Ok, just in case you were wondering (my family already knows this) I have been waiting for this weekend for basically the entire time I've been here. Cape Point was a must on my list of things to do, and my dad and I had been talking about Franschhoek since before I even left. We started off Saturday morning very early. We were surprisingly able to get the whole group to the train station by 8 a.m., which is quite an accomplishment for seven people. We took the train down to Fish Hoek where we met Erin and James, who were kind enough to not only join us but to drive us to and from Cape Point. I was quite a drive, and we drove along the ocean basically the entire way down. The views were absolutely stunning. When we arrived at the entrance of the park I was a little worried about all of the clouds, luckily in no time the disappeared and gave us the best possible weather we could have asked for. We first went to the Cape of Good Hope: the most southwestern tip of the African continent. It was beautiful, and being surrounded by nothing but cliffs and water was so peaceful. After taking lots of pictures, we headed to the point, where our lunch was waiting. On our way we passed by some ostriches running on the road, and also stopped at beach where the water was the most blue water I had ever seen. We finally made it to the point and found the Two Oceans Restaurant. We had a beautiful view overlooking the Indian Ocean. I got some delicious gnocchi and the most fabulous sushi I've ever had. After lunch we started walking toward the cars and out of no where, a baboon jumped up to grab Jasmine's leftovers. Several men came running with batons to scare away the baboon, but by that time it was too late and had already stolen the food. Baboons are sneaky mean animals if you didn't know. After our lunch we made our way up the hill to the lighthouse. The view was spectacular: seeing the green covered cliffs plunging deep into the bold blue water. It was very surreal. A few of us decided to walk down the hill on the other side to see the WWII bunkers and the newer lighthouse. After leaving the point we stopped at Buffels Bay beach, which was very quiet and calm. We were almost attacked by a baboon there so we decided to leave and head to the other side of the peninsula: the Atlantic Ocean. We took the long way home to Fish Hoek and stopped in Scarborough. Scarborough was everything I expected it to be and more. A little hippie surfer town where small homes lie right on the beach. It was an everybody knows everyone type town. I took some time to myself out on the big boulders that rested on the shore. The sunset was beautiful, and the waves crashing into the rocks and surfers in the backdrop really added to the view. It was the perfect way to end my perfect day.
Sunday we woke up early, once again, to head to Franschhoek. I could not contain my excitement and was thrilled to be experiencing this so-called amazing town. When we arrived in Franschhoek at the bike shop we were immediately given our bikes and helmets and headed out to our first winery. The first one was Grand Provence, where we got to taste an amazing Shiraz and look at some local artwork. On our way to the next winery we faced some challenges including a flooded bridge and several massive hills. At La Bourgogne we tasted five different wines and also got to try their fresh olive oil and olives. We made our way to lunch by winding through the vineyards and olive trees. Our final destination was at a fabulous fancy restaurant that served us French-style foods. We headed back to the starting point where we were given a complimentary bottle of wine. After the long day, our driver was kind enough to bring us to two other wineries to see their amazing views of Franschhoek and the Black Mountains. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place, and if it was that beautiful during their winter months than I can't even imagine what it would be like in the summer. I will tell any person who goes to South Africa, to make a trip to Franschhoek because it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with beauty, great food and wine. What could be better?!
On our way home we drove through Stellenbosch, a college town, and stopped in Muizenberg. Muizenberg beach, or Surfer's Corner, was extremely busy and filled with surfers. It seemed really fun and I wish I would have known about it earlier, but we were exhausted and ready to go home. Later that night we went out to eat at Chai Yo, a Thai restaurant. It was my first time having Thai food and I absolutely loved it, of course. I definitely will be eating much more of it when I come back to the states. The weekend was amazing and I couldn't have pictured it any differently. I only have one week left and am looking forward to what it will bring me.
xoxo,
Alexandra
