Saturday, May 5, 2012

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Even from far away, you can see the flumes from the falls.


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Entering the Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwe side of the falls. The price is based on the country of your nationality, no suprise the US was in the highest tier, $30 USD per persons but totally worth it!!

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Beginning of the falls, as they start to build momentum...

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Bigger falls.... These pictures are pretty great but nowhere near as amazing as the real thing.  Also, so much of the time you can't take pictures because the spray from the falls is so dense.  We were soaking wet by the end of the walk.  All I can say is if you have the chance, go see it!!

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Our first really good view of the falls and a rainbow, we saw sooooo many rainbows.....

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Isn't that beautiful?

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From this vantage point you can see how deep the falls are...

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Can you see the double rainbow?

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Here you can see just how deep the falls are.

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 A different perspective...

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Another amazing view!

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We found the End of the Rainbow!!


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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Constantia Valley Wine Route, Cape Town, South Africa

We spent the day driving through the lovely Constantia Valley, outside of Cape Town.  We really enjoyed the wines and the scenery at Steenberg Winery, the oldest farm in Constantia.
Our favorites were the  Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2010 and the  Steenberg Catharina Red 2009 .  Unfortunately, they do not ship those to the US.

Here is a picture of the wine tasting bar and the amazing glass installment above it
 
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The amazing view from where we did our wine tasting. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

 The outdoor area at Steenberg, it was a little windy to sit outside while we were there. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

 Jacob found his happy place, don't worry I was the Designated Driver. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug


 We went for a long leisurely lunch at La Colombe @ Constantia Utsig. In 2010, it was number 12 on San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants of the World and recommended by the impeccable Wilma Gerber.

Here is the Menu
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I had the Linefish de Jour, Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

while Jacob had the Fillet of Chalmar Beef (think Kobe beef). Such beautiful presentations!! Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

This was the lovely outdoor dining area we enjoyed. No need for those heaters, it was unseasonably warm. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Another shot of the outdoor dining area.

The fountain in the center of the patio.

The lovely stone seat and special table nestled out of view on the patio.

Next we were off Klein Constantia, but I had to share this ironic sign we saw along the way. ;) Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

The drive up to the main house at Klein Constantia is breathtaking. from the right Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

 and to the left.. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

The lovely entry to the farm house where they do the wine tastings. Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

and the fountain to the left.
 


Our favorite wines were the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, the 2008 Mme Marlbrook and the 2006 Vin de Constance. Klein Constantia is quite famous for the Vin de Constance and Jacob loves sweet wines. I am sure we will be ordering this cookbook they had with recipes paired with sweet wines. We also found that there is a New York distributor for SA wines that includes the Vin de Constance called Cape Classics that we will be visiting I am sure. Here is a picture of the cookbook if anyone is interested.

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We loved South Africa's food and wine and will definitely return to enjoy more!