The Travel Trip

It’s an overcast day, but it’s dry. Yesterday, we decided to head to the Wine-lands and stop by the Fairview Winery. I was there back in 2006 on a cricket tour, but I didn’t get a chance to do any wine tasting, which I’d like to do now. We headed up north on the N1 Motorway and followed the signs for Paarl, which is 35 miles north of Cape Town.

The motorway was in good condition and if it wasn’t for the wind picking up, it would’ve been a great drive. The strong crosswinds and low clouds gave us very little to look at in the sightseeing department. We we took the exit to Paarl, we weren’t too sure which way to go, so we headed into town for a quick bite to eat and ask directions. After a nice cup of coffee and a pastry, we followed the directions we were given, up Main street and look for the Tourist Information Office to get a map of the wine region. That drive felt forever, and by the time we arrived to the tourist office, it was closed for the day.

We decided to trust the directions we got back in town and headed out of town. It only took us five minutes more! The winery was heavy with visitors; most of them in the restaurant part. We were glad we got a bite to eat back in Paarl. We got to sample some wonderful cheeses and a few samples of wine. We decided to head back into Paarl and have an early dinner at that same restaurant with which we had the cup of coffee. The restaurant specialised in Mediterranean food. We had the roast lamb, which was very good. The restaurant owner touted himself as a wine expert, especially with the local wines. We wanted to buy a particular wine from a local estate, but we thought that the winery was closed. The restaurant owner told us that is was closed, but that we could buy the same wine at his restaurant! He had purchase many bottles before is closed.

We purchased a few bottles from him and headed back to Cape Town. The weather was turning more ominous, so we were glad we made it back when we did. It was late, but we were hungry, so we stopped off at one of the best Cape Town restaurants for a late dinner and afterwards a nice bottle of wine back in our hotel room.

Posted on December 1st, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Food & Drink