SVP is taking its toll. If in doubt escape from the course for a couple of days.
Saturday 8am I trundled out of Media Village and jumped on a train journey via Cape Town that took about two and a half hours. Cost? Just over £1. It travelled through city and townships that go on and on. I’d have photos but they are not the best trains to get out a flashy camera unless you want someone to give you a helping hand with the weight of the gadget.
I arrived in Stellenbosch at just before 11am. The weather was looking beautiful and the mountains around the town brought back memories of being here with Tom back in June. The mountains that is, not the weather - when I came here with Tom it rained. My host collected me and we went back to the town centre where we wandered around present shopping and chilling in cafés.
Stellenbosch is rather different to many places I’ve visited in South Africa. In contrast to Cape Town (and in stark contrast to Jo’burg) it is taken for granted that you can wander around and spill out of the cafés onto the pavements without any real fear for your safety. It’s simply quite nice - and memories of the UK started rolling into my mind. Like any tourist town it has many tourist shops and attractions - sadly these are usually full of tat and this is true in this town as it is in London or Cambridge or York.
Anyway - eating food in a café we bump into two other girls who were from Media Village. We proceeded to go on a wine tasting with them down the road. Three vineyards later we find one that is open (Kleine Zalze) and enjoy a few tasting glasses of wine. Not bad, but not great either. So - shopping again, movie rental, spaghetti carbonara, constant gardener and 300 (good and violent respectively) late night chat and then morning.
Sunday brings fantastic weather and a good day to head to Spier for brunch. Before that though it was opportunity to spend an hour thrilled by the discovery that a paperweight is an appropriate tool for burning paper. Several holes (and a car journey later) we were sitting in the sun eating ciabatta with edam and roast chicken - wonderful. Reminded me of days sitting by the cam drinking next to The Anchor.
Headed to a beach on the way home. Took some more photos of feet and throwing stones into the sea. It was a good day that was rounded off by a hot chocolate with more marshmallows than drink.
