour, 4 vineyards, 30 wines tasted!

This was one packed winelands tour with African Trax. Most tours visit 3 vineyards, not African Trax. They fit in 4, a lunch and a visit to a small chocolate maker in Franschoek. Seven of us 'Volies' from the Aviva house jumped in the bus at 9.00am hitting the first vineyard yard before 10am.

Hillcrest
Hillcrest was our first tasting. A small boutique vineyard founded by 3 young engineering students who not so long ago bought a piece of land, took on board some advise from a local who suggested their soil quality was good enough to grow grapes and the rest is history! Elize, the Sommelier served great tasting wines and stunning olive oils. The guys at Hillcrest believe small is beautiful.

Fairview
Stunning place, beautiful wines, almost theatrical experience, loved the wine vats, and we had a fantastic cheese tasting too ..... never enjoyed cheese so much. we bought their balsamic glaze and some goats cheese, which didn't last long!

Solms
This vineyard was set up pretty much as a social enterprise community venture. We tasted 9 wines, quite different to the other vineyards as they use old traditional wine making methods. All the guys sang happy birthday to Ange. And big thanks to Lisa & Louise from African Trax for the fantastic bottle of sparkling  bottle of Cape Jazz red.

Takara
Wow! stunning place, stunning wines and we could've stayed here forever!  Check out this vineyard if you're looking for a cool design experience. Wallpaper magazine pocket guide to Cape Town lists it, we just touched lucky with African Trax!

We bought our Christmas day bottle of wine... only 100 bottles left of this Takara limited edition Pinotage, well 99 now! Pretty expensive but as we haven't done presents it'll more than compensate!  

An end to a perfect birthday!

 We headed to Moyo’s at Big Bay a little further on from Table View. Its infamous for it’s crazy entertainment, paddling in pools beneath your feet whilst eating, fun, fab African food and a great party atmosphere.

 Photos - Angela Gidden, Moyo's at Big Bay

No Baboons, just ostrich beachside!

One of the last animals you’d expect to see by the sea is an ostrich or two but here they are grazing at the beautiful Cape of Good Hope. It’s an area famous for its troops of baboons but unfortunately (or fortunately!) we didn’t get to see any.

 Photos - Angela Gidden, male & female Ostrich at Cape of Good Hope

Meet the Dassie

 Slightly freaked moment when we saw something run under a rock on our walk across the sandstone rocks from Cape Point to Cape of Good Hope, What ever it was it looked like one hell of an oversized rat like creature…. & Ange hates rats! Then we came face to face with a Dassie and one hell of a cute animal, so tame, so trusting, so chilled out and so unperturbed by our intrusive and curious behaviour!

Even more curiously, the Dassie is doesn’t even come close to coming from a rodent type species. Its closest relative is actually the ELEPHANT! Yep the elephant, due to the structure of its teeth and back-bone. Also known as the Rock Rabbit (don’t be confused!) it is so unique as a species it has a classified order all of its own. Its real name is the Rock Hyrax.

 Photos - Angela Gidden, Dassie, 3rd photo from top is a baby, they can can run and jump just hours after birth.

Flipflops - not a good thing!

 We took the walk from Cape Point across the rugged Table Mountain sandstone with an odd strip of board walk to ease the feet! We came across a male and female wild ostriches, the male is dark as he sits on the egg at night and the female is light as it’s her turn in the day! Genius, equality & shared responsibility!  

Photos - Angela Gidden, walk from Cape Point to Cape of Good Hope

Highest peak at Cape Point

 A stroll up to the highest peak at Cape Point got us to the old Lighthouse. The option to walking is the ascending using the ‘Fying Dutchman’ fenicular but you get to miss so much if you do! Your call! The views are absolutely breath-taking from the top and only approx 9623 kilometers from home!

 Photos - Angela Gidden, Cape Point old lighthouse & views

Wildlife at Cape Point

 With the exception of Fi of course! Like a small lizard shape piece of liquorice, the Black Girdled Lizard shaded itself below a small rock. Just a few meters on another glossy licquorice coloured species, the Red Winged Starling perched on the tree as we passed.

 Photos - Angela Gidden, Cape Point wildlife

Simon's Town, eating & paddling!

 After a moorish bowl of summer Thai noodles a paddle in the mighty cold but stunning Atlantic sea was a must, Fi lasted longer than me!

Photo - Angela Gidden, Simon's Town with a 'tablecloth' cloud over the distant mountain