If you plan on visiting Cape Town over the period of 2-5 October 2014, and if you'd like to hang out at a wine farm with a huge group of music-crazy people for a weekend, listening to local bands rock the stage, then don't hesitate, don't delay, get ready to buy your Rocking the Daisies tickets in May. They sell out fast folks.
Browse their Facebook page for more information, or read a more indepth account of the store here.
Check out KMB Party Bus's website, or take a look at their Facebook page for more information about their offering.
But, that said, Cape Town is actually a very cycle-able city on weekends and public holidays when traffic isn't so heavy. One sees a great deal more bicycling the city streets than one would from a bus or car. This time of the year is the perfect time to cycle the city - the sun isn't nearly as hot as it is in summer and the wind tends not to blow much at all.
Take a look at one of the bicycle-hire companies - most of them even offer guided tours of the city, vineyards, or MTB trails. Take a look at RentABicycle, Bike & Saddle, and AWOL Tours.
Gelato Mania's huge selection of gelato and real Italian ice-cream was pretty awesome - so much so that we were forced to return the next evening to try a different flavour. Next time you're out for dinner in the Sea Point/Green Point/Cape Town city area, visit Gelato Mania for dessert... or dinner, assuming you like waffles for dinner. ;)
But, in all seriousness, those apartments stacked against the slopes of Signal Hill look like they'd make a great holiday spot, don't you think? A word of caution when booking your holiday accommodation in Cape Town thought - check if the apartment has air conditioning; if it's not specified, it probably does not.
Even though the apartment block was called Harbour Terrace, believe me, it's no where close to the harbour - and the only view of the waterfront and harbour area is a distant one. I took this photo from our balcony on the first morning of our stay. The air was cool and crisp, and it was actually quite peaceful out on the balcony - after the distant doof-doof sound that emanated from local bars and clubs until the early hours of the morning. ;)
On spotting the stall along Camps Bay's Victoria Street (near Blues), I eyeballed the words "French Pancake" and decided that these probably weren't the real deal. But, when I walked up to the stall I first noticed the Nutella (a filling that's really popular in France), and then realised that the owner really was French - and that the pancakes were indeed real crepes.
I chatted with the owner for a while and learned that he makes both sweet and savory crepes called galettes (made from buckwheat flour), and that he's at Camps Bay most days, unless he's out doing a private function.
Speaking of the One & Only hotel, here's a tip, for fee - their lounge and bar area is great place to visit for a relaxing cup of coffee under 5-star service. ;)
I wondered who Mr and Mrs Hodgson were and thought I'd use Google to see if I could find out. When searching for their names, the first hit on Google was to the Genealogical Society's website, and a photo of this exact headstone. Isn't it nice that people actually take the time to walk around graveyards, taking photos of the headstones, and then spend the hours afterwards uploading and tagging the photos?
However permanent we think headstones are, they're not necessarily as permanent as we may hope, and it's really nice that sites like this archive the memories, making them both more permanent and easily accessible.
It's like the beautiful models we see photographed in magazines - they're often actually not quite as good looking as you may think; it's often just the make-up artists, photographers, and expensive equipment that make them look so darn awesome. I'm not implying that their particular body structure, attitude, and abilities have nothing to do with it, but it's also true that people (perhaps like you) who you'd consider ordinary can look quite astoundingly attractive given similar treatment that models are given.
Enough of that though. :) Remember to check out the competition to win tickets to the Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival. The competition closes tomorrow, 3 April.
On Saturday 3 May 2014, flocks of families will descend on the Elgin valley, and wine estates will welcome visitors to the full-day Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival. I won't rehash the details, rather read about what the organisers have in store for you on the festival's website.
If you'd like to win three tickets to the festival, find my email address on my contact page and send me an email with your name and contact details. If you have an interesting reason why you think you should win the tickets, then mention it. I can't say that'll result in you winning the tickets, but you never know. ;)
Oh, and, if you are going to the festival, show me some comment-love below - I painstakingly put the Google Map below, showing each wine estate's location. Some of the estates were REALLY difficult to find on a Google Maps and some of them don't even have working websites.