Last Day in Cape Town

Today was our final day in Cape Town. We finished our stay here with a visit to Stellenbosch and the surrounding wine country. Our walk through historic Stellenbosch allowed us to expand our knowledge of the Dutch influence and its role in the history of the Cape. Here we were able to tour historic buildings, some dating back almost 200 years. Surrounding these buildings was a variety of indigenous plants that were better displayed in the botanical gardens. We were able to take in both the smells and sights of South Africa only magnified.

After our tour of the gardens we visited Stellenbosch University. The campus was virtually deserted because of the impending World Cup. There was certainly a difference between this campus and the ones we have visited before. The conservative teaching style seemed to fit with both the design and décor of the campus and its buildings.

Next we headed to Neethlingshof Estate where many of us had our first experience wine tasting. We began with a tour of the vineyard and its distillery. Here Keisha, our tour guide, explained to us the process of removing the skin and stems, impacting whether it becomes a white or red wine. Next we were able to see the fermentation tanks and learned that when its stops emitting carbon dioxide the process is complete. Finally, we were able to see the holding cellar which was filled with imported oak barrels to allow for the perfect amount oxygen to mix with the wine. When we sat down for our tasting we learned that yes in fact one glass of wine a day is beneficial to your health. Although Keisha prefers to skip a day then drink a bottle.

On our way home we stopped at another vineyard. Along with wine this vineyard has cheetahs, an extremely interesting combination. A majority of us opted to pet the cheetah, Enigma, while others preferred to stand with at least one fence separating them. While some of us thought this was exciting, it was without a doubt our final stop of the day that meant the most.

We ended our time here with one final visit to the battered women’s shelter. We dropped off basic supplies, candy, toys and to Bryan’s delight vuvuzela’s for the kids. Seeing their surprise and excitement that we returned for one final visit was for many of us what this trip to Cape Town has been about.