Franschhoek - the beautiful wine region in the valley

In Franschhoek, there is the option to take Hop On Hop Off tours with the Wine Train. People happily boarded the train. We also opted for the private version with UBER to visit the wine estates that truly interested us.

During our first week in Stellenbosch, we were out and about every day, either dining well and/or visiting a wine estate. By then, we were quite satisfied, so we enjoyed cooking at home and only indulged in the absolute highlights.

We stayed with Tim at La Ferme, a small farm just before Franschhoek.

Our tips for the Wine Valley:

• The restaurant French Collection is an institution in Franschhoek. We were here a long time ago and are always surprised - just try the duck liver as a starter.
• We recently discovered the Cafe du Vin next door: a very pleasant atmosphere and delicious food. I had Chickpea Shakshuka (the recipe is above with the photos). I exchanged the recipe with the chef for Ricola candies. The chickpeas are crispy and are scattered over the finished shakshuka, hmmmm.
• Estate Babylonstoren: it doesn't get more exclusive than this!
  Here you can stay luxuriously or just visit. The day spa is said to be a dream (info from Tammy in Cape Town).
  You can spend an entire day on this estate. The ultimate highlights are the olive oil tasting at 11 AM and the wine cellar tour with tasting at 1 PM. Be sure to reserve and confirm via email at least a week in advance!
  And one more word about the olive oil tasting: the first tasting is not shown in the photo because it was indescribably good and remains a secret - you'll just have to taste it yourself.
• Small but fine: the Eikehof Estate - there are no words for it anymore. The owner goes from table to table, explains, advises, and chats. Here, I tasted the wonderful white wine Semillion for the first time and was pleasantly surprised.
• Also recommended are the estates Boschendal and Holden Manz, or simply ask Tim, he knows his stuff.