Cape Town to the Wine Country

I am sorry that the last post somehow published before I finished or proofread it, but in any event our dinner in the Lord Nelson restaurant in the hotel was terrific. It is a beautiful oak paneled room with a fireplace and dark carpeting. All of our dinners were great, and of note were the meals selected by Marc and me--cold smoked crocodile as a starter followed by ostrich filet's for a main course. The crocodile, prepared by the Hotel, was far milder than expected and not at all chewy. The ostrich was the surprise. The cuts were thick, like a nice steak, and the meat was moist and full of flavor. I tried another pinotage and am looking forward to learning more about this wine.

We returned to the Ellerman for dessert and a final cigar. Our time in Cape Town has been terrific and we will miss this city.

We arose this morning for a drive to wine country, which is to Cape Town as Napa is to San Francisco. We were greeted at The Residence in Franschhoek and are in for another treat. It is a beautiful property, set amidst rolling hills which are today shrouded in a blanket of mist. The area has an interesting heritage. When the French Hugenots fled France for
Holland,they were offered the opportunity to settle in South Africa. Twenty-five families accepted and, eventually, all but one stayed. Each French family was required to live between
a German or Dutch family to compel their assimilation. Accordingly, the language and French traditions have long since died out. Today, only French names and the French wine-making tradition remain.

La Residance, Patti and Linda don't want to leave!

Back view

Courtyard

Our bath.  Linda wants to take it home!

Our room

Wine tasting at Graff

Reminded us of Prager Port Works in Napa, down to the cobwebs!

Lunch

Charles and our dinner

This afternoon may be painful. This village apparently has several high-end boutiques and Linda and Patti intend to go "power shopping". I'd better have several glasses of wine during lunch.