Cape Agulhas

Our plan for today was to get from Swellendam to Franschhoek with no grand plans or scheduled obligations. As such, we decided to drive about 80 minutes south to the southern most tip of Africa! Amanda and I had gone to the most southern point in South America back in 2012, so we thought the symmetry was appropriate.

We made it to Cape Agulhas, which also means Cape of Needles and is where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. Here’s the entrance at the national park:



A photo of farmlands and the clouds as we made our way down there:



We parked in one spot and took a selfie here:



Then we entered the proper park where there were walkways:





The water was so blue and the waves were so high. Apparently, over 150 boats have shipwrecked here as it’s difficult to navigate with strong winds, the clash of two oceans, plus the currents from Antarctica. Also apparently, the continental shelf reaches out into the sea and is much shallower than you think. Nonetheless, we took many pictures and tried to soak in the seawater air and breeze:











We stopped to admire this clear tide pool:



A lighthouse was built here and is apparently named after one of the oldest wrecks, the Arniston. We also took a lighthouse selfie:





We meandered and finally found the marker for the most southernmost tip of Africa! We took some silly photos as directed by a fellow tourist:









There was also a giant model of the African continent and Amanda had me stand on it. I decided to point to South Africa:






As we left the national park, we stopped in Suidpunt Potpourri for some coffee and lunch. I ordered the Beef schnitzel which comes with cheese or mushroom sauce. The waitress suggested the sauces be mixed and I said it’s like the Indian and Atlantic Oceans coming together and she laughed heartily.

Then we were off to Franschhoek. The drive should have been 2.5 hours, but the Franschhoek Pass was closed, so we had to take a detour. The Pass is only closed from 8 am to 5 pm, so we headed west and had to drive through Stellenbosch. Nonetheless, the drive was absolutely beautiful with the farmlands and valleys. Due to the rolling hills, you felt like you were driving into the clouds:







Due to the detour and needing a break, we stopped in Stellenbosch which is known as the City of Oaks due to the large amount of oak trees. Stellenbosch is also known as a university town. We parked on Dorp Street for some stretching, shopping and gelato:



Then we headed east to Franschhoek which is about 35 minutes. Franschhoek means “French Corner” and with Stellenbosch, are the two main cities in the winelands - it’s our Napa and Sonoma.

We checked in at the Protea in Franschhoek which looked like Melrose Place if it were a hotel. Our room is on the second level which overlooks the central pool. We then headed down the street for our reservation at Protégé which is part of the same restaurant group as La Colombe. Here’s the food collage which included oysters, kimchi, octopus, tuna tartare, lamb chop, and wagyu steak:



We ordered some local wines by the glass including the local red called pinotage, and watched from our counter seating as the chefs tweezed dishes and responded to the head chef repeatedly as he called out orders. The pacing of the dishes was a bit slow and it was explained, so many guests arrived at the same time. Nonetheless, the service was lovely and the price such a value when converted into USD. Then we turned in early after our long day of driving.