Lynne didn't want John to have to
get up at the crack of dawn to drive to Voëlklip for 10 am and then have to
drive to Franschhoek, so we booked a tiny room in Voëlklip for Friday night.
The drive there after lunch in Ida's Valley was lovely, we stopped off at the
magnificent Woolworths Waterstone Mall in Somerset West and bought some picnic snacks.
Then, to avoid the Friday night traffic, we drove along the coastal route to
Hermanus, passing Gordon's Bay, Rooi Els, Pringle Bay, Bot River and onwards.
Hardly any traffic and such a lovely road. And a simple picnic by the sea for
supper
OK, the wind was blowing, so we sat in the car, admiring the
surfing and the view before an early night
You can never time the end of events, if they are enjoyable, they continue and it is very hard to drag oneself away. We wanted to leave the Celebration of Chardonnay at 3, after lunch; we finally hit the road at 3.30. We had booked another AirBnB in Paarl, which was affordable at R580 for the night
There was nothing in Franschhoek under R2 500 a night, so on our pensioners' budget, Paarl was the best option. But the drive there is long and winding and takes you around the woefully empty Theewaterskloof Dam near Villiersdorp and, following the trail the elephants took centuries ago, up and over the magnificent mountain pass to Franschhoek. It seemed even longer because the car's air conditioning decided to become defunct and it was a hot day
We were very stressed when we arrived in Paarl at 5.35 and had 10 minutes to shower and change (it was Black Tie formal) and then get back in the car to return to Franschhoek for the event at 6. We arrived there at 6.15
The comfortable sitting room which led to our bedroom
under the eaves
in this 18th Century House
Next morning, off down the road to the Spur for their R30 breakfast
always well prepared and amazing value
