Cape Town; hop on, hop off: the Franschhoek Wine Tram.
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Capetown; what a combination: traveling by bus and tram, drinking wine, exploring a lot of vineyards!

The Franschhoek Wine Tram: The Franschhoek Wine Tram is an fantastic option to explore a lot of vineyards. This Wine Tram is a combination of a bus and tram ride that allows you to hop on and off at the vineyards on your chosen line. Grab a seat on the top deck of the double-decker tram for double the viewing potential! All you have to do is pick your preferred wine route, sit back and enjoy sweeping vineyard and mountain views!

A colorful world: There are eight lines in total – Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, Red, Grey, Pink, and Yellow – each of which visits between seven and nine wine estates and showcases a different part of the Franschhoek Valley. Choose your battles ;-)!

What DDTS choose: We did the red and grey line and visited the following wine estates by bus and tram:

Bubble tasting at Haute Cabriere: Haute Cabriere is a beautiful wine estate where we had a bubbling experience ;-). The cellar is amazingly beautiful and worth a visit. Don't forget to buy some bubbly stuff.

Another bubble tasting at Le Lude: You can never have enough bubbles in your life! So take a stop at Le Lude. The view is fantastic and the interior is absolutely French. Feel 'Emily in Paris' in Franschhoek.

Lunch at Grande Provence: If you are in for a nice lunch with a spectaculair view...then visit Grande Provence. This wine estate is well known. Here, the estate encapsulates the essence of heritage, seamlessly blending the charm of Cape Dutch architecture with the precision and clarity of contemporary design. That sounds like a perfect blend!

A glass of wine at Franschhoek Cellar: Jump of the tram at Franschhoek Cellar for a zip before you continue your road trip. On their website are these magical words what subscribe the essence of this house: To share the gift of Joie de vivre - a moment of exuberant enjoyment, with the world.

CHEERS!

 

Cape Town, a special hidden gem, art & grain, esma’s, athletic moves and plants!
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Cape town has so much to offer. Travel with us to all this fantastic places and experiences!

Cape Town's hidden gem: Tinswalo Atlantic, Cape Town's hidden gem is located at the foothill of the majestic Chapman's Peak. It's offering fantastic panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The place is magic! The food is excellent! The wine is delicious! And do you not want to go home? No worries. You can sleep in one of the luxury cottages at Tinswalo Atlantic. Liam Tomlin and chef Braam Beyers are the brains behind this concept.

Having a delicious Esma in an old grain silo: Have you ever had an Esma in an old grain silo? I bet not. At the Silo Rooftop Bar it will become true.

A shot of art: In the same building where you had your delicious Esma, is the Zeitz MOCCAA. It's a museum of contemporary art of African artists. Beside that it's an interesting kind of architecture. It gives visitors an insight into the industrial past of the Grain Silo Building.

Dancing all night long: The Athletic Club & Social is a must do when you want to stretch your legs and DANCE, DANCE, DANCE! This classy venue is set over three floors. Choose your floor based on the music they are playing. DDTS danced all night long and recommend this place highly ;-)!

Lunch with the locals: If you want a relaxed vintage atmosphere for having your lunch like the locals, go to Our Local. This quirky place is full of plants, vintage furniture and a fountain. Big yellow doors open off Kloof Street into a light, airy space. Trees and plants in pots, clusters of collectibles and old books on shelves. Plants as dividers on the long central table, and price tags on some of the furniture result in a constantly changing décor. And most of the stuff is for sale. How sounds that?!

Cape Town, Mooi Bly, Nederburg and Bertus Basson at Spice Route
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Cape Town
Cape Town: have a real South African experience in the heart of the winelands.

Cape Town is a favourite destination for wine connaisseurs from around the world, but for DDTS it's also a great experience. Some of the best and oldest wine farms in the region can be found right in the city’s back yard. Find a driver to make sure you can drink and enjoy while going on a wine tour!

Which city: Cape Town, Paarl, South Africa

Where to go: DDTS went to wine estate Mooi Bly, a small wine estate in Paarl, that offers a warm, authentic accommodation and a range of six different wines to taste. A beautiful place to stay or to visit in the Cape wine lands.

What to drink and eat: Wine tasting at Mooi Bly or Nederburg is a great experience. The home of Nederburg Wines is a paradise of rolling vineyards and sweeping hills. Would you like to spice up your day: go to restaurant Bertus Basson at Spice Route. Enjoy a lunch under the oak trees surrounded by the beautiful nature. And don’t forget a nice glass of wine with it!

What to do: Taste wine, taste wine and taste wine ;-)! And have a quick look inside Bertus Basson’s shop to see nice glass art and how they are making these great glass pieces.

What to love: The amazingly beautiful nature, the wine estates, the South African people and the experience of tasting all the wines in the most stunning ambiance.

Watch our vlog of Cape Town!

Cape Town versus New York
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Cape Town versus New York
Summer in Cape Town and snowy weather in New York City!

Big contrast between sunny Cape Town versus snowy big Apple. Take a sip or a culture shot from both worlds!

Desiré

Cape Town is a wonderful place to be especially during summer. The surrounding winelands offer a breath-taking scenery.
I really love going to beautiful wine estates and have tastings. For me It's the perfect opportunity to learn and discover what you like and don’t like and it's a great way to try new wines without having to spent money on a bottle that you might be disappointed with.

First I went to the Morgenster Wine and Olive Estate in Somerset West where you can experience an olive oil tasting. Like wines, olive oils have complex notes ranging from buttery, grassy to peppery and everything in between. Instead of doing the olive oil tasting I had a wonderful lunch at 95 at Morgenster and tried some oils that were offered during the lunch. Because of this great lunch I ended up buying an expensive white truffle oil that I really don't need, but really want to try!

During my time at the Morgenster there was a huge forest fire due to the dry, hot and windy weather. An extensive cloud of brown smoke could be seen creeping towards the suburbs of Summerset West. The sun appeared red due to the smoke and dust. It gave me a sad feeling after spending such a beautiful afternoon there.

Life goes on and so does wine tasting!!. The next morning ( yes, morning!) I explored the decadently sweet and savoury art of wine and chocolate pairing (for which the wine estate is famous for) at Waterford Estate outside Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands close to Cape Town. Three unique wines and three special chocolates were displayed on a platter and it was very tasteful! At the Blaauwklippen vineyards I enjoyed "Ons Sprankle" it is a perfect bubbly all-round wine perfect for hot summer months.
The Guardian Peak Winery has a fantastic restaurant where I enjoyed dijon mustard & brown sugar glazed Eisbein, mashed potatoes & chardonnay braised cabbage. The dessert was dark chocolate fondant with hazelnut ice cream. Mmmmmm!

I ended my trip at Paranga Restaurant at Camps Bay. It has a great vibe and fabulous view over Camps Bay beach. Soft white sand and aqua marine seas, Camps Bay Beach is the place to be during the summer months......Goodbye Cape Town for now!

Margré

This time New York City changed into a white city. It started snowing in the morning and it kept snowing the whole day. At the subway around the corner of my hotel on 34th street I took the R-line to Prince street in Chelsea. I decided to visit the New Museum because I wanted to see the exhibition of Pipilotti Rist. Elisabeth Charlotte Pipilotti Rist, is a visual artist who works with video, film, and moving images that are often displayed as projections. A must see for an art-lover like me!

The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a beautiful museum in New York City at 235 Bowery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The seven-story 58,700-square-foot facility, designed by the Tokyo-based firm Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA and the New York-based firm Gensler, has greatly expanded the Museum’s exhibitions and space. In April 2008, the museum's new building was named one of the architectural New Seven Wonders of the World by Conde Nast Travelers.

When you take a look at the outside of New York's New Museum you will notice a pair of skeletal towers extending from the roof and a 30-foot sailboat precariously suspended from the facade. Both are part of artist Chris Burden's project "Extreme Measures". The two skeletal towers certainly reference the Twin Towers, and the boat on the facade is intended to evoke a rescue ship in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

I had to stand in line in the snow and cold to get a ticket but it was worth it. It was such a unique visual and sensory experience. And it was a very real and expressive type of contemporary art. I look forward to future visits when the exhibits change.

After my culture shot I walked around Prince street and ended up in Dean & Deluca on the corner of Broadway and Prince street. Dean and Deluca is a chain of upscale grocery stores carrying specialty foods, including prepared dishes, plus home and kitchen items. I bought some fresh made sushi and sea weed salad and returned to my hotel by subway again because I had to leave a couple of hours later for the airport to fly home to Amsterdam.

It was a very short stay in the Big Apple but it was a great 'tête a tête’ as always! New York never disappoints me. This vibrant city gives me so much energy and inspiration. And the white snowy accent gave it an extra touch of magic this time.

Watch our vlog of Cape Town versus New York!