South Africa🇿🇦Week 6

Finally nice weather ☀️Actually, we wanted to go to Boulder Beach to swim with the penguins today. However, the line at the entrance is so long that we turn around again and go swimming at our beach.

We decide to play golf in Simonstown again; the course is still not in better condition, but we know the pitfalls by now and it is not so terribly windy today.

John at the pro shop asks us every time if we have our own clubs and generally finds golfers stupid. A funny guy who also serves at the bar.

Today is much warmer and we can finally sit outside in the evening and admire the fantastic starry sky.

Tuesday, our last day in Simons Town.

We spend it by the pool, at the beach with wonderful waves… some people's toupees fly away😂 I first thought someone was putting seaweed on their head😬

In the afternoon there is one last coffee at the deli with delicious chocolate croissants.

In the evening we go to eat at Dixies. This place seems to be an institution here. No matter what time of day you pass by, it is always packed.

You can bring your own wine, like in almost every pub here, and even get a cooler and ice.

We leave with about 30 Euros for 2 large steaks... unimaginable for us.

In the evening, we see a few orcas in the bay from our terrace. Unusual for this time of year, but climate change is also felt here.

Wednesday, today we move to Somerset West.

I jump into the sea again in the morning; the mood is simply wonderful.

Since we can only check in at 1 PM, we decide to do a little wine tasting at Ken Forrester.

A cute little winery, and the cheese platter is a poem.

The grape harvest is currently in full swing here.

The new accommodation is simply wow 🤩

It’s just a room, but all the windows can be opened, so the name “Pool Villa” is more than justified. Danielle welcomes us warmly, and then we go shopping for the last days and take a detour to

the harbor of Gordons Bay. Jürgen has been here with his father, and we toast to him.

On Thursday we drive along the

Whale Coast Route to the east.

We have nice weather until Rooi Els, then it gets cloudy and starts to rain.

In Betty’s Bay, we go to the penguin colony at Stony Point.

We then drive back towards Somerset over the Sir Lowry's Pass since the weather is not really cooperating. We make a quick detour to Lourensford Wine Estate.

A very pretty winery where there is always a food market on the weekends.

Since we still want ice cream, we drive to Marcel’s Frozen Yoghurts at the beach. Unfortunately, they don’t have the delicious chocolate soft serve😳

Today there is a fantastic sunset by the pool.

It is noticeably warmer here than in Simonstown.

Friday is golf day with Peter and Gill.

Gill reserved a tee time for us in Kuilsrivier. We start shortly after 8 AM.

Gill brought his son as support.

We have a lot of fun again, and although it’s only 11 AM at half-time, there is of course Boerewors... or something similar.

After 18 holes we have a drink and plan to meet up again next year with our new golf buddies.

On Saturday we drive again towards Bloubergstrand and Sunshine Beach.

And make the round through Durbanville, De Grendel Winery

and Stellenbosch perfectly. In the best weather, we spend the rest of the day by the pool.

In the evening we dine lavishly at Henry's. Ostrich steak and fillet, and we leave again for 40 €.

On Sunday we take another short detour to Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards. A small winery with a great view over False Bay and into the mountains.

Where we started, we also end our vacation... with a glass of wine at Spier Winery.

We spend the rest of the day at the pool in mixed weather.

The suitcases are packed, and tomorrow we are heading home via Joburg.

Apart from the fact that I had to work for 3 weeks during our trip, we had wonderful days. The weather did not always cooperate, but considering the temperature in Germany, we cannot complain. We have met nice people again, and the friendliness here is amazing. For us, life here is more than affordable, which makes it fun to go out. We swam a lot in the sea, which we did not expect due to sharks. But if the locals have no concerns at all and there are plenty of snorkelers and divers in the water, that should speak for itself. We discovered beautiful places and beaches again, played great golf courses, enjoyed good wine and food, so we are already planning for 2027 to escape the winter.