This past Monday a group of us signed up for cycling through the vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa’s most popular winelands. I was very excited to see the picturesque winelands, as well as enjoy my first glass of wine (here in South Africa I am of the legal drinking age). When we first mounted our bikes, a lot of the girls were struggling getting a feel for the roads and getting used to riding on two wheels. I, on the other hand, felt quite comfortable on the bike and was riding around aimlessly while my friends became more confident. Let me tell you that this did not last long. About five minutes into our ride, when we were still on the flat surface with no wine in our body, I became cocky enough to ride with one hand while taking pictures with the other. Just as I turned to my friend and started to say, “Wow, I’m pretty good at this one handed thing don’t you…” I accidentally took hold of the front wheel brakes and flipped straight over my handlebars. While I survived the fall with only a few scraps, my confidence had been completely shattered. Never in my life had I felt less athletic. At the same time, I could not help but die in laughter as I though about how pathetic my fall really was. A number of the girls stopped in concern, but those who have really gotten to know me joined in my laughter as they said that if it were anyone else, they would worry but my obnoxious personality only added to the humor of the situation. Needless to say I took a much more cautious approach as we finished our ride to the first winery. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a man standing next to a barrel with five different bottles of wine. He taught us about the five kinds of wine that we were going to try and then gave us a glass of each. We were all careful to take a large sip of water in between each taste because let’s face it, if I was falling off of the bike before we had drank God only knows what would happen after a few glasses.
Once we had finished at the first winery we continued on with our journey through the vineyards. Before reaching the second destination, we were able to make a stop at a park where a couple of cheetahs were looked after. Because we were in a bit of a rush no one got to actually touch the animals, but we were able to get pretty close to a cheetah being taken care of. At the second vineyard, we were seated in a fancy room where we were once again served five different glasses of wine. This time, we were pleased as we got to try a sparkling wine that was actually quite delicious. After having a few glasses of wine, we were served lunch to go hand in hand with our drinks. We were able to stay a bit longer at this vineyard because it had a beautiful garden of which we took full advantage by taking pictures and “frolicking” around looking like complete morons. Yup, no where that we have been so far have we looked like your typical locals so we have been sure to make the most of it.
Our third and final stop was the brandy factory, the place I was least looking forward to. At least when smelling wine you can sense some sort of fruit sensation. But when I took a whiff of the brandy put before us, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should use it to remove the chipped toenail polish that I have been looking at for weeks or if I should apply some to the cut that had developed from my earlier fall. In any event, I took a try because that was what the day, and this semester, was all about. Completely unsurprising, I could barely stand the taste, as the experience is exactly what I would have expected if I were to drink either of the two substances used in the previously mentioned activities. Nonetheless, it was a cool experience getting to see where the brandy was made and getting to try something that I never have before (and probably never will again).
Cheetahs were not the only animals that we got to see along our day’s ride. We also were fortunate to see a farm filled with ostriches, cows, and zebras. Yes zebras, just hanging out on the side of the road. That for me, might have been the highlight of the day because not only have I been waiting for the chance to see this wild animal, but it was also so unexpected as I almost missed them, mistaking them for more horses as I rode by. All in all it was a great day of trying and seeing new things, and I even had a nice little battle wound to go with my free bottle of wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment