"Out of Africa" Day 2: Cape Town to Stellenbosch

(This is the second post in my "Out of Africa" series.  Due to a serious foot injury, I had to cancel my plans for this trip.  However, I will present this blog as if the trip had happened according to the itinerary.)

 

DAY 2: Friday, November 30, 2012

 

I arrived yesterday and spent the day at the Mount Nelson Hotel, but the official tour started last night at the Townhouse Hotel, in Cape Town.  Today is Friday, and it was a busy, but delightful and thrilling introduction Africa.  Here’s a 360^o panorama view of Cape Town and our first destination this morning, Table Mountain.

 

We took a cable car to the top.  Wheee!!  The view was spectacular!

 

 

 

 

 

Next, a city tour of Cape Town ended up at the waterfront for a progressive-style lunch, with starters at the Greek Fisherman...

 

Main dish at City Grill...

 

And dessert at Meloncino:

 

Following lunch we left Cape Town for picturesque Stellenbosch.  Stellenbosch is one of the oldest cities in South Africa and the center of the Cape Winelands.  There we toured the Van Ryn's Brandy Distillery, dating from 1845, and enjoyed some brandy tasting.  Yum!

 

 

The dinner and accommodations for Friday night were outstanding.  They were on the outskirts of Stellenbosch at the beautiful Lanzerac  Hotel & Spa sitting amid its 383 acres of gardens and vineyards, with a backdrop of the Helderberg Mountains.  I appreciated its authentic Cape Dutch architecture and classic decor.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful venue for a quiet, Friday-night dinner.

 

 

 

 

It would have been nice to have had more time to explore the property, but there’s much to see on this trip, so off we must go!

 

(The three Table Mountain and cable car photos are from Wikipedia.  All other photos are from their prospective official websites.)