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101 reasons to stay longer in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, Cape Town……
101 reasons to stay longer in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, Cape Town……
101 reasons to stay longer in the Franschhoek Wine Valley……
Out and About
1. Take a stroll up old ‘Cat se Pad’ walking trail
2. Take a bottle of wine up to the top of the Franschhoek Pass and watch the sun go down
3. Catch some trout, fly-fishing at one of the many venues in the valley
4. Go wine tasting on horseback
5. Take a swim in the rock pools over the pass
6. End, or start, the Boland Hiking Trail at Jan Joubert se gat
7. Take a stroll with Professor Rust and learn about the heritage and the flora of the valley
8. Play boules at one of the courts in the village
9. Play golf at Pearl Valley, the newest Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in the country
10. Drop off the top of the pass and paraglide down to the village
11. Take a ride in a horse and carriage through the vines
12. Exercise on the Franschhoek tennis courts
13. Dine alfresco
14. Take a tour of the valley with one of our guides
15. Take a helicopter ride and see the valley from a different perspective
16. Walk to Breakfast Rock in the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve and see Table Mountain on a clear day.
17. Take a tour round Wemmershoek dam (appointments only)
18. Rent a Mountain bike and go riding in the mountains and forests around the valley
19. Play Bowls on the Bowling green
20. Hike to the top of Du Toit’s Kop
21. Picnic at Chamonix, Dieu Donné, Boschendal or Riverside next to the Berg River
22. Feed the ducks on the dam in Van Riebeck Street
23. Go for a run through the vineyards
24. Enjoy a Team Building Exercise while touring with MINWES Tours.
25. If you are a walker, book a ticket at the Information Office and go hiking in the mountains
26. Visit the Historical Groot Drakenstein Games Club and watch…or participate in…a game of friendly cricket on the first turf wicket laid in South Africa*
27. Walk through the orchards and vineyards behind Mont Rochelle Winery, past two dams, to reach the beacon, giving you a fantastic view of the valley
28. Enjoy a challenging 4x4 trail in the mountains
29. Visit Bien Donne Werf with its fruit research farm, lavender fields, herb garden, manor house and restaurant
Music and life
30. Listen to jazz on Friday evenings outside at La Grange*
31. Listen to classical music at the NG Church
32. Attend a monthly classical concert in the historical cellar at La Motte
33. See 'stars' at the Barnyard theatre
34. Watch international sporting events on the big screen at a local pub
35. Listen to Alfio playing your requests at La Couronne Hotel
36. Buy a CD of Franschhoek’s Eclectic music – Forest Moon
Food and indulgence
37. Have a meal cooked by the Chef of the Year, Margot Janse, at Le Quartier Français
38. Visit the Huguenot Fine Chocolates and taste wonderful Belgian delights! The chocolatiers can be seen making their confections, and tours can be arranged.
39. Picnic at Boschendal*
40. Indulge your palate with internationally acclaimed, eclectic cuisine by selecting from eight of South Africa’s top 100 restaurants
41. Learn how to make bread in winter at Bread and Wine, on Môreson Estate*
42. Enjoy a traditional braai
43. Sample a local cheese tasting at lunch at La Fromagerie
44. Enjoy a French Cheese Tasting at Fromage de France.
45. Dine under the full moon at Boschendal *
46. Enjoy great coffee and a famous sticky bun at the Delicious deli
47. Sample Ansie’s homemade ice-cream or best cakes at Tracey's
48. Go for dietary consultation with dietician afterwards to lose weight!!
49. Watch the sun set against the Mont Rochelle Reserve Mountains with its pink hue while sipping a cocktail on the La Couronne Restaurant terrace.
50. Sample a local cheese, smoked salmon and wine tasting at the Information Centre
Wine and savour
51. See Achim von Arnim sabrage at Cabriérè
52. Wine tasting at over twenty-seven outstanding wineries
53. Jump in a vat of grapes at the annual ‘Blessing of the Harvest’ at Môreson Estate*
54. Sup on one of our fine reds by the fireside
55. Descend into the depths of one of the greatest wine shops in the country
56. Organise to have some Franschhoek wine shipped home
57. Experience an entertaining and informative cellar tour at Mont Rochelle
58. Take a tour of a vineyard
59. Paint the town red (white & blue)….?
60. Enjoy a taste of the La Motte harvest - the grapes, the fermenting juice, the wine... (during harvest time)
61. Commission a barrel of wine to be made under your own label*
Heritage and culture vulture
62. Walk ‘ the long walk to freedom’, when Nelson Mandela was released
63. Visit the Huguenot Museum and take a step back to a wilder time
64. Stroll around the Boschendal Manor house built in 1685
65. Take a stroll along the village streets and take in the different architectural styles of a time gone by
66. Take a tour of Mooiwater Township
67. Visit the town and monument of the first free slaves: Pniel
68. If you're a Huguenot descendant, get your family tree drawn up for grandpa.
69. Visit the Old Manor Houses in Franschhoek - Franschhoek Trust on Farms like Burgundy Bourgogne
70. Don’t miss the thatched Dutch Reformed Church built in 1847
71. Contribute to the Franschhoek Children’s Charity Project at the Information Centre
Sleep
72. Settle into lavish country lodge, a cosy B&B, a quaint guest house or a comfortable self-catering cottage
73. Curl up by the fireside in the numerous places to stay in Franschhoek
Shop
74. Amble amongst an array of art shops, galleries and specialist stores that grace the village centre
75. Buy a coffee table book on Franschhoek
76. Buy a Lotto ticket at Pick n Pay or the Post Office
77. Visit the Street Market on Saturdays
78. Buy a plant at Keerweder Nursery and support a greener life.
79. Buy him a cigar at La Cotte Inn
80. See the largest collection of corkscrews in Africa at ‘The Old Corkscrew’
81. Discover the treasures tucked away in our antique shops that include Cape Furniture; silver; latique glass; Moorcroft; Clarice Cliff; Art Deco; Art Nouveau; African and Tribal Artifacts; Anglo-Indian; Cottage and Decorative Furniture; Light fittings; linen; Scientific instruments; and books…to mention a few.
82. Stroll through the nursery at the Information Centre
Amour..
83. Get married in Franschhoek!
84. Propose to your lover on the lawn at La Petite Ferme
85. Shop for diamonds at Tracey’s
86. Order a beautiful floral bouquet for your lover
87. Celebrate your anniversary with a weekend away
88. Take a long, lingering kiss under the Huguenot Monument
Indulge
89. Take a massage with one of the many qualified masseurs
90. Have a facial and a body wrap
Craft
91. Further out of town look for the sign to Kei Carpets where people can be seen making hand knotted ‘Works of Art to walk on’.
92. Watch master potter David Walters throw his clay
93. Design some personal jewelry at Du Toit’s Jewellers
94. Make your own Shona sculpture at the Munhutapa Gallery at Boschendal *
95. Take the ‘Franschhoek Meander’ or ‘Kuns Rondvaart’; an art, craft and antiques route around the village and surrounds, where one can visit skilled craftsmen, speciality shops and the Huguenot Memorial Museum
Invest
96. Invest in a piece of heaven…
Religion
97. Attend Church services on Sundays at five different churches
Memories
98. Take photos showing the different moods of the valley and mountains
Other……
99. All the useful information about what to do and where to stay can be found in the Information Office (021 8763603), where they will do their best to help and guide you. They can book you into a B&B, suggest a great restaurant, give you information on any of the above – and lots more.
100.Book your next visit!
……and 101 is……stay forever!!
* seasonal
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