Moyo at Spier – The ultimate buffet lunch

I remember the first time I went to Spier Wine Estate after Moyo opened thinking that it so doesn't fit in with Spier and it surroundings at all.  But just walking past the outside and going inside to experience it are two totally different things and after having lunch at Moyo's the other day I have so changed my opinion.  Its the difference between Spier's Cape Dutch and colonial look and the free spirit African feel under the ancient oak trees that make the two ideal…

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The old Cape Point Lighthouse

Cape Point is a many historic tales and legends.  In 1688 Bartolomeu Dias passed around the point in a storm without even knowing it and only got to see it for the first time on the return journey.  He named it Cabo Tormentosa or the Cape of Storms.  Its also off this point and coastline that the mythical Flying Dutchman under the command of  Captain Hendrick van der Decken is doomed to sail into eternity.  Cape Point is also one of the biggest tourist attractions…

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Twelve Apostles wine room

While having lunch at the Twelve Apostles Hotel, I took a walk around the restaurant between the starter and main meal to snap a couple of pics and stumbled on their wine room.  Its not so much a wine celler, as you don't go down steps into a dark stone room full of vintage wine and cobwebs, but a seperate cold room to store and display their wine in.  But that doesn't matter.  Now I'm not much of a wine drinker…

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Atlantic Point Backpackers

When you mention the word "backpackers lodge" to anybody, most people would probably associate it with "dorms where youngsters from all over the world travelling with backpacks would sleep".  If that was your answer as well you would partly be right.  But only partly as you could also be totally wrong.  Let me tell you why.  Firstly, although most people staying in backpackers lodgers are youngsters, there are also more mature people backpacking these days.  Secondly, backpackers lodges are so much more…

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5 star meal – Lunch at Twelve Apostiles

Its not every day that I get to have lunch in a smart place like the 5 star Twelve Apostles Hotel and looking at me in my Batman t-shirt in the last picture I clearly wasn't ready for it either.  The Twelve Apostles sits overlooking the surrounding mountains and ocean on Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard just a couple of kilometres past the upmarket suburb of Clifton.  The hotel with all its facilities is truly award winning and amongst their accolades are the following.Sliver's Silver…

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Oak leaf dam

I don't do a lot of HDR, but I couldn't help but to play around with it on this photo a bit.  The photo was taken at Spier Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch overlooking the dam by the wine tasting venue. 

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Chacma Baboons

At Cape Point there stands a little statue of a mother chacma Baboon with a baby riding on her back.  Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus) are intimately associated with the Cape Peninsula and the Cape of Good Hope.  Baboons inside the Cape Point section of the Table Mountain National Parkpark has become somewhat of a tourist attraction.  Round about six troops either live entirely within the Cape Point section or use the section as part of their range.  The baboons in this area has…

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The lighthouse at Cape Point

Cape Point may not be the most southern point of Africa as many people think, but it must be one of the most dramatic spots on the South African coastline.  To get to the bottom Cape Point lighthouse one has to take a footpath along the point so most people just catch a glimpse of it from the viewpoints around the old Cape Point Lighthouse.  On my visit I didn't even notice the scaffolding around the lighthouse until I downloaded my…

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Spier Wine Estate – various view part 2

Today's post is the second part of the random Spier Wine Estate pictures I posted on WednesdaySpier is a biodynamic farm and in addition to their healthy vineyards, they also have extensive tracts of land that is used to farm with cattle, sheep and chickens. All contributing to the fertility of the soil and providing to the operations on the estate.I didn't get to do a wine tasting on my visit but one of the things that interested me was…

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Spier Wine Estate – various views part 1

Spier must be one of the most popular wine estates in the Cape Winelands by far due to their diverse offer to visitors.  This ranges from the traditional wine tastings to outstanding restaurants and things like Segway Tours, combining traditional wine estate activities with historic and modern aspects and throwing in a bit of adventure.  This is part one of two posts showing off some of the sights to be seen when visiting Spier. Like every wine estate the focus is on... the wine of…

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