South Africa & Namibia
Trip Report: African Animal Adventures
Franschhoek
Day 4
After our freezing sojourn in Amsterdam, we were ready for Africa. AMS was great as a quick stopover but we were eager for the main event. But we had to get there. Now, for some reason, you never think that a big jaunt south in the globe equals a big jaunt east or west but trust me, it does. Aeroplan Points provided the flight but the routing was cruel. I could start ranting here about the gradual erosion of airline and hotel loyalty programs but I will spare you that. Amsterdam - Frankfurt. Then Passport Control to depart the EU. And then we had to rush to the furthest gate possible at FRA - the infamous gate Z69 - located near Munich I believe - for our Lufthansa flight to Johannesburg. By the time we arrived at Z69 they were just boarding Business. I honestly remember next to nothing about this 10 1/2 hour flight, so it must have gone without incident. We lost a night as we flew over darkened Africa throughout the night. I remember checking the video map at one point and the plane was flying over the Congo. Arriving in Joburg we had another round of Passport Control - complete with biometrics - take your glasses off please - and a wander around the terminal waiting before we got our final leg to Cape Town arriving at 2:10 pm. This was just only our first visit to Johannesburg airport and we were fated to get to know it pretty well over the next few weeks.
Anyways, Cape Town was overcast with rain threatening but at least it wasn't cold. The bottom of Table Mountain was visible in the distance disappearing into the clouds. We finally cruised out of the Avis lot somewhere around 3;30 pm. But what is this? The damn steering wheel is on the wrong side of this car. It looks like a cheesy Toyota. It drives like a cheesy Toyota, But? Yes folks, this was my 1st time driving on the left side of the road with a right-hand drive car. Well, I guess I can't really honestly say that because I spend a lot of time on the left passing but this was serious with this steering wheel mix up. Oh yeah, the rear view mirror is on the wrong side too. That took more time getting used to than anything else. This car was an automatic so I didn't have to deal with shifting at this juncture. More on that later. And remind me to tell you how the turn signal indicator is also reversed so I turned many many corners with my windshield wipers going instead of the turn signal. Yeah, don't let me forget that. Crazy tourist.
My trusty TomTom kicked in perfectly with newly purchased maps to guide us safely to Franschhoek - using my 'trademark' angry Rasta GPS voice that some of you may be familiar with. The drive started on multi-laned roads that were both fast and very slow. There seemed to be 3 types of drivers regardless of the vehicle they were in. Fast - they drove the limit (120km/hr) or faster. The average speed drivers who drove cautiously at road conditions. And then there were the godawful slow drivers who inexplicably putted along at crazy slow speeds totally oblivious to all. Believe it or not, I tried to keep to the average because the speed limits were surprisingly fast and i was still over Zambia mentally so slow and easy was my mantra.
The landscape reminded us of Southern California - dry with the odd palm tree and mountains looming in the distance. It was an easy drive thankfully. Our guesthouse was rural just past town so we stopped on the main street for room supplies before turning into the driveway of Lavender Farm. We had arrived after about an hour behind the wheel. And for the record, it actually is a working lavender farm. Don, the owner, an ex-airline pilot whose wife was away in Texas at the moment helping her sister with a dying brother-in-law explained that they grew ornamental lavender because the yield was much better than the medicinal variety that he had started with so he dug it all up and replanted and if you go out walking in it watch for bees because the bees really like lavender and on and on. Yes, he was a talker.
After our freezing sojourn in Amsterdam, we were ready for Africa. AMS was great as a quick stopover but we were eager for the main event. But we had to get there. Now, for some reason, you never think that a big jaunt south in the globe equals a big jaunt east or west but trust me, it does. Aeroplan Points provided the flight but the routing was cruel. I could start ranting here about the gradual erosion of airline and hotel loyalty programs but I will spare you that. Amsterdam - Frankfurt. Then Passport Control to depart the EU. And then we had to rush to the furthest gate possible at FRA - the infamous gate Z69 - located near Munich I believe - for our Lufthansa flight to Johannesburg. By the time we arrived at Z69 they were just boarding Business. I honestly remember next to nothing about this 10 1/2 hour flight, so it must have gone without incident. We lost a night as we flew over darkened Africa throughout the night. I remember checking the video map at one point and the plane was flying over the Congo. Arriving in Joburg we had another round of Passport Control - complete with biometrics - take your glasses off please - and a wander around the terminal waiting before we got our final leg to Cape Town arriving at 2:10 pm. This was just only our first visit to Johannesburg airport and we were fated to get to know it pretty well over the next few weeks.
Anyways, Cape Town was overcast with rain threatening but at least it wasn't cold. The bottom of Table Mountain was visible in the distance disappearing into the clouds. We finally cruised out of the Avis lot somewhere around 3;30 pm. But what is this? The damn steering wheel is on the wrong side of this car. It looks like a cheesy Toyota. It drives like a cheesy Toyota, But? Yes folks, this was my 1st time driving on the left side of the road with a right-hand drive car. Well, I guess I can't really honestly say that because I spend a lot of time on the left passing but this was serious with this steering wheel mix up. Oh yeah, the rear view mirror is on the wrong side too. That took more time getting used to than anything else. This car was an automatic so I didn't have to deal with shifting at this juncture. More on that later. And remind me to tell you how the turn signal indicator is also reversed so I turned many many corners with my windshield wipers going instead of the turn signal. Yeah, don't let me forget that. Crazy tourist.
My trusty TomTom kicked in perfectly with newly purchased maps to guide us safely to Franschhoek - using my 'trademark' angry Rasta GPS voice that some of you may be familiar with. The drive started on multi-laned roads that were both fast and very slow. There seemed to be 3 types of drivers regardless of the vehicle they were in. Fast - they drove the limit (120km/hr) or faster. The average speed drivers who drove cautiously at road conditions. And then there were the godawful slow drivers who inexplicably putted along at crazy slow speeds totally oblivious to all. Believe it or not, I tried to keep to the average because the speed limits were surprisingly fast and i was still over Zambia mentally so slow and easy was my mantra.
The landscape reminded us of Southern California - dry with the odd palm tree and mountains looming in the distance. It was an easy drive thankfully. Our guesthouse was rural just past town so we stopped on the main street for room supplies before turning into the driveway of Lavender Farm. We had arrived after about an hour behind the wheel. And for the record, it actually is a working lavender farm. Don, the owner, an ex-airline pilot whose wife was away in Texas at the moment helping her sister with a dying brother-in-law explained that they grew ornamental lavender because the yield was much better than the medicinal variety that he had started with so he dug it all up and replanted and if you go out walking in it watch for bees because the bees really like lavender and on and on. Yes, he was a talker.
Review Lavender Farm Guesthouse 1 Verdun Road, Franschhoek If you are looking for a relaxing stay in rural Franschhoek, this is it. The affable Don is the owner & he will be happy to tell you anything & everything about lavender - he grows ornamental not medicinal - as he proudly shows you the rambling guesthouse. While not a wine maker per se, he does know the area well & he can direct you to good places for food & drink. Just 5 minutes from 'downtown', the collection of well-appointed & very comfortable rooms & suites sprinkled over several different buildings offer great views & relative privacy. The staff are all friendly & attentive. They offer a great cook-to-order breakfast in the morning. It would be really hard to not enjoy your stay. Just watch out for bees when you stroll in the lavender . . . Highly recommended. 5/5
After unpacking and unwinding, we took Don's advice and made our way into town to Dutch East . . .
Review Dutch East 42 Huguenot Rd, Franschhoek Since we were jet-lagged, we asked our hotelier for a good, easy restaurant in town. Unequivocally, he directed us to Dutch East. And it was a fabulous choice. Not particularly fancy, the menu offered great meat choices for the carnivore crowd. We skipped apps & went right for the main course. My wife had a beef marrow dish that was her favorite of our entire trip to SA. I had a delicious springbok steak. All very, very good. The next night we ate at one of THE restaurants in town & paid more but Dutch East offered far better value & actually, far better food. Highly recommended. 5/5
Day 5
This was a do nothing recovery day. After rushing around Amsterdam and spending a night on a plane with several connections, I assumed that we would need a day of down time. And what better place than Franschhoek? This and its rival Stellenbosch are reputed to be the culinary and wine capitals of SA. So after a good breakfast at the guesthouse we just slummed around. I had a lunch booked at . . .
This was a do nothing recovery day. After rushing around Amsterdam and spending a night on a plane with several connections, I assumed that we would need a day of down time. And what better place than Franschhoek? This and its rival Stellenbosch are reputed to be the culinary and wine capitals of SA. So after a good breakfast at the guesthouse we just slummed around. I had a lunch booked at . . .
Review La Petite Ferme Lambrechts Rd, Franschhoek All of the reviews say that this is THE place for lunch in the Franschhoek area. Well, sometimes the reviews are actually right. The view of the valley is stunning. With vines stretching down the hill & over the countryside as far as the mountains . . . wow! The restaurant felt formal, as you would expect & the efficient service complimented this. And the food? We only sample a few dishes - mushroom croquettes & a beef dish - but both were superb. A glass of their 2014 Verdict was enough to convince me to buy a bottle - which I had to lug around for the next 2 weeks - but it was that good. Highly recommended. 5/5
I should elaborate a bit about Franschhoek. It is in the eastern cul-de-sac of a valley that is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. Reputedly, elephants used to have their calves here before European settlers moved in in the 1600s. Those settlers were mainly Huguenots who had left religious persecution in France and luckily, some of them came with wine-making skills. The extraordinarily beautiful mountains also create a micro climate in this normally arid area which makes it a perfect for many grape varietals. Anywhere you look, you have a gorgeous backdrop of mountains. And vines. La Petite Ferme is located just out of town on the road winding up to the Franschhoek Pass - the trail the elephants used btw. There are prominent "Do not feed the baboons" signs in the parking lot. The parking attendant told me that they often raid the property from the mountain above. And when I talked to Don later about baboons he went on a mild tirade about them. He couldn't understand why God made them. They continuously raided his brother's fruit tree farm. They overturned rocks on the mountain hunting for tasty scorpions and their rocks often started avalanches. No, he didn't like baboons. After our lunch we drove into town to hit the local Pik & Pay for water.
The town is Sonoma. The town is Niagara-on-the-Lake. In other words, Franschhoek is your stereotypical quaint wine town populated with restaurants, wineries, art shops - all of the usual suspects. When we first drove in, we both saw it. I guess we're getting jaded. You may know that art shops and craft shops usually make me want to feed my head into a wood-chipper so I aimed the steed up residential Uitkyk Street leading to what was reputed to be the very best view point in the valley, the Dieu Donne Winery. And it was. From the lawn or better yet, from the walk up above the restaurant gave us an awesome 360 view of the whole valley with a towering mountain at our backs. We didn't do any wine tastings - even at Dieu Donne - because well, I was driving and I always hate to spit out good wine.
The town is Sonoma. The town is Niagara-on-the-Lake. In other words, Franschhoek is your stereotypical quaint wine town populated with restaurants, wineries, art shops - all of the usual suspects. When we first drove in, we both saw it. I guess we're getting jaded. You may know that art shops and craft shops usually make me want to feed my head into a wood-chipper so I aimed the steed up residential Uitkyk Street leading to what was reputed to be the very best view point in the valley, the Dieu Donne Winery. And it was. From the lawn or better yet, from the walk up above the restaurant gave us an awesome 360 view of the whole valley with a towering mountain at our backs. We didn't do any wine tastings - even at Dieu Donne - because well, I was driving and I always hate to spit out good wine.
I think that you will agree that the pictures above almost look other worldly but the light was spectacular that afternoon. I went back and forth on a restaurant for dinner. My 1st choice was the Tasting Room at the Quartier Francais but it was booked. It then boiled down to the interesting Bon Vivant or the hot and trendy Foliage. We went hot and trendy but we regretted it.
Review Foliage 11 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek Sometimes a restaurant has an off night. And sometimes you just don't like the dishes you ordered. But other times a restaurant is a victim of its own success. I don't know which it is here, but we walked away totally unimpressed. The service was good & the menu sufficient - although my question about a tasting menu was answered: "We don't do one anymore." Wine pairing? "We can chose some wines for you." Hmm. The food was pretty but also pretty boring overall - as if the chef was just throwing ingredients together because diners expect a lot of ingredients. Complimentary maybe but what about the taste? 3/5
Franschhoek has a stunning location. Lying in a bowl of mountains it is truly beautiful. Our timing was good because the autumn grape leaves were still on the vines pre their winter pruning. It was coolish and we had a smattering of rain with clouds rushing through for much of our visit. While not the best for sun and fun this did help to make for some great images. But . . . we had had our brief rest and we were eager to move on.