Arrival in Cape Town

We woke up this morning and packed for our trip to Cape Town. Around 10:00, Marty took us to Sandton to the Gautrain station. The Gautrain is a new high-speed rail system that took us to the airport in about 20 minutes. Just after checking in for our flight we found a FIFA kiosk with some great souvenirs. After some shopping and a bite to eat, we boarded the two-hour flight to Cape Town. The plane was not crowded, and the airline showed videos highlighting soccer history, tourism information, and South Africa trivia.

Soon we arrived a Cape Town International airport, which has also seen major renovations since our last visit. The approach to the airport was beautiful, with views of Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Atlantic Ocean, and the northern suburbs. We picked up the rental car and headed toward our lodging in Hout Bay. We listened to Bafana Bafana beating the French on the radio as we admired the scenic drive. (Good riddance France!) Cape Town is every bit as beautiful as I remember it.

We had just enough time to stop at Klein Constantia winery on our way to Hout Bay. Ten years ago at Klein Constantia we bought the most expensive wine of our trip, Vin de Constance, which cost about $14.00 U.S. That wine now costs about $50.00 U.S. The other wines, which cost around $2 ten years ago now cost about $15. I suppose the prices now more accurately reflect the quality of the wines, although I did like the old prices better.

We checked into Intaba Lodge around 6:00. The lodge is beautiful, with outstanding views of the surrounding mountains. We have a very nice suite with two rooms and a bath. The common area is large and comfortable, with a working fireplace and a TV tuned to the World Cup games.

This evening we went to Simon’s at Groot Constantia to meet a former coworker, Lebo, for dinner. Lebo lives in Botswana but is visiting a former IU student in Cape Town. It was great to see Lebo again and to hear about her Cape Town visit and her life in Botswana. After dinner we returned to the lodge to watch the end of the Greece v. Argentina game. We’ll be up early tomorrow to head to Stellenbosch for wine tasting. U.S.A. plays again tomorrow, so we’ll look for a sports bar in Stellenbosch to watch the game.