George, Western Cape, South Africa
What an amazing three weeks we have had here in George. This beautiful house and its lovely gardens have been such a wonderful place to come home to every evening.
We have visited most of the nearby beaches, our favourites being Victoria Bay and Wilderness (probably because they have the best restaurants). Eating out every day and drinking gorgeous wines never costs us more than about 30 euro a meal. It didn't take us long to remember SA is a foodie paradise. Today we found The Fat Fish in George - a restaurant we discovered in Plettenbourg Bay 9 years ago. There are only two Fat Fishes in the Cape and they are still the best!
Our 55th Wedding Anniversary was on the 27th and we celebrated by going for an overnight stay at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, near Oudtshoorn. This involved luxury camping in a fabulous 'tent' set on the banks of a vast waterhole, a delicious evening meal, an early morning bush safari and a superb breakfast. We spotted rhino, giraffe, kudu, hippos and many, many beautiful birds. It was a wonderful experience.
To get to Oudtshoorn, you have to travel over the Outeniqua Mountains, which is quite an experience. On the way there, we had gorgeous weather and the views were spectacular but on the way home the clouds hung heavily over the Pass spewing rain. It was quite a scary journey back to George.
I swore I wouldn't do the Outeniqua Pass again, but several days later we set off to the Herold Vineyard for wine tasting. 'It's a short way up the Montagu Pass' I said to Mike. 'No distance at all.' After several miles up a dirt track heading higher and higher up into the mountains, we consulted Google which advised us to turn around, go back to George and take the Outeniqua Pass. We eventually arrived at the vineyard, white and shaken. However, it was worth it, and after six tasting wines and a delicious meat and cheese platter, we were strong enough to head downhill again.
Tomorrow we will tidy up here (not a lot to do because we are waited on hand and foot by the wonderful Steven who keeps cleaning up after us and changing our sheets), probably take time out for another lunch at Victoria Bay, and then fly to Cape Town on Friday morning. It is my cousin Carol's 80th birthday and I have been invited to her birthday party with 58 other ladies. Mike was invited but, strangely enough, declined. From there we drive to the coast, north west of CT, to our next house exchange.
Thank you all for your lovely messages from all over the world; we love to hear from you and share our adventures with you.
David
2023-02-01
A belated congratulations on your anniversary. Bon continuation
Nicola
2023-02-01
Looks totally fabulous what an amazing trip you are having!
Denise
2023-02-01
Can’t wait to join you on this amazing adventure xx
Dana
2023-02-01
Happy Anniversary - 55 years That is wonderful!
Jennifer
2023-02-01
Hope your next house is as nice as George. Bon voyage. Enjoy the party 🥂🍾
Dorothy
2023-02-02
What a marvelous trip: adventure, wonderful food & drink, unforgettable sites and experiences! Happy 55th!
Victoria
2023-02-02
You really have the most wonderful life - if I can aspire to anything like that I will be a very happy person. (Also - love the "spotted a giraffe" - wonder where you got that from
Karyn
2023-02-05
Ahh the freedom away from the normal rat race. Discovering out-of-way routes seems to be your forté!! Love reading of your exploits.