We are waiting for the winter rains but, in terms of stories to tell, it’s pouring. We are so used to inactivity, that all this buzz is a little unsettling; nevertheless, we love it. This week’s stories are around a street party in our main street on Freedom Day and the Elgin Cool Wines Festival. And we have a few stories banked for next week. We hope you’ll enjoy them all. Click on each full story’s headline, photograph or “Read on…” to open
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Freedom Day Street party in Regent Street, Sea Point
Sea Point
came alive on our Freedom Day public holiday. Regent Road was closed off from
Church Road down to Solomons Road. And it was such fun. Perhaps not for people
trying to get home at 6, who had to divert to Kloof Road or Beach Road, but
residents came out in droves, both during the day and until 9 at night. We
decided to go at 6 and see "what was occurring". We started at the
Church Street end. Read on…
Meze Supper at the Greek Fisherman, Sea Point
We feel the loss of La Mouette, the fine dining restaurant that used to occupy the lovely heritage Sea Point building on Regent Road, but are glad to see that The Greek Fisherman, which was in the Waterfront, has now moved here. The upstairs is now a separate bar. We were shown, initially, to a table next to the fountain, but moved before our food arrived, as it was dripping on us a little. Read on…
Elgin Cool Wine Festival - 1. Lothian
We looked
back at our records and we have been visiting Elgin for their Cool Wine
Festival since 2014! It is the perfect time for a wine festival, autumn is upon
us and there are lovely glowing colours in the trees in this cool wine area. The
programme for this year included 9 wine farms and we planned to visit at least
two days. You cannot do them justice if you rush at it. So we drove up that
morning to arrive at our first stop, Lothian, at 10h30. Read on…
Elgin Cool Wine Festival - 2. Paul Cluver
Our second
farm visit was to Paul Cluver, where we had made an appointment. There were
people tasting wine on the lawn in front of the restaurant and a ticket stand
for people wanting to buy festival tickets. It was not very busy when we
arrived, but it did fill up. Most of the people in the tasting room were not visiting
the festival and had come to taste the premium Cluver wines for which there is
a charge. Read on…
Elgin Cool Wine Festival - 3. Elgin Railway Market
We decided to pay a quick visit to the Elgin Railway Market,
which is in an old apple warehouse at the Elgin railway station, built by
Italian prisoners of war during World War 2. It is just outside the entrance to
Oak Valley estate, and we were greeted with the sight of the historic train
which had brought people from Cape Town, a 3 hour trip – only one hour by car. Read on…
Elgin Cool Wine Festival - 4. Oak Valley
Ancient oaks at Oak Valley welcome you at the entrance. It was a very popular venue on both days of the festival. We were greeted by beautiful autumnal shades and lots of space for picnicking under the trees. Read on…
Elgin Cool Wine Festival - 5. Almenkerk
Sunday morning and, after a huge breakfast at our accommodation in Gordon’s Bay, it was time to head for Elgin for our second day at the Elgin Cool Wines Festival. It is harvest time in the valley for the apples and pears that they grow so successfully, as well as the grapes. Read on…
Elgin
Cool Wine Festival - 6. Iona
Iona is on
top of a hill, on the opposite side of the valley from Almenkerk and has some
of the highest vineyards. Walking past the Manor House where a special lunch
you had to book for was taking place, we went to the area in front of the
tasting room and enjoyed the sunshine. Four wines to taste at the festival. We
began with the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, with a nose full of grass, fig leaves and
green pepper. Read on…
Elgin
Cool Wine Festival - 7. Paul Wallace
We love
finishing the Elgin Cool Wine and other festivals at Paul Wallace Wines. It
belongs to our friends Paul and Nicky Wallace. Nicky has recently been ill, so
we wanted to see how she and Paul were doing. It is always one of the most
popular wine farms to visit. And it was good to see their son Bobby, assistant
winemaker at Iona, who was helping out. Read on…
Big Skies Guest House, Gordon's Bay
We were invited to the Elgin Cool Wines festival to write
about it this last weekend, so accommodation was a priority for us. Sadly our
tickets arrived just the day before, when all the affordable accommodation in
Elgin had been taken. So, thinking laterally, Lynne looked at Gordon's Bay,
just 15 minutes down Sir Lowry’s Pass and found Big Skies, which is only two roads
from the sea front. Read on…
Fish and Chips at Trawlers, Gordon's Bay
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