Easter Sunday, April 5. Oudtshoorn to Montagu
We arrived at Montague Vine‘s Hotel a few minutes before 2 pm. Here we got a warm welcome from Pam and her husband who had had the eight bedrooms guest house for 10 years. The room was large and had a pleasant view and patio over the mountains. We settled in and then went for a walk, supposedly five minutes, to the town itself. The architecture in the town was very pleasing and we eventually stopped at the one café we found open, The Rambling Rose, where we had some delicious. fresh orange juice, and a pastry and David also had an iced coffee.
Back at the guest house soon after four we sat on the terrace until 5 pm when we went for a drink of wine that was on the house: as we left by one door, the wine arrived by the other door so we settled down on the terrace again with that after a short chat with Pam. It was a really nice view of the olive grove and the mountains beyond. Around 6 pm, we went for a short walk in the opposite direction to town , but had to come back as night was falling rapidly.. Then a leisurely evening, drinking the remains of the wine, some scones and a fillet steak from the previous night. It was topped off by an eclectic mix of a coffee and amaretto and an Easter egg.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbprint below
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| Pam, the owner | View from our room across the olive grove | The bijou swimming pool | Our balcony |
Easter Monday. April 6. A relaxation day at Montague.
A really leisurely day, a pleasant breakfast outside although somewhat cool, then reading in the room until 11 am when we set out on the self guided historic walk of the town.
This only took us 90 minutes as the museum was shut for Easter Monday. But the buildings we viewed from the outside were really wonderful architecture.
Back at the hotel, I got changed for a swim and went and sat outside on a lounger near the minute pool for about an hour before having the courage to enter it. It was actually slightly better than I had thought. But I managed to do a few strokes in it and also a few exercises and then dried off in the sun At 3 o’clock we ventured back into town to the Rambling Rose and had some orange juice and a cake each. The place was really crowded again.
Then more reading lying out by their small lake until just gone five, as this was the only place still in the sun. We hoped we might get a glass of wine again today, but that was not to be so at 6 pm we had tapas with some Amaretto. On TV we watched Donald Trump, and two other military figures talk about the rescue of the two downed F15 pilots: oh what a wonderful force the Americans are!
Then more reading and a snack of fillet steak and then some coffee.
To get a larger photo, click on a thumbprint below
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| The walk in to town | And a selection of the historic buildings | ||
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| Weaver birds' nests | |||
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| Rambling Rose | ..and its buns | .. little garden ay the back |