This morning we left Aan de Vliet and headed south towards Somerset West, then up the mountain to the cloudy side and the Elgin Valley. Our first stop was a repeat visit to Paul Culver where of course we found some very nice wines including a Gewurztraminer which we purchased and enjoyed with dinner this evening, and a riesling noble late harvest which we bought for later.
Next we headed to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley above Hermanus. Rather than routing us down the main road to Hermanus and up the valley, our GPS took us over the mountain on a gravel road, so that was a minor adventure. Once we got back to pavement it was a short drive up the hill for a repeat visit to Newton Johnson. It's a striking setting high in the hills with views of the distant bay (see photo). Newton Johnson has produced multiple 5-star wines. The pinot noir was particularly good, and they had a nice syrah blend which I purchased.
We headed just a few kilometers down the hill to Bouchard Finlayson. Again, some nice wines including award-winning pinot noirs, but we managed not to buy any. The next stop was just down the hill at Hamilton Russell.
Hamilton Russell was busy when we arrived, with all of the tables on the patio occupied and crowds of people going in and out of the small, casual tasting room. The two staff members seemed overwhelmed, but eventually thing settled down and we joined a couple from England for a very nice "private" tasting. We learned a lot about the wines and the history of the farm, which was apparently the first in the area. They only produce 7 wines, but they are fantastic. They have a chardonnay which we actually liked, and the best pinot noir yet - so we bought it.
The final wine stop was Whalehaven, which is actually in Hermanus. It's not a scenic setting, but it's a nice tasting room and I was able to get a tasting of wine and chocolate pairings which was very nice. We asked our server there to recommend a nice spot where we might enjoy a picnic, so she sent us to a breezy beach with no tables or shade (see photo). We stuck it out, though, and had our picnic on a bench. We had one of our Fairview cheeses, bread, meat, grapes, and chocolate.
It was a late lunch, so as soon as we were finished we jumped back in the car for the two-hour drive to Simonstown. It was a pretty drive back over the mountain to Somerset West and then along the beach past Khayelitsha and through Muizenberg, St. James, Kalk Bay, and Fish Hoek to Boulders Beach. (The beach traffic in St. James and Kalk Bay was terrible!)
At Boulders Beach we got checked in and moved all the bags into our oceanside suite before a parking spot opened up. But not long after the car was parked we changed and braved the wind to walk down to the beach. We had an amazing time watching and photographing the penguins and rock dassies as we climbed the granite rocks, strolled through the sand, and waded in the water. I'm sure we took way too many penguin photos... actually, can you ever have too many penguin photos?
We had a nice dinner right here at the lodge - kingklip, chicken curry, and seafood curry. We sat inside with the ocean view, because the relentless wind made the terrace impossible. In fact, it's still insanely blustery as we prepare for bed. We're hoping it we be a little calmer in the morning when we head out to see the penguins again.
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