Red, White & Bubbly

We looked forward to our wine tour on day three, if for no other reason that it was not weather dependent. So naturally, it was a gorgeous day, and once we were several miles out of town, the mountain finally came into view.

Our guide, Graham, turned out to be an ex-pat Scotsman, so we were never short on conversation. After a boozy sampling of champagne, three whites and three reds at De Grendel, we had a lovely lunch at Simonsig winery. Graham altered our plans to incorporate visits to two wineries whose product Marnie and I enjoy (Classique from Rupert & Rothschild, Chocolate Block from Boekenhoutskloof), followed by dinner in Franschoek at Le Quartier Francaise. It was a great rebound from two disappointing days.

We rescheduled our Robben Island tour for the Friday morning before the drive down the Cape to Simon’s Town, and for once the weather cooperated. Though we didn’t have time for a trip up Table Mountain, as promised, the best views of it were from the harbor. Unfortunately, the upper deck of the boat fills up quickly, so we enjoyed the view below decks with the rest of the riff-raff.

After a bus tour around the island’s periphery, we were lead through the prison proper by a former inmate, Benjamin. Ben somewhat sheepishly revealed he had been convicted for a failed rocket attack in 1980. The big draw is of course Mandela’s cell, which isn’t much to look at. Hearing the personal experience of a former inmate was amazing, but for my money the Apartheid museum is still the one must see attraction in the country concerning “The Struggle”.

Later that afternoon, we ran into the Indian Ocean for the second time in as many weeks. Skipping past surfing holes and seaside resorts on the jagged coastline, the navy destroyers of Simon’s Town harbor soon came into view. Our B&B, the Cheriton, sits atop the hill backing the town, named (ironically enough, if you’re from Lancaster, Ohio, anyway) Mount Pleasant.

My heart sank when our host Denise informed us the shark trip had been cancelled for the following morning due to weather. Gazing at the sunshine streaming over the placid bay waters, we were confused, to say the least. Relief followed when she informed us we could reschedule for Sunday.

Tiny Simon's Town isn't exactly an all hours party city (plus it would really suck walking up that hill with a few drinks in you), so after an early dinner, we tucked into the extensive movie collection on offer to guests of the hotel. Naturally, given the over 500 choices available to us, we watched two "Marnie Movies", that we've seen dozens of times. Some guys may think that one viewing of hairy British strippers in "The Full Monty", or snarky fashionistas in "The Devil Wears Prada" is enough, but not me!