We started our wine country tour at the bottom of Dorp street, mid-morning. Our first stop was at Oom Samie se Winkel, a famous curio shop. There is a lot to see and the rooms can seem a bit crowded, but no other shop in Stellenbosch is quite like it. Oom Samie really has an amazing variety of souvenirs to choose from and features many that are very true to the area, something which can't be said of all the tourist shops in town.
We continued up Dorp street, looking at the various architectural styles of the buildings and some of the 20 Stellenbosch: Two Decades of South African Sculpture works that I mentioned before.
When we were around The Braak area I noticed that the Rhenish Church was open. I think it's the first time I've seen its interior. On the topic of churches, you'll also notice pictures of the Moederkerk and St Mary's on The Braak.
After lunch we made a quick turn on campus and quickly popped into the Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens before heading out to the Delaire Graff Estate. There we enjoyed the views, sculptures and other artworks, and of course some wine tasting. (R10 per person per wine.)
Most tasting opportunities close by 17:00, so after Delaire we headed over the Helshoogte Pass and drove to Franschhoek and back for some scenery. We made a quick stop at the Huguenot Monument, and really it's quite fitting to remember the French Huguenots after a day in the Cape Winelands.
Pardon the lack of flowery, tourist-attracting language, I reckon there's enough of that on other websites. I trust that the pictures convey that the outing was very enjoyable.
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