The Winelands

January 31st

We have now arrived in the Winelands which is north of Cape Town.  We bought several handmade items from this artist.

In South Africa, there are more than 11 official languages.  Afrikaans is the most common language.

Our first stop today was the Afrikaans Language Monument.  Languages from 3 continents influenced the development of Afrikaans.  I hear a lot of German influences in their language.

It is a huge monument on the top of a hill.

Next, we headed to Stellenbosch which is the second oldest town in South Africa.  This church was built in 1823 as a school for slaves' children and coloured people.

This is the ammunition bunker for the Dutch East India Company.  This was built in 1777 to defend the early settlement.

Interesting art on the streets of Stellenbosch...

Of course, no trip to the winelands would be complete with a trip to a winery (or two).

We headed to the Delheim Winery which was recommended to us by the tourism office.

This winery is nestled at the foot of the mountains.  Go figure...the sign says the vines are from France!!

Our tour guide...

The tour and the wine tasting was free!!  How do they do it!?!?

We are staying at Paarl in the Winelands.  This is the view from our balcony/patio.  Paarl is Dutch for pearl.  There is a huge granite rock comprised of 3 rounded outcrops on the mountain.  They say that when it rains, the rounded outcrops glisten like pearls.