Postcard from Genève

September 2009 – Place du Bourg de Four

I am sitting here outside Chez Ma Cousine ‘on y mange du poulet’, (translation – at the house of my cousin one only eats chicken) which is just one of the little cafés in the square and having a rest after walking around the Old Town (lots of ups and downs and cobbled streets), with a large café crème. The sun is shining and it has been another very warm day, so I am glad of the shade of the umbrella above me. The Place du Bourg is lovely! This is the centre of the Old Town and has an 18^th century flowered fountain, which I am sitting next to. I have got into fountains in a big way since coming to Genève – they are everywhere, and all so different, flowers, sculptures – fascinating!

This spot attracts lots of little sparrows, fluttering between sips of water and baths at the fountain, to cheekily trying to pinch crumbs off the tables. They land on the tables and chairs around me, but are too quick for my camera, though I manage to capture one poised on the edge of the fountain, with his back towards me, of course!. There is the sound of someone playing a recorder, badly, from within one of the apartments in the square, shutters and windows wide open to the sun; and the constant murmur of people in conversation.

Although it is only four o’clock in the late afternoon, there is very little space at any of the cafés. Empty tables are soon filled. People are drinking cold beers and white wine, and coffee; friends meeting up – standing up to greet each other with the flamboyant kiss/kiss/kiss on both cheeks, Eh! Comment ça va? [Hey! How are you?] with happy smiling faces; husbands waiting for their wives to stop their shopping in the Rue du Rhone, Rue de Rive and Place du Molard (watches, parfumeries, fashion and chocolatiers); old ladies, very smartly dressed and coiffured, reading a book or a newspaper and a young student sits opposite me with her study books open on the table, making notes whilst sipping her Evian water.

Occasionally a young boy on his way home from school, will arrive at the fountain and climb up for a drink, dropping his school bag in the dust. Little children amuse themselves by running around the circumference, giggling as they hide from their parents. It is a busy, lively place, sunlight streaming through the autumnal trees. I have had to buy another coffee, as I am reluctant to leave just yet.

An elderly gentleman has come to sit at the table next to me; he is also alone; his red polo shirt matching the red umbrella under which he sits in the shade and together we observe all who pass by. Two young Genevois couples meet up and order bottles of Rosé wine and a tall jug of Pimms: they all light up a cigarette. It has struck me how many Genevois smoke. Must be how they keep so slim! Funny how we have become so used to no smoking in public in the UK that it is so noticeable in Europe! At another table in the next café with white umbrellas a beautiful Italian-looking lady is wearing the classic dark glasses and silver bands holding back her glossy black hair; she talks loudly on her mobile phone, hands gesticulating in the air – her large cup of cappuccino forgotten and going cold. Ah life is wonderful, but now I must go and make my way to the Promenade de la Treille to see the avenue of Chestnut trees and the world’s longest bench.

Ciao, ciao – I’ll write again soon xx

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Gourmet Capital

The final part of our South African trip took us back towards Cape Town along the N2 through George, Mosselbaai and Swellandam, where we stopped for a light lunch and to stretch our legs. There is a lovely Dutch Reformed Church there and an interesting museum, so Swellandam would make a good place to stopover en route to the Garden Route.

After Botsrivier we turned off onto the R321 towards Villiersdorp, a winding road with beautiful views across the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve and onto Theeswaterkloof Dam. Here we turned onto the R45 up through the Franschhoek Pass and then down a number of hairpin bends leading into the beautiful village of Franschhoek. The most awe-inspiring view has to be from the top of the Cat’s Road which is a series of hairpin bends winding itself up towards the Franschhoek Pass like a sleeping serpent. Coming over the Pass on the R45 from Theewaterskloof Dam, you have no idea of what is going to greet you once you have reached the top and started to make your way down.

Franschhoek has always been a huge favourite of mine – back in the days when I could not even dare to stop as it has always had a reputation for award winning restaurants and wine estates; top class boutique hotels, auberges, and guest houses (many located on working vineyards) and speciality shops.

This magnificent valley with its huge towering mountains on either side with spectacular vineyards that clad the mountain slopes has the most breath-taking scenery in the Western Cape (if not the whole of South Africa).

The valley was settled more than 300 years ago by the Huguenots, who brought with them their French culture and wine growing skills when they fled their homeland after Protestantism was outlawed. Some arrived at the Cape of Good Hope and were given land by the Dutch government in a valley called Oliphantshoek (Elephant’s Corner) so named because of the vast herds of elephants that roamed the valley. Soon after the Huguenots settled here, it became known as Franschhoek (French Corner).

As you drive into the village from the south you will notice the Huguenot monument, and close by the museum, which chronicles the history of those brave pioneers and the original Huguenot farms. You will also notice that many of the farms still bear French names and are often resplendent with a spectacular Cape Dutch homestead, towering oak trees and vast vineyards.

We stayed at Auberge la Dauphine (Klein Daupine), on the outskirts of the village. A beautiful spot, ringed by the Hottentots Holland Mountains, and with its own dam and summerhouse where you can sit with a bottle of inexpensive sparkling wine and watch the sun go down, turning the tops of the mountains pink and the sky ink blue.

We drove into the picturesque village and on our first night we ate at “French Connection” having West Coast mussels, crispy duck with raspberry sauce, potatoes dauphinois and stir fried vegetables (cut beans, carrots, courgette and mange tout), washed down with a superb bottle of Shiraz from one of the nearby cellars – Porcupine Ridge.

The following day we went back up the hill to Haute Carbière for their cellar tour and wine tasting which was pretty good and very cheap (R30) to taste 5 wines. Carbière belonged originally to a French Huguenot farmer, Pierre Jourdan who was given the land in 1694. In 1982 the vineyards were replanted in the tradition of the Champagne, and focus on Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay cultivars.

 “Come quickly, I’m tasting the stars” is a quote attributed to Dom Pérignon when tasting the first champagne.

Pierre Jourdan’s distinguished dry elegance reminds us with every tiny bubble gently exploding like a feather on the tongue to re-look at how exciting life can be… (Achim von Arnim, cellar-master of Haute Carbière)

We bought a bottle of Blanc de Blancs  - the sparkling wine described above (R98) to put into our fridge and booked a table in their gourmet restaurant for that night before heading back into the village to have a wander around. A host of shops and galleries line the Main Street with antiques, artwork, bookshops and bric-a-brac. There are several specialist shops including a chocolatier where we bought some hand made Belgian style chocolates (R26) and a fromagerie selling amazing looking cheeses. Don’t restrict your wandering to the main Street though, as it is rather nice to walk along the streets behind where you can see some lovely Cape Dutch architecture. After a light lunch (salad) in the village we returned to the auberge to rest.

Dinner at Carbière was, frankly, out of this world. All their items on the menu are available in half or full portions so you can have as many different dishes as you like. They also do tasting menus, pairing wines with each course.  We had the Cuvée Belle Rose (100% Pinot Noir fruit portraying elegant sophistication) with our starters: Prawn rolls with chilli jam and herb salad / pea, leek and asparagus tart with herb salad – the pastry so light it practically melted in your mouth; we both had chicken stuffed with a layer of lentils and server on a bed of Taglitelle, spinach, spiced cubes of butternut squash and very firm asparagus tips with rocket and chorizo jus, this was served with a Brut Sauvage (Yeasty with a creamy finish, wild and elegant mystique); desert was meringue with raspberries, raspberry coulis and strawberry yoghurt ice-cream (all delicious) and my husband had a most unusual looking desert consisting of 3 tiny sweet spring rolls stuffed with hot dark chocolate and served with a shot-glass of a white chocolate milkshake – exquisite – and this came with a glass of sparkling Blanc de Blancs. The whole lot came to R550 (around £40 at the time) plus a R5 tip for the car guard. I think that currently the tasting menu with the wines is still only R300 per person http://www.cabriere.co.za/menu

On our last day in the valley we decided to have a look at a few other vineyards in the area such as Grande Provence, Boschendal, and Glenwood and then drive over the mountains to look around the university town of Stellenbosch. Grande Provence is lovely and has a fabulous setting for their restaurant, Glenwood is in the little valley of Robertsvlei and surrounded by outstanding natural beauty.

Stellenbosch however, defeated us as we could not find anywhere to park! We drove around for a while but the centre was absolutely packed so we had a look at it from the car, admired the beautiful Cape Dutch-style homesteads, the university and the tree-lined streets.  If you do drive over to Franschhoek from Stellenbosch on the R310 – Helshoogte Road look out for Tokara Winery which is famous as an olive oil producer and located right at the top of Helshoogte Pass. Passing a village called Languedoc you come to Boschendal one of the most famous wineries with exceptional grounds. Boschendal is famous for its “picque-nique”  (mid Oct to April only) which you can buy in a basket and then eat in their gorgeous grounds and has a delightful manor house and herb gardens to visit. The farm Boschendal means “wood and dale” and was granted to Jean de Long in 1685. A fellow Huguenot, Abraham de Villiers bought it in 1715 and was responsible for the buildings you can see today.

Naturally, food was not far from our minds and we bought a glass of real lemonade and a chocolate and coffee ice-cream sundae from the Café (formerly slave quarters), sitting under the shade of the lovely oaks in the grounds of Boschendal  and watching the Jemima Puddleducks (pure white ducks) strutting around looking for tidbits – such a lovely hot day!

Our final dinner in South Africa was at the “French Connection” again. We had the mussels as a starter (from Walvis Bay) followed by sole and couscous with butternut squash, feta cheese, courgette and a pesto sauce. Finished off with a Dom Pedro Kahlua, double espressos and an amaretto. Sublime!

Need a reason to visit Franschhoek? Believe me when I say it is one of the most beautiful wine valleys in the world. And the food and wine ain’t half bad either.

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Tsitsikamma

After Addo we had to retrace our steps back along the Garden Route towards Cape Town. Another place I had wanted to stay in – primarily because I love the name – is the Tsitsikamma National Park. Tsitsikamma is a khoi word meaning “place of abundant or sparkling water” and the beautiful indigenous forest, protected by the State, is home to centuries old trees such as Yellowwood, Stinkwood, Hard Pear, Ironwood, Kamassi and many others.

Of course those of you who are extreme sports fanatics will no doubt of heard of this region as it is famous for the world’s highest bridge bungee jump – from the Bloukrans Bridge and you can even do zip-lining through the canopy of the trees or even go down the Storm’s River itself – on a rubber tube!

It is also well-known for the Otter trail, a spectacular trail between Nature’s Valley and the Storm River, as well as many other hiking trails in the Tsitsikamma Mountains amongst mountain fynbos and indigenous forests with wonderful river gorge and mountain scenery. There are plenty of rivers, streams and rock pools for swimming.

“J-BAY”

After leaving Addo by the Colchester exit we joined the N2 and drove East past the Sundays River. The San people originally named this river Nukakamma (Grassy Water) because the river’s banks are always green and grassy despite the arid terrain that it runs through. It looked a very pleasant spot to visit, but I wanted to pop into Jeffrey’s Bay – a long time favourite surf spot in the ‘70s. “J-Bay” as it is known to the locals, brings to mind surfing, sunshine and beautiful beaches – and you’d be right. Home to the Billabong Surfing Festival every July and rated among the ten best surfing spots in the world, surfers from across the globe come to enjoy the rolling surf. As quite often happens, I was disappointed with what I found there. It does have a lovely long and sandy beach, though at the time of our visit, not much surf, and therefore a lack of surfers; a Surf Museum and a Shell Museum which unfortunately we didn’t know about as they would have been fascinating to visit. All I saw was a depressingly long Main Street, lined with shopping malls and holiday resorts. I think that after the open wilderness of Addo, all these signs of humanity were a little bit too overwhelming at the time.

However, on entering Jeffrey’s Bay from PE you drive along the Kabeljous Estuary and Nature Reserve, which is a walk-about reserve that has a safe swimming beach and is an excellent fishing and bird-watching area. The Noorsekloof Nature Reserve (near the golf course) has a 3km trail running alongside a stream from which you can see many species of bird and some small buck and if it is bird-watching you are after, then the Seekoei River Estuary, as you enter the main town, is the place to go. There is an abundance of water fowl and a hide overlooking the river.

 Tsitsikamma

We continued onto the R102 to Humansdorp before re-joining the N2 and making our way to the Tsitsikamma Lodge where we had booked a delightful log garden cabin, complete with spa bath!  Slightly more luxurious than the rondavel with the blocked loo, and it’s own flattie (spider). Sitting outside on the private deck having a couple of Castle lagers and updating my travel journal before heading off for a stroll in the beautiful surrounding forest.

Dinner at 7p.m. that night was in the lodge restaurant – a set menu – broccoli soup followed by fish and salad, roast leg of lamb and seasonal vegetables, deserts and cheese and biscuits. We didn’t quite make it to the end, and were in fact in bed by 9p.m.

 Nature’s Valley

The following day we headed out to Nature’s Valley, the plan being to make our way back to the lodge from there. We had to go along the N2 and therefore through the toll plaza between The Crags and Storm River. No alternative as the R102 was still blocked due to the flooding in December (remember the tjoe-tjoe?). Chris from the lodge said that the problem was that local government was waiting for the national government to declare it a disaster area so they will pay for it. Meanwhile nothing is done!

Nature’s Valley is incredible – far nicer than Jeffrey’s Bay – in my opinion. Wide, white sands, a safe lagoon for swimming and all in peaceful, natural surroundings. No shopping malls, no garish developments, just a few houses and one pub/shop/restaurant at the far end, and some baboons! This is the end of the otter trail which is considered to be one of the best trails in the world. It is not an easy trail; it is 42.5 km long and takes 5 days to complete. It follows the rugged coastline and cliffs, returning to the shore line to cross rivers. Many years ago my sister-in-law did the trail and considered it one of the best things she ever did in her life. Sadly I have not done it, and probably never will now given the steep descents, difficult river crossings and dangerous rock scrambles.

We ventured a little way along the Salt River Walk, which starts from the shop at Nature’s Valley, is around 9 km long and takes a circular route along the beach and into the scrub forest. We followed the route in the opposite direction, along the beach until it wound up into the bush and became too steep to continue. I often get quite annoyed with myself at not being able to do the things I took for granted thirty years ago. Joints too stiff, overweight and under-fit, nervous of slippery slopes and sudden drops are the curses of becoming older and spending too much time working with computers.

Storm’s River

On the way back to the lodge, we drove down to Storm River’s Mouth. What a spot! Wild, windy, huge waves crashing on the rocks, such raw beauty! There is a lovely restaurant “Tigers Eye” overlooking the river mouth and small sandy beaches – Mooibaai and Sandbaai. We could have gone on a boat into the gorge itself, which looks pretty amazing, but getting on and off the boats looked a little tricky from our viewpoint, so we decided against it. Arrghh!!  BTW The ‘black water’ colour of the Storm River is caused by tannin leaching out of plant matter much like tea.

We did wander along the Mouth Trail though (only a short distance) up to Strandloper Cave and along to the suspension bridge and lookout point. Unfortunately we couldn’t get onto the bridge because the final part of the boardwalk leading to it had been burned in a fire – it was being repaired though, so hopefully open again now! Whilst doing this a sudden sea fret came in turning everything into one of those eerie sets out of a horror movie – all ghostly shadows and shapes, amid the constant boom of the ocean.

I am mesmerised by the surging waves coming in and breaking on rocks only metres away from the car, with such force and incredible energy. Next time I shall book a forest cabin right on this shore. (Book through SanParks)

Stopped briefly at Storm River Village, where you can do a Fern Tree Walk, but we were all walked out, and instead retreated to our log cabin to a large “vodka and tonic” and a soak in the spa bath! Luxury!

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Loads of Ellies

“Addo Elephant National Park is set deep within the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape. The original Elephant section of the Park was proclaimed in 1931, a time when just 11 Elephant roamed the area. Today, however, over 450 Elephant makes the Park its home, as well as Cape Buffalo, Black Rhino, a variety of antelope species and the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. The evenings are punctuated by the howls of the black backed jackal and the grey Cape Francolins (pheasant) call cackalac-cackalac-cackalac welcome the dawn.”

Part 1 – Going to Addo

We left Knysna at around 10 a.m. after another delicious breakfast and set off on the N2 towards Port Elizabeth. An uneventful journey apart from a heavy rainstorm near Jeffrey’s Bay and a 20 minute wait at road works. We followed the brown sign route to Addo Elephant National Park, which was a bit of a strange route leading to the R335 as it took us through a township on the outskirts of PE, and not a route I would have chosen myself. The sky was still heavy and we saw some dramatic lightning on the horizon, but it stayed fine.

We reached the park at 2.30 p.m. and drove to our pre-booked little rondavel overlooking the main entrance Nyati water hole which is floodlit at night. The rondavel was quite sweet – a queen sized bed, some drawers, a separate toilet and shower complete with flattie (a very large spider) and a washbasin. There was a fridge on the stoep and a table and chairs and braai facilities nearby plus a communal kitchen. The view was idyllic – from the stoep we had a feast of kudu, warthog families, ostriches and Egyptian geese; there was lots of evidence that elephant went there, but sadly we didn’t see any at that waterhole the whole time we were there. That’s not to say we didn’t see any ellies though. Far from it.

We took a short drive around the park before dark and saw warthogs, kudu and elephants. Sitting only feet away from two large, though young, elephants and watching them drink from the waterhole and greet each other by linking trunks was amazing – I have been fortunate to see elephants close up before, but this was a first for my husband and he was entirely mesmerised by the experience. There were times to come, when that experience was a little too close for comfort. After all these are wild animals, and more than capable of overturning a car.

Part 2 – Game Drive

It is 5.30 a.m. It is dark, it is cold, it is cloudy and it is raining. We are up because we have booked to go on an early morning game drive. The best time of day to see all sorts of wild animals, or so we have been told. At that moment all I wanted to do was turn over, pull the duvet over my head and go back to sleep!

At 6.15 a.m. we were off on a two hour drive. We didn’t see very much to begin with – it was wet and cold and if I was an animal I’d still be hiding in my den or burrow or wherever it is they spend the night. My hands were becoming numb – at this rate even if we spotted anything I’d never be able to work the camera. Suddenly we stopped. Everyone held their breath and looked around. The guide pointed to a shape in the distance – we looked, we wondered, and then we saw a caracal come into sight, the small cat slowly strolling towards us, its characteristic dark tufts on the large pointed ears and the long tail swinging behind it. Suddenly it stopped and stared right at us, then turned around and walked away, the flash of its white undersides contrasting with the black backs of its very prominent ears.

Satisfied now that the pain of getting up so early was worth it, we forgot about the cold and eagerly awaited the next “spotting”. It was a black backed jackal trotting away into the bush. It too stopped and looked around towards the noise of the vehicle, they apparently have an acute and well-developed sense of smell and hearing. The black-backed jackal is a slender creature and its sides, head and legs are a sandy tan to reddish gold in colour. Their back has a saddle from head to tip of tail that is black and white mixed hairs. Often the edges of the saddle are framed in bright rust.

 We next came upon a large herd (20+) of elephants making their way away from a water-hole into the bush – ranging from very large females to very small infants, then saw several ostriches, and in the very far distance, a lion. On returning to the main gate we interrupted a mother elephant with her very young calf having breakfast. The infant snuggled under its mother for a drink as Mom stripped the leaves from the top of the trees, pulling down the branches to reach the tender tips. As the vehicle slowly approached them trying to persuade her to move out of the way, she suddenly became quite cross and turning from her destruction of the trees and bushes alongside the road she faced the vehicle, stood with legs splayed, shook her head and her large ears menacingly, swung her long trunk and let out an enormous trumpet. It is widely known that elephant cows are very protective of their young and she was no exception.

The warning was just that though, and having made us aware of her displeasure of being disturbed at breakfast, she quietly shuffled off into the trees with baby following closely behind and within seconds the pair had completely disappeared. It never failed to amaze us how quickly these huge animals could vanish almost into thin air!

Part 3 – Not just Ellies

On a later drive on our own we managed to see some of the other inhabitants of the park including Burchell’s zebra, tortoise, the interesting dung beetle, kudu, red hartebeest, warthogs,  the fiscal flycatcher, the fiscal shrike, ibis, bokmakierie, greater double collared sunbird, and a bushbuck. We were amused by the sight of a campervan stuck at the side of the road because a tortoise had crawled underneath, to take advantage of the shade no doubt, whilst they had stopped to view a herd of elephants.

We were uncomfortably close to a large herd of rather muddy ellies returning from Harpoor Dam and had an even closer encounter with a huge bull elephant near Janwal Pan where fortunately we had just entered the gate at the lookout point and we were slightly higher than the giant. I prayed he didn’t step on my hire car which looked very white and very vulnerable all on its own. We then walked to the viewpoint overlooking the water hole which was void of any animals. Just as we were about to leave a cow arrived with three youngsters of varying sizes, right down to a tiny little thing which didn’t seem to know what to do with its trunk. The youngsters played around in the water like young toddlers everywhere having such fun, whilst Mom drank her fill, spraying the water into her mouth providing us with the most beautiful photograph. Eventually they’d finished drinking and entertaining us and off they went again, so we returned to see if our car had survived the onslaught of the elephant walk.

 That evening we sat outside our rondavel with a bottle of good South African red and watched the kudu and warthogs around the Nyati Water Hole for a couple of hours before going across to the restaurant for a meal. The downside of Addo is the restaurant – it is very basic and the food is not great – in fact several years earlier my ex husband suffered food poisoning from a boerewors roll at Addo and was so severely sick that I had to drive us back to Kenton-on-Sea in the dark on roads that were neither lit nor marked and to cap it all in torrential rain! Still we all lived to tell the tale. Anyway on this visit, we had no disaster food wise and the amenities were fine with the exception of a blocked loo which was a little bit yuck.

Leaving Addo

On day three it was time for us to leave and make our way back up the Garden Route towards Cape Town once more. We set off at 9.30 after a rather meagre breakfast of fruit salad (mostly apple and very tart pineapple) with yoghurt and muesli. We decided to leave the park by driving through to the southern access road and exiting at the Colchester Road gate which is on the N2 about 33 km west of Port Elizabeth. This took us along the early morning game drive route and once again we saw the kudu, ostrich and warthogs – disappointingly though still no cheeky meerkats this visit. Close to where we almost literally bumped into the herd of elephants yesterday, we found another group, though this time there were other cars with us, so the elephants didn’t feel quite so threatening – this group consisted of three females and their two babies – and although we were to go along the steep hill where the lone male lion was sighted in the distance, we did not expect to see lions at this time of the day.

Shortly after the spot where yesterday’s lion was seen, my husband thought he’d seen something at the side of the road ahead. We pulled up at the side of the road and I think both of us stopped breathing when a young male lion and 2 lionesses walked out of the bush onto the road in front of us. We were completely alone and they really are much larger than you think this close up. Whilst I was trying to operate the camcorder they carried on walking right up to the car and several thoughts rushed through my mind as to whether I’d heard of lions attacking a car, whether they liked or disliked the colour white (the colour of my car) and whether my collision damage waiver covered me from a dent in the roof from a large cat leaping on top, until after approximately 30 seconds I lost my nerve and throwing the camcorder to my husband, quickly put the car into reverse and retreated some metres up the road. The three lions sneered at me and calmly walked back into the bush. Considering that at that time there were only nine lions in the entire park we were incredibly lucky to see three of them together.

Continuing on into the Colchester section we were thinking how much nicer it was than the public road we had come in on when a kamikaze warthog leaped across the road practically in front of my wheels and a little further on a black bushbuck darted across. Fortunately neither was injured. The landscape is fantastic, sweeping hills, large termite mounds, prickly pears and in the distance the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere. On exiting the Colchester gate I reflected on our visit to Addo – it had been enthralling, slightly scary at times and certainly worth the drive there. As the price for a night at a private game park is way too much for us, we went to Addo and we don’t regret it for a moment – and should you find yourself in the Eastern Cape, South Africa – nor will you.

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The Garden Route

Probably the most famous drive in South Africa, and certainly the Cape, the Garden Route offers beautiful stretches of coastline, lakes, mountains and giant trees. The route is sandwiched between the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains and the Indian Ocean and although extremely busy in the peak summer season, is a lovely region to visit in the autumn when the weather is still warm enough for outdoors activities, especially hiking.

George to Knysna

We joined the route at George (see Route 62) and made our way through the traffic to connect with the N2 from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. After the tranquility of the Klein Karoo, it was a bit of a shock to hit commuter traffic once again. Driving through the Kaaiman’s River Pass along the N2 to Wilderness and seeing the string of lakes I was already regretting my decision not to stay in this lovely area as it looked fantastic and an obvious spot for bird watching. Anyway, another excuse to return to South Africa. Sedgefield is the next village en route and another lovely place among the lakes and sand dunes. This whole area is quite sensational.

Knysna

We arrived in Knysna at around 5:30 p.m. staying on the Leisure Isle on the edge of the lagoon with views to the Knysna Heads. OK, so maybe this wasn’t a bad decision after all!

If you have read my previous postings about this trip, (A Nostalgic Visit to Cape Town and Route 62), you will have realised that I am no stranger to these parts of South Africa. Though saying that, I have also only ever stopped along the Garden Route once which was in Plettenberg Bay.

I have travelled along the Garden Route many times on account of living in the Cape Peninsula and having in-laws in the Eastern Cape. Except for a coffee and a brief stretch of the legs Knysna has always been a town that I have wanted to see more of, hence the reason to stop here on this visit. A town that has attracted artists and hippies as well as bird watchers (Knysna Loerie, Woodpeckers etc) and always been a popular tourist spot has grown since the 1970s with the addition of the new waterfront. I was determined on this visit to actually have a chance to look around the town, and I wasn’t disappointed.

After settling into our B&B we walked to the centre of the Leisure Isle to a restaurant called “The Tides” which has an extraordinary chef. Dinner was calamari, prawns and our first Dom Pedro! We were hooked. Forget Irish coffees from now on we wanted Dom Pedros (preferably the Amarula variety), which are basically grown-up milk shakes. Seriously you have to try one. Walking back from the restaurant we were struck by the fact that it was the first time on our holiday that we felt safe out walking at night, (this may have had something to do with the security guard at the entrance onto the island) and the fantastically clear sky with millions of stars above us. A perfect end to a fascinating day.

One other thing to add about South Africa is the load shedding, which means that on certain days and at specific times, there is no electricity. I can’t say that it affected us in any major way, but you have to get used to the idea that there may not be electricity when you want a shower, but hey, showering by candlelight is fun! Sometimes you may not get a cooked breakfast, and sometimes you will find traffic cops directing traffic through towns as the robots (traffic lights) aren’t operating, but on the whole it just adds to the fact that you are somewhere different. I am not sure how I’d feel if I was trying to run a business though!

A Lazy Day Around Knysna

After the effort of driving all day yesterday from Cape Town to Knysna, around 500 km, we decided to take it easy today. It started out fairly cloudy with a little bit of blue sky which disappeared over a perfect breakfast. We took a stroll around Leisure Isle to walk off the impressive breakfast and also to see if we could spot any birds. We did manage to snap a couple including a lovely tiny sunbird right in the garden where we were staying, we then drove into the town and to the Waterfront. We first went to the station to see if we could get tickets for the Outeniqua Choo Tjooe, the steam train that runs between George and Knysna, but unfortunately all we could tell was that it didn’t appear to have been running for a while, as there were no signs of a timetable or any notice saying when the next train would be. We spotted a meter lady (lots of car parks in South Africa employ parking officers who take a fee for parking) and asked her if she knew what was happening with the train and she told us that it had stopped because of the flood. Another reason to come back – I have always wanted to do this train journey as the rails cross over the lagoon, pretty spectacular! We went for a stroll around the Waterfront instead, which has the usual souvenir shops and restaurants (but much, much smaller than CT) and by this time the sun had broken through the cloud and it was pretty hot.

(We found out later on in the trip that it was not running due to heavy flooding which happened seven months ago!)

After taking some photos of the lagoon, a very noisy duck, a heron and the Waterfront, we drove to Brenton-on-Sea, a place I had never heard about, and I’m not sure I want to share it either! To get there you go back along the N2 towards George, but immediately after the White Bridge turn off and go under the N2. Brenton has such a fantastic sandy beach with rock pools and unusual sandstone rock formations (similar to Kenton-on-Sea, which is a lovely resort east of Port Elizabeth and west of East London) at one end. You can walk along this beach to Buffalo Bay – which is a popular spot for surfers; it is around 7km return. As we were tired from yesterday’s driving we decided not to do the walk, but wandered along the beach for an hour or so anyway. Lovely views on the way back to Knysna.

[Food note: On the Brenton road look out for Pembrey, a lovely country restaurant]

We returned to the lodge and whilst my husband had a rest, I went wandering in the lagoon which was now a sandy beach as the tide was out. This spot is fantastic for families and young children as it is so safe and the water is shallow and warm. I did get a bit wet when I waded through the shoreline and hit a shelf; the water went from calf deep to thigh deep! Oh, well, it’s only water.

We returned to the Waterfront for dinner at “The Dry Dock”. Food was OK, slightly “nouveau cuisine” so not a lot of it which was OK for us. I had a wanton vegetable melangee to start with followed by linefish, aubergine, avocado and grapefruit, and my husband had mussels and calamari followed by linefish with prawns. OK maybe we should have had oysters, as Knysna is famous for them, but unless they are cooked we actually don’t like them. Finished with Dom Pedro Amarula again – I told you, they can become addictive and I don’t even like ice cream! Oh, and did I mention the incredible sunset? The whole lagoon turned orange – beautiful!

Finished the day sitting outside our room listening to the sound of cicadas and the gentle lapping of the waves in the lagoon – so peaceful, I could get used to this.

Onto Addo

Well, we couldn’t do South Africa without trying to view some of its wild animals could we? However, on a limited budget even one night in a private safari park was out of the question, so I booked us into Addo Elephant Park for a couple of nights in a tiny rondavel overlooking a water-hole. I had been to Addo on a previous visit in 1997, but hadn’t stayed overnight and we didn’t see many eles on that occasion although we did see a black backed jackal and a family of meerkats. Still I thought it would be an interesting experience for my husband to see a little bit of Africa which was unpopulated and the animals I love the most – elephants. The South African Experience continues with …..   Loads of Ellies

 

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Route 62

The “longest wine route in the world”, otherwise known as the Route 62 is known for its delicious wines and brandies. Route 62 meanders through incredible rock formations and narrow mountain passes

 

The second part of my recent trip to South Africa was to drive along the Garden Route and visit Addo Elephant Park – well at least it used to be an elephant park, but there is so much more there now including lions. As I never like to do the same journey there and back, I decided that we would drive through the Klein (Little) Karoo along Route 62 then at Oudtshoorn make for George via the Outeniqua Pass. I always think that the Garden Route really only starts at George and ends at Storm River, although this is hotly disputed and some say it starts at Helidelberg. We would do that stretch twice, but stop in different areas on the way.

Leaving Cape Town

So we set off after another great breakfast and leaving the Cape Peninsula behind us we headed for the N1 towards Paarl, getting stuck in two trafic jams on the way. As we limped past Century City I wondered about bypassing the Huguenot tunnel, a toll road through the Klein Drakenstein (Little Dragon Stone) mountains, and driving instead on the R301 up to Wellington and then across the R303 through Bain’s Kloof to Breerivier and then the R43 back towards the N1 at Worcester. This is a route that I have done several times before, including on my last visit to the Cape in 2000, and it is beautiful. I may be biased though as I find most routes in the Cape to be pretty awesome. However, I have never driven through the tunnel as this wasn’t built when I lived in the Cape, and the usual way out was up and over Du Toitskloof Pass which was often very unsafe with regular rockfalls. Given the amount of driving that we had to do and the time already lost, we decided to use the tunnel. It is a lovely tunnel, as tunnels go, and we quickly  emerged at the other side to some incredible views over the Breede River valley and the Hex River Mountains in the background.

We stopped off at the Worcester Ultra City to fill up and then left the N1 (so unfortunately missed the Hex River Valley, another stunning area especially in the autumn for the colours of the vineyards), and followed the N15 to Robertson. One important fact about driving in South Africa is that you have to pay cash at filling stations – they do not take cards. A very nice aspect though is that you get excellent service, someone fills up the car, your windows get cleaned and they  will even check oil and tires for you! All for a few Rands as a tip. I must admit though that I was nervous about carrying large amounts of cash with us, so I tended to fill up quite often to avoid this.

Valley of Wine and Roses

Driving to Robertson was a surprise as there are now loads of wineries, and it is known as the valley of wine and roses. I hadn’t realised that there were so many vinyards including Graham Beck, as I remembered it as mainly for fruit growing. Yes I know, grapes are fruit, but I’m thinking of orchards. Leaving Robertson towards Ashton and Montague we hit Route 62 and followed this to Ladismith at the foot of the Klein Swartberg range where we stopped for coffee. In fact as you drive into the town, you feel as though you are driving straight into the Toverkop (Bewitch Peak) which is famous for its cleft peak! The scenery along this route is incredible, towering mountains all around (Swartberg to the north, Langeberg and Outeniqua to the south), and driving through the farming communities of the Klein Karoo, with very little in the way of traffic, with the exception of one Harley-Davidson that we kept bumping (not literally) into over the next few days. Another driving fact – watch out for speed cameras! I never saw any on this trip, but there were times when I wasn’t sure of the speed limit as signage is not always very prominent. On my return to the UK I had collected 3 speeding tickets! I have never had one in the UK, and the only time I may go a bit faster is on a motorway, so I was not expecting them.

Klein Karoo

From Ladismith it is onwards to Zoar and Calitzdorp. We were doing this drive in the South African autumn but it was still rather warm so thank goodness for air con! I have driven through here in the mid summer when temperatures rise to 40 C and no air con – it does get very hot! There is lovely Victorian and Edwardian architecture in Calitzdorp and several wine cellars. However, we needed to get to Knysna where we were staying so didn’t stop. After Calitzdorp comes Oudtshoorn, the largest town in the Klein Karoo and famous for Ostrich farms and the Cango Caves. Well, it was famous for ostrich, but we didn’t see a single one! Even when we passed the Safari show farm on the way out – not one ostrich to be seen. Oudtshoorn is completely surrounded by mountains so whichever way you approach it is quite stunning. A place to stay overnight, I think, but not on this occasion. We continued along the R62 to Zebra (and once again I didn’t manage to get a photo of the building on the side of the road which is painted with zebra stripes), in fact that is the only building I have ever seen in Zebra!

Outeniqua Pass

Finally we left the R62  (N12) and went into the Outeniqua mountains, still the N12 / N9, and through the Outeniqua Pass. Unfortuately for us, clouds and thick fog had formed over the mountains and the views were not as stunning as they can be in clear weather, but stunning all the same. We wound our way down the serpentine curves to the town of George and the coast, silenced by the breathtaking mountains. Route 62 may not be the quickest way to reach the Garden Route, but it beats the N2 any day if you have the time. I just want to do it again only with time to linger longer in the towns of the Klein Karoo, so I guess we will be back.

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A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO CAPE TOWN – Day 4

Looking for Whales

On our final day in Cape Town we decided to drive around the False Bay coast to Betty’s Bay and on to Hermanus (good spot in the winter months for whale watching from land) and that was one of the best days of the trip – one I never actually did when I lived in Cape Town. I had to revisit Muizenberg, where I had lived for many years in the 70s and 80s and well before it went through a period of crime and depravation which almost ruined it. Now it appears to be on the up, with lots of investment in the region including new housing developments around the village, and the beach looking as fabulous as it ever was (although the beach huts have changed) so hopefully tourists will be encouraged back here. It really is a beautiful place, and for those of you who have never been here, I urge you to do so. It is not for the glitterati of Camps Bay or Clifton, but it suited me in the hippy days of the 70s as it is a laid back, peaceful and gentle surfers’ paradise.

Another must do is to drive along Baden Powell Drive (the R310) towards the Strand, then through to Gordon’s Bay with views back towards Muizenberg. You can then follow the R44 around to Rooi Els, Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay and from there onto Hermanus. Another stunning drive, and if you like penguins there is another colony at Stony Point, Betty’s Bay.

We parked in the Square in Hermanus and had a wander around this lovely little town which is quite charming. Winter is the best time to be here as you can see whales passing by, but it is a lovely town and has a fantastic long beach nearby (Grotto beach). Heading back we joined the N2 back to Cape Town. Make a stop at the top of Sir Lowry’s Pass for a bird’s eye view of False Bay and Table Mountain, but watch out for the signage, as you have to turn off the road almost immediately! The weather had changed again by the time we got back; lots of cloud had formed over the mountainside, but we made one last stop at Sunrise Beach nr Muizenberg to watch kite surfing, which looked pretty amazing.

Finished the day with steak, salad and poached pears in cassis and chicken cordon bleu, garlic mash and seasonal vegetables. Food was as good as always. We weren’t going to starve on this trip!

Highlights - far too many to say here, but I would recommend Mariners Wharf in Hout Bay for  lovely seafood and a wonderful atmosphere. It is designed as railway carriages inside, but photos are not allowed so I can’t show you this. (You probably need to book in the peak season); the drive from Cape Point to Hout Bay via the Misty Cliffs, Kometjie and Chapman’s Peak. The fantastic B&B “Klein Bosheuwel” within walking distance of Kirstenbosch where the hospitality is wonderful and the breakfasts outstanding (kept us going all day), not to mention the wonderful views all around. Kirstenbosch is unmissable and do please visit the False Bay coastline and villages, you won’t regret it. And this is just part of the Cape experience. More in Route 62

 

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A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO CAPE TOWN – Day 3

 

On top of the Table

The following day we decided to try and get up to the top of Table Mountain. Considering how long I lived here surprisingly I have only ever been to the top on 3 occasions, and only one of those was a bright and beautiful day. Things have changed on the top now, a larger restaurant and walled, paved areas, which makes it a much safer pleasure to walk around taking in the views, although you can wander off on hiking trails.

As neither my husband nor I are in the flush of youth, we took the cable car up and down. (I did attempt climbing to the top via Skeleton Gorge on my first visit to CT in 1973, but was thwarted by the weather closing in and having to retreat below the clouds. I did come away with a rather splendid spider bite though, so have an everlasting reminder.)

On this occasion the weather was perfect, the bluest of African skies and no wind. It seemed as though everyone else had the same idea though, and we ended up parking half way down the mountain slope, so were quite breathless by the time we reached the cableway. On reaching the top I felt as though I had come home. This was my Cape Town again. What can I say about the stunning vistas across to Hout Bay and Kommetjie and glimpsing Muizenberg through the mountain range?

 

Under Milkwood

A couple of hours later and armed with hundreds of photos we reluctantly went back down, and I drove over to the R27, the west coast road, to the western suburbs of Milnerton (a former home) and north towards Tableview, Sunset Beach, Bloubergstrand (blue mountain) and Melkbosstrand (milkwood trees) to take that famous photo shot of Table Mountain. I was not surprised at how much this area has changed over the years, so many new housing developments, but all so unattractive in my opinion. This is somewhere I had spent a lot of time dune walking and usually trying to get out of the wind which whips the sand across your legs with painful accuracy. Not today though. There was hardly a breeze, and lying on the beach looking at Cape Town and its incredible back-drop, “that mountain”, brought back many happy memories.  Eventually we returned to Constantia and spent another couple of hours in Kirstenbosch, taking yet more photos.

Dined again at Mariners Wharf – this time more Kingklip, chips and tartare sauce followed by Cape Brandy tart and ice cream and fruit pavlova with berries, raspberry coulis and granadilla sauce. A bottle of Nederburg Cuvee Brut accompanied it. Total cost £34

 

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A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO CAPE TOWN – Day 2

Pick Up A Penguin

The following day dawned sunny and clear. After another fantastic breakfast we drove down the M3 towards Muizenberg and took Boyles Drive to Kalk Bay. You have to stop here for the outstanding views from the top of Boyles Drive across Lakeside, Marina da Gama and the Cape Flats, and also over the entire False Bay. We stopped again briefly at Simonstown and visited the museum there, housed in a lovely building “The Residency” which dates from 1777.  The views from the verandah  across Simon’s Bay is well worth the visit, and if you are interested in the Dutch East Indies Company, Simon van der Stel or the Royal Navy, then it is a must see.

Next stop had to be the Boulders beach and a walk to see the African (formerly known as the Jackass) penguins that have colonised this area since 1983, shortly after I left. Spring is the time when they are breeding and we saw many birds on nests in amongst the bush, but less on the beach than my previous visit in the month of December, when the beach was covered entirely.

Carrying on down what is known as the Cape Peninsula Scenic Route we headed to Cape Point the most south westerly point in Africa which is at the end of the Table Mountain National Park chain which stretches from Signal Hill. Not to be missed is the hike from the Point to the Cape of Good Hope on the Atlantic side. Good walking shoes are a necessity, and a head for heights, and if you are a serious hiker, then there are trails from here all the way to Table Mountain. We came across Ostrich at the Cape of Good Hope including one which looked like it was going for a dip.  

There is so much to see and do, and although it is a place that I have visited on many occasions, it never fails to impress me. This time I went on the funicular which replaced the little bus “the Flying Scotsman” in 1996. If you want to spend all day in the park, then head down to one of the secluded beaches at Buffels Bay or Bordjiesrif where there are tidal pools and you can picnic or have a braai.

Camels in the Cape 

 We decided to drive back to Constantia along the Atlantic coast road so headed for Scarborough (with its Camel rock formation, which we missed completely) and the twisty road towards Kommetjie, a peaceful rural delight with the Slangkop lighthouse.

Just before Kommetjie is a stretch called “Misty Cliffs” so called because of the sea spray which hangs over the road. Every twist in the road is a scenic delight and it is hard to keep concentrating on the road ahead, (but essential as the drop below is a long way). At  Noordhoek we stopped to access the long beach which is still a place to go for horse rides on the beach, and then we drove along the infamous Chapmans Peak Drive with its 114 curves (though I confess I did not count them!). This is a now a toll road and cost us 24 ZAR. The last time I went along this stretch of road was in the early 1980s. Every visit since then it has been closed due to rock falls, and eventually was closed completely in 2000. Fortunately it re-opened in 2003 so I was at long last able to fulfil my wish of actually driving along this road myself. My lasting memory though is not the breathtaking views, but of an elderly cyclist in his orange overalls pedalling up the steep climb towards Chapman Point who actually overtook us when we stopped to admire the view. What stamina!

Dinner that evening at a little local French restaurant “Pastis” consisted of entrecote steak, pommes frites and a magnificent pear and rocket salad with a bottle of Cedarburg Cabernet Sauvignon. Excellent value at £30

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A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO CAPE TOWN – Day 1

Arrival 

Having lived in Cape Town, South Africa in the 70s and 80s, I was eager to return with my husband to show him my favourite areas. It has been 8 years since my last visit to Cape Town, and a lot longer since I went along the Garden Route, so I was keen to explore old and new places. On arrival at CT airport, we picked up the VW Polo hire car and drove to our first destination in Constantia, close to the lovely (as always), Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Weather perfect, clear blue skies and not too hot. Unpacked, the first stop had to be a wander around the Gardens – this place is so tranquil and the backdrop of Table Mountain is so dramatic – I could stay here the entire trip – photographing the spectacular proteas. It became a regular evening walk during our stay.  We then drove to Hout Bay and along the coast to Llandudno to see a sunset, but cloud on the horizon put paid to that idea. Drove back to the B& B stopping for a dinner of Kingklip, a firm white, buttery local fish, and chips at the Constantia Nek Hotel and Pub.       

City Tour

A South Westerly brought in rain, wind and cloud overnight, but it brightened up over breakfast which was excellent – fresh fruit salad and yoghurt, cooked breakfast with choice of eggs, multi seeded bread and good coffee.  We drove into the city and parked in Grand Parade, which was eerily empty. Wandered through the Government Gardens or Company’s Gardens as it is also known and up to the Mount Nelson Hotel – still famously rose tinted – and stopped to look at the Tuynhuys which is used by the President on state occasions, and the Houses of Parliament.       

We then walked to Greenmarket Square to the flea market which was disappointing as there were only a few African craft stalls present all selling the same stuff (wood or soapstone animals, wire and bead ornaments, masks etc.) which to be honest looked mass produced. The City centre was like a ghost town, with hardly anyone about, and it did feel a little freaky. I had last visited the city in December 2000 and it had been much livelier, so I can only assume that Sunday is not the day to head into Cape Town centre.       

Chilling out on Signal Hill 

Next stop was up Kloofnek Road to the cable car only to find it closed due to high winds at the top of Table Mountain. Pretty windy at the bottom actually! This area of Cape Town has always been a favourite of mine, with the little Victorian houses clustered together on the slopes of the mountain. So we retraced our drive back to Kloofnek Road and then headed up Signal Hill, the lion’s rump which connects Kloof Nek with Lion’s Head, to have a look out over Green Point and Sea Point and towards Robben Island.  The top of Signal Hill has changed dramatically since the 70s (when it was a bit of a lovers hideaway with a dirt track leading onto a flat patch of land at the top) now with tarmac, parking bays and toilets and loads of guinea fowl running around, but the spectacular views over Cape Town are still the same and apparently it is still the place to go for sundowners. A heavy squall sent us running back to the warmth and shelter of the car and to consider where next to go.

Wandering the Waterfront  

We decided on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and discovered that is where everyone goes to in Cape Town on a Sunday. I love the hustle and bustle of the Waterfront, but as I am not a shopaholic, a short visit is all I need to drink in the atmosphere. It is lively, busy and again has that lovely backdrop of Table Mountain. Stopped for a drink then headed to the Two Oceans Aquarium, which I believe to be the best Aquarium in the world.                

I remember the original Victoria and Alfred basins; it was from here that liners stopped en route from UK to Australia, and where once a little café served the best fish and chips in Cape Town, quite possibly the original Bertie’s Landing Restaurant near the Victorian Gothic-style Clock Tower. We returned to Constantia via Green Point, Sea Point, Three Anchor Bay, Clifton and Camps Bay – where only the brave venture for a swim into the icy waters of the Atlantic. We headed back to Hout Bay and sought out the Mariners Wharf where we had dinner. If you like seafood, then this is the place (no pun intended) for you. Chowder soup, calamari and prawns, followed by crème brulee and prawn chilli soup, grilled game fish and cheesecake together with a Greek salad and an excellent bottle of De Waal Pinotage from Stellenbosch cost us the princely sum of £35 

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