Stellenbosch

Our third and final day in Cape Town was spent exploring several vineyards in the area. The drive was just gorgeous, and even though it was fall, the scenery was still spectacular.



Our first area to visit was Stellenbosch, a beautiful valley only about 30 miles from Cape Town with several different wineries.



Once our driver heard that I'm a chocolate lover, his first stop was at Waterford Wine Estate.



This vineyard had tons of fruit (I can't remember what kind!) of trees that just added to the beauty of the estate, which was nestled at the base of these stunning mountains.



H & I just loved the architecture and style of the building, especially the stone and courtyard where we could enjoy the perfect weather while sipping some wine.



We tried a few wines, then we moved onto the wine & chocolate tasting. This was some yummy wine imported from Belgium and cast in South Africa with the winery's logo.



Then we took a quick walk around the estate to enjoy the view & check out the vineyards.



We had amazing weather our whole time in Cape Town (minus that first day cloud on Table Mountain). Everywhere we went, windows were open and the air was fresh & sweet.



We stopped for a quick tour of the actual town of Stellenbosch, which is the 2nd oldest (European settlement) in South Africa, after Cape Town.



The town was adorable & I'd highly recommend it to anybody lucky enough to do a multi-day wine tour with enough time to spend several days exploring the wine region. There were tons of great little shops & wonderful restaurants hiding in quaint little courtyards like this one.



The Dutch settlers had planted hundreds of oak trees that line the streets and the buildings make great architectural eye-candy.



We really enjoyed wandering the streets & checking out the artwork in the stores as we strolled the tree-lined streets.



The world cup is coming to South Africa in 2010 and they are VERY excited about it. Every Coke can we'd get would have different teams advertised on the back- I just loved the New Zealand can & thinking about our next trip.

We decided to grab a quick bite to eat at an outdoor cafe, and we were treated to a little street performance by these two artists.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: It's a short week, and I'm in California today for work and headed home late tonight.