Barrydale

Day 8 + 9

We drove out to the country, to a small village called Barrydale, to stay with Nick [Chirs’s advisor from his master’s program], his wife Nicky, and their three kids. The drive was really spectacular – first through the Winelands and then some pretty dramatic hilly/rocky terrain. It was really nice to get out of the city, see something a little different, and take a break from Cape Town.

Nick and Nicky have a lovely little guest house in their backyard. [A few photos, below.]

Fyi, their system of renting a place in the city and owning a vacation home in the country seems like an excellent plan.

Friday evening we went swimming in a nearby river, then went to a nearby winery for some tasting, and live music. All in all, a pretty excellent evening.

Some photos from the river...

Saturday morning,a walk through Barrydale gave Chris an I a tiny bit of insight into Afrikaaner village life; somehow, even outside of Cape Town, I am still amazed at how strangely familiar everything looks.

Here's a photo of Barrydale’s “waterfront” a.k.a. the deck view from the Blue Cow, which is…if you’re ever in the area…an excellent breakfast spot.

The drive back to Cape Town was mostly uneventful. We took a different route – this time driving through the Cape Flats, where most of the townships are located. I didn’t take any photos because we were on the highway driving, but these are the areas that look…well…not at all like home.