Today we woke up early to go on a few wine tours. The first tour is Lourensford Wine Estate in Helderberg. It was a gorgeous place and I knew it would be fun. First we stopped and tried some coffee and we needed it. After a long busy emotional week in Gugulethu, I needed some coffee. It was delicious, so I bought some. We were supposed to get a cheese tasting, but there was a miscommunication and it is closed. Next on to the wine tasting. We all were seated at a long table with 3 glasses of wine and 3 chocolates, oh and two biscuits to cleanse the pallet in between wines. We each tried them and expressed our opinions. No one bought any because we have two more to go to today. We hopped back in the big group van to Stellenbosch. The Spier Wine Estate was not just wine but much more! They have a rescue facility for cheetahs, owls, and other birds. Some of the group paid a little extra to go pet the cheetahs. It looked cool, but just being next to cheetahs was enough for me. They are one of my favorite on land animal since doing a project on them in like fifth grade. They are gorgeous felines! I love cats, big cats, small cats, and any cat! We walked through the market to look for souvenirs and gifts. We had lunch at Eight the restaurant in the estate. I had a zucchini soufflé with creamy tomato sauce and it was amazing!!!! A little time to chat and digest then we crawl back in the van to our last stop: Solms Wine Estate in Franshoek. By this time, the wine had gotten to my head, I was a little headachy and tired. At the last wine estate we got a social history and tour of the museum. It was an interesting and rich history, I took some pictures of the mountainous background with the winery as the focus. It was a gorgeous place. Shortly after the tour we sampled 10 wines, some sparkling and one cider. Most of us bought some wine to transport home. All back in the van for a quick nap on the way home. Supper and night blogging in Room 1.
The transition from Gugulethu right into a Wine Tour day was interesting. We were all tired and trying to process everything so it was a good quick transition. But I might have liked a group debrief or conversation after the wine tour or Friday night to talk about it. These feelings are confusing and all mixed up. I am exhausted and emotionally stressed. I want to enjoy the wine tours, but I keep thinking about our host families and all the food parcels we gave to people.
Our group bond has sort of split this week, but also grown stronger in a way because each person has a different way of coping. We can help each other through since we have become closer. A small division has occurred but we are not really sure why. But we are growing closer and closer as a group and it is amazing what we have overcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment