Stellenbosch and Cheetahs

Today was a very busy, eventful, and informative day for our class. First, we visited the historical town of Stellenbosch. This is the second oldest town built by the Dutch colonists in South Africa. Our class was very excited to visit this town because of its aesthetic beauty. We took a walking tour of the town’s historical center, and we visited several historical museums and a botanical garden. We also got the opportunity to view the inside of an old church and we had a rare sighting of a small chameleon outside of the church! After Stellenbosch, we went to Neethlingshof Estate, a gorgeous vineyard outside of Stellenbosch. While visiting the Estate we were able to participate in a wine tasting and an academic session about the wine making process. There were around six different wines, and after the tasting the students got a tour of the estate’s wine cellar. After the vineyard, we went to the Spier Estate to see cheetahs! The Spier Estate, just down the road from Neethlingshof, works to educate and protect the Cheetah population in South Africa. Because Cheetahs here are often shot by ranchers for threatening livestock, the program also trains Anatollian sheep dogs to help ward off the Cheetahs, helping to protect the wild Cheetah population. The students were all extremely excited; many of us have not been this close to this rare mammal. There were cubs and full-grown adults at the cheetah farm. The students could either take pictures from outside of the cheetah cages, or if they were brave enough they could go inside and pet them! And finally, after some very good luck with the typically rainy winter weather here, we were able to go to the top of Table Mountain. The weather was a little chilly, but everyone was still very happy to be able to go up the mountain in a cable car. The view from the Mountain was stunning and it allowed us to reflect on our ten days in Cape Town. While today is our last day we’re excited to travel to other parts of the Country to experience what life is like in other cities. Since it’s out last night in Cape Town, we’ve decided to get together as group to have a farewell dinner to mark the end of our time in this wonderful place.