2018 was a very eventful year for us. As we like
to do each year, we had a month-long road trip in a foreign country, but we
also ventured into places nearer home, some of which we visit quite frequently,
others which we haven’t seen for a few years. We tasted some wonderful wines
and a few we’d prefer not to write about; we had some wonderful meals and
endured some less than delicious. But that’s life and, fortunately, most of it
has been good. To make the good bits even better is that we were able to share
it with some of our favourite people in real time and with our readers, many of
whom have given us lovely feedback, through our electronic media
We know this might be a bit
long, but we had a busy year and we left out a lot
The Page Down button works
well if you want to skip bits!
Celebrating the start of 2018
on our deck with Ronnie and Loraine. No he is not a pirate,
that is Rory on the wall
behind him
Our holiday in St Helena Bay,
watching the fishing fleet stationary in the bay
There are problems with
quotas and over-fishing which are hurting our fisher folk very badly
Our small but perfectly
adequate cottage at the St Helena Bay Hotel
Having an amazing wine
tasting at Nitida in Durbanville
with Terry Rodbard and the
winemaker Danie Keulder
Supper at home with Liam
Murphy from Ireland,
John's old Volvo rallying
buddy from waaaaay back
Supper on the deck with old
friends Yvonne and Peter Kampmeinert from Holland
In Kirstenbosch Gardens with
Yvonne. We have known each other since we were 6 & 7
Celebrating Peter's birthday
at Simonsig, with the sabrage of a bottle of Kaapse Vonkel Rosé MCC
Rain! something we have
rarely seen for months, on a beautiful evening in Sea Point at sunset
This is from the flat that Peter and Yvonne rent in a block called Mimosa, right on the beachfront
This is from the flat that Peter and Yvonne rent in a block called Mimosa, right on the beachfront
We were dancing in the rain
with pleasure
The wonderful RMB Starlight
Concert at Vergelegen.
We are somewhere beyond the
barrier in the middle of the crowded front section
Our best boy, Rory, the
sweetest cat. Very independent but very loving
Loves bringing us trophies in the early hours and announces with a triumphant call. This week it was a live redwing starling
Loves bringing us trophies in the early hours and announces with a triumphant call. This week it was a live redwing starling
Thomas, our devoted, older
fatcat, rather needy but loving too. Able to clear a room in seconds
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
statue in the Cervantes Monument, Plaza de España in Madrid
Scanned from a Kodachrome slide, photographed by John in 1971 - with an iconic Nikon F, not the camera in the picture
Scanned from a Kodachrome slide, photographed by John in 1971 - with an iconic Nikon F, not the camera in the picture
Perhaps significant as we
prepared to embark on an Iberian Odyssey
The Angola Airlines plane to
Luanda, where you change planes which takes only 2 hours
The entire flight takes 10 hours overnight and is very direct. The planes are run by Emirates
The entire flight takes 10 hours overnight and is very direct. The planes are run by Emirates
Arrival in glorious Porto to
storm and freezing cold, a nasty surprise
Onward to the Douro to find
its port and wine. The trip was quick and the A roads are very good, but they
are tolled
We stopped along the way to see the roadside spring flowers and, unexpectedly, found several orchids
(Lynne is an amateur botanist)
We stopped along the way to see the roadside spring flowers and, unexpectedly, found several orchids
(Lynne is an amateur botanist)
A typical northern Portugal
rural scene with mixed farming: vines, olives and fruit trees and a few beasts
The vertiginous Douro
countryside with the river below. This is right up in the North East,
just a few kilometres from the Spanish Border. We had a marvellous visit to Quinta Castelo Melhor near Vila Nova de Foz Coa
just a few kilometres from the Spanish Border. We had a marvellous visit to Quinta Castelo Melhor near Vila Nova de Foz Coa
Way below is a house, but
look at the drop off from the edge. Yikes. How they farm here is heroic
Pinhao, where we rented a so
called Quinta. Google Maps took us the long way round and got us incorrectly to the
village at the top of the hill. We were scraping the sides of the car on the
narrow streets; we were not based there..
Our house Casa Branco (red arrow), was a way below and Lynne walked down
with a local child to find it. She had had enough of steep narrow roads. If you
want to tour the Douro without stress, take one of the boats moored on the
river below, two days up and two days down, accommodation and meals and visits
to the Quintas included, with transport arranged. Expensive, but worth it we
reckon after driving the length of the Valley, which was not fun
Amorim Cork owns Quinta Nova
and we were invited there for a wine tasting and lunch. We were so excited and
set out from Pinhao. Google Maps took us across and West along the river. We could
see the Quinta from the other side, but Google then took us South, away from
it. We knew it was wrong and turned back, so it guided us down river to the
next bridge still going west, a matter of 30 minutes away. Then North across
the bridge and into the deep countryside of small vertiginous winding roads for
another half an hour until we finally got there. Going home it took 15 minutes direct back to
Pinhao going East, same side of the river. SOOO frustrating
The views of the river and
surrounding vineyards are wonderful. You can take a train to the station at the
bottom of the hill from Pinhao – it only takes 5 minutes - and they will
organise a transfer up the hill to the Quinta – the easy way to get there. Wish
we had known
The Eiffel designed Ponte
Luis V Bridge over the Douro in Porto
Dinner in Porto at Le Petit
Lapin on the riverside
The Champagne cork factory at
Amorim
We had an impressive vintage
port tasting at Cockburn's arranged by Amorim and during the tour we met and
chatted to Mr Paul Symington, the MD of the company that owns 26 individual
estates including Dow, Symington's, Graham's and Cockburn's
Inside the Cockburn's Port
House
The view from the Yeatman
Hotel in Porto,
lovely to watch the sunset
with a glass of White Port and Tonic
So much history crammed into
such a small space. It is a very hilly city and we walked miles
And lost 6 kilos during the
holiday - hurray!
The awful discovery of the
break in to our car when they got all of John's camera equipment from the boot
The Changing of the Guard
outside the Hieronymite Monastery in Belém, Lisbon
The Hieronymite Monastery and
the Church of Santa Maria, Belém
Pasteis de Nata, from the
bakery in Belém in Lisbon, the best in the world
The town hall at Sintra, near
Lisbon. John was meant to meet Joaquim and friends there (we were in separate
cars),
but he spent so much time driving around to try and find parking that he only had enough time to take this photograph
to show that he'd been there!
but he spent so much time driving around to try and find parking that he only had enough time to take this photograph
to show that he'd been there!
Where could we get another
lens for Lynne's camera? Yes, Portugal also has Cash Converters
and a used Nikon lens was found for R800!
and a used Nikon lens was found for R800!
The famous Belém Tower on the
bank of the Tagus estuary, built between 1514 and 1520
and dinner in the amazing
Time Out Market in Lisbon
Famous local chefs have stands and you can buy great food for very reasonable prices from them
Famous local chefs have stands and you can buy great food for very reasonable prices from them
Lynne was convinced that she
was the Corte Inglese (short English person)
We left Lisbon in a monsoon
style storm
on the way to the José de
Sousa Winery in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Alentejo,
where we tasted their wine with two German wine merchants
where we tasted their wine with two German wine merchants
Yes, they do still use these
19th Century terracotta amphorae
Impressive
The Feria gates in Seville on
the last night of the festival. Such fun
The showground
A whirl of skirts as the
ladies dance the flamenco
An icy cold night, so we
ended with churros and hot chocolate. Lynne is finding this one a bit hot on
the tongue
Sunday lunch on a pavement in
Seville
Horse drawn carriages
and a very, very helpful
Tourist office
The 13th Century Abd-el_Aziz
portico in Seville. 800 years old and still has classical elegance
and simplicity on the way to the Alcazar palace
and simplicity on the way to the Alcazar palace
But first you queue for the
tickets! Hot but worth the nearly hour long wait
Elegant horse-drawn carriages
and a fountain in the centre of the city
we did manage to walk across
the park as far as the famous Plaza de España
It's a really lovely city to spend time in. And not many hills ...
It's a really lovely city to spend time in. And not many hills ...
Up bright and early next
morning to visit Sandeman Sherry. We wanted to visit Gonzalez Byass (Tio Pepe)
but they don't open till noon. Fortunately, Sandeman opens at 10, so we had a
very good cellar tour and sherry tasting there. It is time for Sherry to become
fashionable again. It is a wonderful apéritif and a good accompaniment to food.
South Africa used to produce some really good examples, but the few that remain
cannot compete with the Spanish, sadly
Lisa, our guide who spoke
excellent English and was very informative, wearing the traditional Sandeman
cloak and hat outfit. She knew we were informed, so she added to our knowledge
Our companion tasters, Janet
and John, were British. They added tapas for another €8 each
Calle Moriscos, Córdoba on a
rainy evening. Our address for two comfortable & hospitable nights. Thank
you Arantxa and Berni
They took us up to our room
in the sky and settled us in
It was a small bachelor
apartment on the roof of their house, next to the ancient church, Real Iglesia
de Santa Marina de Aguas Santas and with lovely city views. Small but, as
estate agents say, perfectly appointed with a bathroom and minimal kitchen;
it was warm and comfortable
it was warm and comfortable
Our terrace where we could
sit and enjoy our breakfast,
weather permitting, and a
sundowner in the evening
This is the patio in the
Palacio de Viana, a Renaissance building. It was formerly known as the Palace
of the Bars of Don Gome, in reference to one of its first owners and is an
example of ancestral homes of the Cordovan nobility
On the way to the Alcazar, we caught this glimpse of a skilled guitar maker in his workshop
A view from the battlements
of the gardens in the Alcazar, with cooling pools
This one was filled with huge
carp
The Avenue of the Monarchs
which features statues of all the monarchs who had connections with the
palace-fortress, between the cypress columns
Inside the Royal Stables of
the Andalusian Riding School, adjacent to the Alcazar; Caballerizas Reales de
Córdoba
It was founded by King Philip II in 1567, predating the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
The Andalusian horses are the ancestors of the Lippizaners in Vienna
It was founded by King Philip II in 1567, predating the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
The Andalusian horses are the ancestors of the Lippizaners in Vienna
The Roman Bridge of Córdoba
was originally built by the Romans in the early 1st century BC
across the Guadalquivir
river, though it has been reconstructed at various times since
Most of the present structure dates from the Moorish reconstruction in the 8th century.
Most of the present structure dates from the Moorish reconstruction in the 8th century.
Still carrying traffic after
1300 years
An evening walk in old
Córdoba on the way to
our last supper in Córdoba at
La Taberna la Sacristia
More Castles in Spain as our
journey continued from Cordoba to Granada through beautiful countryside
We needed to stop for lunch and it was this castle that drew us to the small town of Alcaudete in the province of Jaen
We stopped in this flower meadow high above the town for the best view
We needed to stop for lunch and it was this castle that drew us to the small town of Alcaudete in the province of Jaen
We stopped in this flower meadow high above the town for the best view
The mountains are covered in
olive groves
The mountains 20 minutes away
from Granada are the Sierra Nevada and they had a very good covering of snow
The river Genil was in spate from the snow melt
The river Genil was in spate from the snow melt
We walked down the river
looking for somewhere to have dinner and found this very historic restaurant,
Las Titas
Those are not clouds above
the mountain, but the snow. It was chilly but bright
It was the weekend and we
were in the main tapas area in Granada
We were so lucky to get a table so quickly, most places had long queues
We were so lucky to get a table so quickly, most places had long queues
We had tried fruitlessly
since January to buy tickets on line for the Alhambra with absolutely no luck.
None of our three days in Granada had ever been available. We tried for
cancellations at midnight, religiously, without any luck. We took the bus up to
the castle but they were not available there either. Only 7000 are sold every
day and we suspect that most of them go to the tour guide companies who add
their fees. So €15 if you go on your own or from €43 up to €86 with a tour
guide; that is per person and it doesn't guarantee that you will see the entire
palace, as friends of ours found before us. Far too rich for our blood, but
they were all full anyway. And we were not even in season. Very commercial, and
very, very disappointing. When John went there in 1971, Spain was obviously a
much less popular destination and there was no entry fee and also no
restriction on the number of visitors. One pays a separate fee now for each of
the different areas of the Alhambra; on the earlier visit, everything was open
as you can see bits of what you are missing from the path. You have views of the city as you walk down
The menu has pictures!
Happy, smiling and helpful.
Selim is from Morocco which may be why he speaks such good English
He has always been in the tourist industry. His father-in-law owns the restaurant
He has always been in the tourist industry. His father-in-law owns the restaurant
We ordered the tapas plate,
as that was what most people were eating. Huge gambas (prawns), deep fried
calamari, small sardines in batter (very fishy tasting with bones, you either
love these or hate them), picante deep fried green peppers, Hot spinach
croquettes, huge green olives, Salmorejo topped with jamon, pork in a Pedro
Ximenez sauce with tomato and garlic, pimento red peppers with onions -
absolutely divine, and a Russian salad with lots of mayonnaise. We had hoped to
order more food after this but it defeated us. A lovely meal; so different from
other less exciting tapas on the journey
The riverside walk is very
popular
John wanted us to stop in
Valdepeñas in Spain to taste some of their wines, this being one of the largest
wine growing areas in the country. It
was an adventure, but we were not successful in tasting any wine. They have not
yet discovered wine tourism; you can buy wine at the wineries (well priced) but
not taste any before you buy. There was
no AirBnB or Booking.com accommodation available for the night we needed, but
Lynne did find a roadside motel in Santa Cruz de Modela
despite driving many kilometres and stopping at two commercial wine plants
Lunch was necessary after our
small breakfast in the motel, so we drove into Valdepeñas. It was raining and
extremely cold; everything was closed for lunch. We asked a local and were
given directions to the central square - Plaza de España with these historic
buildings which house two separate (owned by the same people) restaurants. It
was Monday and they were very busy, as most of the smaller places were closed
We resumed our drive through
the ancient vineyards of Valdepeñas and took photos of these old bush vines
We've always thought of this type of viticulture as particularly South African, so this was an interesting find
So carefully planted in this stony clay soil, in precise rows
We've always thought of this type of viticulture as particularly South African, so this was an interesting find
So carefully planted in this stony clay soil, in precise rows
Lynne took photos with her
Kindle Fire
And then the storm hit us. As we went through this small village it was
snowing and had laid down a couple of inches of snow in a couple of minutes. On
the exit to the town, there was no snow and the road was dry, so localised and
so fierce were these storms. We were off
to Toledo
Toledo's old city wall and
the Alcazar
The old city of Toledo dates
back about 2000 years. It was built on top of a steep hill, a challenge for
old, tired legs
To help, a seven stage escalator system was built on the east side of the city and another in the west to take pedestrians
from the new city at the bottom of the hill up to the top. It was opened by King Juan Carlos I in 2000
To help, a seven stage escalator system was built on the east side of the city and another in the west to take pedestrians
from the new city at the bottom of the hill up to the top. It was opened by King Juan Carlos I in 2000
We headed for the Charles V
Hotel which has a rooftop bar with a view and were shown, after a short wait,
to a table on the side with great views of the old city and its rooftops, looking toward the Church of San Lorenzo
to a table on the side with great views of the old city and its rooftops, looking toward the Church of San Lorenzo
For lovers of Iberian ham.
Hams hanging from the ceiling of a Charcuterie shop
John thought we were going to
have another café Menu del Dia. But Lynne thought it was time we pushed the
boat out
and she'd spotted this hotel restaurant on our way to the museum. The draw card was the 7 course degustation menu
She was missing complex food. We were reverting to type!
and she'd spotted this hotel restaurant on our way to the museum. The draw card was the 7 course degustation menu
She was missing complex food. We were reverting to type!
Described as red tuna belly,
the small shavings of fish were delightful but the three slivers disappeared in
an instant. It was placed on wafer thin prawn crackers, guacamole, samphire,
lime and lemon spheres and pansies. Absolutely delicious, but only a moment's
satisfaction as it was so minute. More tuna please chef. That is their local
olive oil in the background
the El Greco museum is a
supposed replica of the house of Doménikos Theotokópoulos, widely known as the
artist El Greco. We wanted to visit it, but need to let you know that not all
is what it seems. It is in a house in the Jewish quarter in which they thought
he once lived. It turns out that it is not his old house, but it has been
turned into his museum. Entrance was free for us (not sure why but probably
because we looked ancient and pensioners get in free of charge). The paintings
are copies of El Greco's work by other local artists and works of his pupils
You can visit the cellars
which have been excavated beneath the building. Apparently they are all that
remains of the palace built by Samuel ha Levi in the mid 14th Century. He was
the treasurer of king Pedro I "the Cruel" of Castile and founder of
the Synagogue of El Transito in the Jewish Quarter of Toledo
A Toledo turner at his lathe,
turning a ball from a block made up from different coloured pieces of wood
So good to see a real craftsman and his tools
So good to see a real craftsman and his tools
Our final stop in Spain was
Madrid and we had no idea how much this city had grown. Put it in the same
bracket as London and New York - it is vast. We had to exit the motorway half
an hour before we even saw the City and entered a rather daunting series of
ring roads to get to our AirBnB, which was on the other side of the city. We
had purposely booked somewhere on the outskirts as it had good rail connections
to the city and we had no desire to drive into the centre. Probably one of the
nicest places we booked on our tour, it was a small apartment attached to a
large house with a kitchen, diner, lounge, bedroom and our own sheltered
courtyard. It was a sunny courtyard some of the time, as we were still being
plagued by Europe's very wet and chilly Spring! The owners are English and
Dutch, so communication was no problem and they were very friendly and helpful.
They have lived in Spain for many years
The comfortable lounge area.
We had TVs in most of the places we stayed in, but rarely turned them on except
to see the news
Our courtyard
Exiting the Plaza Mayor onto
a side street
and we found, we must admit
by accident, the longest operating restaurant in the world, according to the
Guinness Book of Records. Botin has been open since 1725. Lots of tourist groups were
going in and it did look charming until we saw the menu. It looked good, but
the prices were scary; even the menu of the house which was about three times
the price of our normal lunches
And round another corner, a
Mercado. It was just about to close for lunch; we ran in and explored quickly.
We so wish we could do this in South Africa, but we just don't get it right. All that is sold here is food to purchase and take home to cook. So fresh and tempting
The Royal Palace of Madrid,
another with architectural references to Buckingham Palace
and John took us on a return trip after
47 years to the famous statue of the Man of La Mancha,
part of the Monumento
Cervantes in the Plaza de España
And finally on our list of
sights to see for the day, the Temple of Debod presented in 1968 by Egypt to
Spain in gratitude
for the help provided by Spain in saving the Abu Simbel temples from being buried beneath the waters of the Aswan dam
Sadly for us, it was closed for renovations
for the help provided by Spain in saving the Abu Simbel temples from being buried beneath the waters of the Aswan dam
Sadly for us, it was closed for renovations
We had a lazy morning, the
end was nearing and we were becoming a little weary of travel
We then went to another local restaurant in our area, which was Fuencarral. We began with a refreshing ale
We then went to another local restaurant in our area, which was Fuencarral. We began with a refreshing ale
A special tip if you are
heading for Madrid. Turn up at 5 and get into the queue; they open the
Prado museum to 500 people for two hours at 6 each evening, free of charge. You
might have to wait an hour, but not more, and queueing beneath the trees is
quite pleasant. Just take hats and water. You can try to turn up later, but the queue is long and you might miss
the cut off
It is a most impressive
building
We got our free tickets and
entered at 6
We had marked on the
programme the pictures we most wanted to see, like this El Greco and the Goya
collection
and had to really motor through the museum to see most of those. It is huge, just like the Louvre; make a plan beforehand
or you will wander aimlessly. (Strictly speaking you are not allowed to take photos....John sneaked this one with his phone)
and had to really motor through the museum to see most of those. It is huge, just like the Louvre; make a plan beforehand
or you will wander aimlessly. (Strictly speaking you are not allowed to take photos....John sneaked this one with his phone)
Coming out at 8 pm, having
seen Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Goya's Naked & Clothed Majas, Tiepolo,
El Greco and Velasquez as
well as some works which were new to us, we were quite Pieta'd out and
exhausted
We sorted out which track we
were supposed to be on and arrived back in our neighbourhood to see a lovely
sunset
It was time to leave Madrid
and head back to Portugal. We left early in the morning of May 6th, as we had
several hours drive ahead of us. At lunchtime, we stopped in the small town of
Ciudad Rodrigo near the border which is the last stop at which we could buy
petrol in Spain, where it is much cheaper than in Portugal and we were after
some lunch. Well, we got the petrol.... and then encountered this religious
procession celebrating Spanish Mother’s Day, we think, which is why they were
carrying statues and banners of Mary
It was poppy season
Finally, at about 4, we
arrived back in Porto, to stay in our third AirBnB there, this time right by
the sea, which we had been
missing (We booked
three different places, specifically so
we could see
different aspects of
Porto). If you live by the sea,
it is like an essential part of your life and when we travel inland, we feel
its absence. It was Sunday afternoon and
the scene was so familiar. Everyone was out walking on the promenade of
Lavadores in Vila Nova de Gaia
The sun was out, it was warm;
you could smell the Atlantic sea salt and ozone and hear the waves. So we got a
table,
sat down and had something to drink - a beer for John and a gin and tonic for Lynne while we waited for our landlord
to say our accommodation was ready
sat down and had something to drink - a beer for John and a gin and tonic for Lynne while we waited for our landlord
to say our accommodation was ready
A comfortable and calm
bedroom and a nice spacious flat. Our landlord, Gergely Suto, is a Hungarian
who has lived in Portugal for many years.
He is a professional musician who plays the clarinet in the Orquestra
Sinfónica do Porto and was a mine of information about the area and where to
shop and eat. He told us of a local
restaurant where we could eat fresh fish and seafood very cheaply
The view of the estuary of
the Douro into the Atlantic from our AirBnB window
Once we were settled in, we
headed for the restaurant called Café Vapor, which Gergely had recommended and
found him there, also waiting for a table and he invited us to join him. It is on the riverside in the Fishermens’
village on the sea side of the Ponte
d'Arrábida bridge and only about six
minutes from the apartment
Loads of character, no booking and lots of chaos. We had to stand and wait for a table for what
seemed like hours (actually a bit less than an hour), but it was worth it. The waitresses are more concerned about
getting the food out to customers than about who should be getting seated
first, but that is how the cookie crumbles here
We started with a plate of
tapas. From top left: baby prawns, so sweet; you can eat them whole or just
pluck off the heads - it takes too long to take off the shells; small
empanadas, a very, very good octopus
salad, huge fresh mussels in garlic and olive oil
Should have had those prawns,
a big regret, instead had the squid, which they do not clean
We had another bottle of wine
and enjoyed the late evening air. The bill was ridiculously cheap, we split it
three ways, as requested by our
landlord, and it came to €39 for
everything, so €26 for us. Head there if
you are going to Porto, but do be prepared to wait for a table, for service and
for the food. As we said, it’s worth it
A great end to a very long
day. Porto by night
We found and then went into
the Tourist Information office and this was where we learned that the market
was closed. We asked the lady where she recommended that we should go for
lunch, as we wanted to eat more traditional Portuguese food. She directed us to two restaurants at the top
of town that we just could not locate
But eventually, after lots of
walking up hill following the Tram lines to Rua de Santa Catharina, we
found ourselves in the area of the famous Francesinha (transl. The
Little French woman) - the Portuguese
version of a French Crocque Monsieur, apparently a must
to have while in
Porto. It's supposed to be steak, ham, and a Linguiça sausage wrapped in
two slices of bread and then covered in melted cheese and a secret beer, tomato
and chilli sauce. And it can have a fried egg on top of it. Cholesterol heaven
or hell according to your health. Apparently the locals ration themselves to
only two a month. But where to go, which was better? Exhaustion chose Casa
Ribeira for us and the sight of these two lovely beers was inspiring
A portrait of the
Photographer, looking weary
And then we spotted what our
neighbours had ordered. They were a friendly couple about our age from Germany,
so conversation was not difficult. They had also done a trip very similar to
ours. We had to ask what this was, assuming it was a folded Tramezzino. But no,
it was a rather disguised Francesinha wrapped in Pizza dough. We decided to
order it, but there were two sizes on the menu. This they informed us that they
had the small one! Thank heavens we knew, it was enormous. It came with chips
and was indeed topped with cheese and the beer sauce. You can see the large
steak, the ham and the sausage inside. Absolutely, wickedly good. But not to be
repeated in pizza dough, which mostly got left on the plate. We have to try the
one in bread another time
Boat tours cost from about
€15 to €18 for half an hour to 40 minutes;
you go up and down the river
briefly and visit one or two port houses
We decided that we had such a
good experience at Sandeman in Jerez with the sherry tasting that we would try
their Port tasting. That was until we found out the price of the tour, which
ends with a tasting of just two ports, the Red and the Non Vintage, was going
to cost us €45 each. Think of the magnificent meal we could have for €90?! (at
that time nearly R1350). So we settled for a table at the bar outside and
ordered a glass of each of those ports to share
Tasting portions arrived;
they are not generous and they cost €7 (R105). The red was like raspberry cool
drink and the non vintage was intensely sweet without any character whatsoever.
Had we paid the €90 we would have been furious. Sorry Sandeman, you have to do better if you want people to drink more
port, show them something worth drinking
Our flight home the next day
was not till the early evening and the car had to be back by 10am. One last
trip to our favourite shop before then. They tell us we don’t have a big enough
customer base for them to open in South Africa. We think they are so wrong, we
think most of the rest of Africa will head our way to buy the very good quality
and well-designed things that IKEA sells. Each time we go to Europe, we bring
things home to aid our lives. This time it was tiny LED spotlights on movable
stalks for over the bed, so we don’t need bedside lamps. More space for books!
Time to board the Air Angola
plane for home, with a 2 hour stop off to change planes in steamy Luanda; It is
a really reasonable way to get to Europe and much quicker than going via
Istanbul or the dreaded Dubai. From Portugal, you can take Easy Jet or Ryan Air
to anywhere in Europe for very little money
We arrived back, quite
exhausted, to Cape Town at about 13h30 and John had a great, inspired suggestion
- that we go and have some lunch at the Spur, as we had nothing waiting for us at home and we would be too tired to go
to the supermarket or cook
A Hamburger each with avo,
cheese, bacon and onion rings, chips and a beer cost us R300. Almost the same
as a three course Menu del Dia with drinks in Iberia! Uber home to bed, recovery and unpacking. And a thousand emails each to deal with.
Happy days. What a great trip it has been, barring a few detours
Rory working out how to get
to the sparrows outside the window
His adversary
Lion's Head sunset glow
Blood Moon. Lunar eclipse,
Sea Point, Cape Town 22h27 27th July 2018
We celebrated Lynne's birthday with lunch at Chef's Warehouse in Constantia
We celebrated Lynne's birthday with lunch at Chef's Warehouse in Constantia
We began with two lovely
crisp buttery slices of layered paratha topped with lime marinated, lightly
seared angelfish, resting on cream and topped with a lime chutney and coriander
sprouts. The spicy chutney made this dish, it was like popping candy! The fish
was fresh, succulent and a bit shy
Bottling the Sauvignon
Semillon blend from the Vineyard Hotel's little vineyard (in which we have a
vine) at Klein Constantia
We took 16 members of our
wine club on a weekend jaunt to the Southern Cape and most of us stayed at the
Stanford Valley Guest Farm, where each couple had their own cottage; some self
catering, others not. It is a vast place, with a good restaurant and close to
the town
We began our weekend not with wine, but with
a good local beer from the local establishment, the Stanford RePUBlic
Out on the stoep with Dr
Johnnie Fisher, maxillofacial surgeon; there is not much seating. The August
weather was still chilly
Dinner in the Manor house
and tasting wine at Raka
On the road back to Stanford
we did get a little lost and ended up touring the wonderful Nature Reserve
where we saw so many of these beautiful pink proteas
where we saw so many of these beautiful pink proteas
A nasty surprise on returning
home - the house had been burgled. Not much loss, but our bedroom was a mess!
We think they were after guns, money or drugs... wrong place
On heritage day, we visited
the Zeitz MOCAA art museum in the re-purposed old grain silo at the V&A
Waterfront. The almost sculptured ceiling was carved out of the silos. The
architect who designed this was extremely creative with what must have been a
very daunting space
The view from the sculpture
terrace on the 5th floor, back towards Table Mountain and “our” mountain, Lions
Head. The terrace has glass floors which top the silos below; not great to walk
on if you have vertigo. They have applied a pattern to make it less daunting
A hot Sunday at Robertson
Wine Valley's Wine on the River Festival
Perspiration cools you down.
Lynne was about to go into meltdown
During the Robertson weekend,
we stayed at Bushmanspad Estate near Ashton and, of course, tasted their wines
Blue cranes by the road on
the way to Bredasdorp
John finished the year by
appearing in a couple of Takealot TV commercials
driving an old bakkie down a dusty road and choosing a braai
driving an old bakkie down a dusty road and choosing a braai
and making his
"wife" some iced coffee
We celebrated his 73rd birthday at
the Mount Nelson with Simonsig, who celebrated 50 years of independent
winemaking
Nomvuselelo (known to us as
Vivian, her English name) Memani decided to retire after looking after us for
25 years
and went back to the Transkei, tired of fighting with Cape Town's troubled public transport
and went back to the Transkei, tired of fighting with Cape Town's troubled public transport
The 3 bedroomed house we
rented in Lambert's Bay for about R700 per night
Very comfortable with all the
essentials
and a view of the Atlantic
across a very quiet road
The Cape gannets on Bird
Island, Lambert's Bay
Sundowner on the deck
and, of course, a braai -
boerewors, lamb chop (for Lynne) and
sirloin steak (for John)
The meat chef
The beach braai at
Muisbosskerm is a fantastic experience
Lynne on the beach at
Elandsbaai
Dressed to match the seascape
and tasting wine at Fryer's
Cove winery in Doringbaai (Working!)
We visited Namaqua wines in Vredendal
These tanks (and there are plenty of them) hold about 1.2 million litres each
These tanks (and there are plenty of them) hold about 1.2 million litres each
Winemaker, Renier van
Greunen, took John up the stairs to the top
Lynne preferred the view from
below
and, on our way home, a stop
for an excellent lunch at Russell's on the Port in Port Owen
The Christmas tree is
decorated in Crystal this year, to go with our new soft turquoise and blue
walls
Christmas treats await
consumption
And so another year fades off
into the sunset
The years are speeding by a little too fast for our liking!
The years are speeding by a little too fast for our liking!
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2019
