Stellenbosch

As we awoke and began to shake off the tannins still circulating in our system we headed out on to the estate and leisurely strolled through the vineyards. The day started out partly cloudy, and a comfortable 80 degrees. Yet our stomachs beckoned for food and we were drawn to the buffet, another smorgasbord of food that only reminded the Peace Corps Volunteers the kind of delicacies that exist beyond rice and beans. Satisfied, we began our drive in to Stellenbosch proper. Stellenbosch is one of two primary wine making regions in South Africa. The winemaking dates from the Huguenot refugees who settled here in 1690. The monks came here in seek of religious freedom and soon started planting grapes in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch. Legend has it they found this to be a much more interesting (and pleasurable) pursuit, and thus the region became the center of the South African wine industry.

The town itself is quite nice, and slightly reminiscent of Sonoma or Napa in California save for the thatched roofs!

Every vineyard is eclipsed by the surrounding mountains, as they cast their long dark shadows as the sun rises and sets.

From there we went to another winery that also included a wildlife preserve. Their varieties of wine were surpassed only by the species of felines that they held in captivity. From lions to lynxes we watched as they played and tousled each other's fur. They even had a few rare white lions, while not albino these lions lack a majority of the pigmentation in their fur, thus creating a glorious white coat, marred only by the dirt they are so fond of. One of these white lions was a 15 month old cub that shared her enclosure with two brown lion cubs, but due to her color, she was constantly harassed by the two other lions. Fortunately she was able to give more than she got and wasn't afraid to nip, growl and put on quite the display.

After the animal sanctuary we had time for a walk through the vineyard, and a little virtual family portrait!

We also got time to look at some of the artwork on the vineyard, including the 'Portrait of a Dying Slave' after Michangelo's sculpture of the same name.  It was quite interesting, made of nine rectangles, and put together from a mosaic. 

The photo below was quite interesting.  It depicts several golden statues of the Muses, the personification of knowledge and the arts, especially literature, dance and music, from the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (or memory personified).

After a late poolside lunch we ended our day with a Segway tour of the vineyard!