Under the apple blossoms down by the Isar

My new hometown of Munich is all apple blossoms and sunshine. Pale Europeans are bearing all next to the Isar River, soaking up an abundance of Vitamin D after a long and snowy winter.

That’s right, they’re not shy. The Germans are known for being fairly relaxed about nudity but it still takes me by surprise. I was quite taken aback when I went for a jog in the park yesterday and one of the bikini girls took her bottoms off to have a wee in the garden, within full view of, myself. Besides me doing a double take no one was batting an eyelid. Might have been an abundance of beer involved there too, who knows. Hm, always interesting to discover new cultures.

This year I’m lucky enough to have double summer, since I’ve moved from the southern tip of Africa to the Northern Hemisphere. Just as the first cold front hit Cape Town, I stepped off the plane into the European sunshine. Mid-April worked out to be a great time to arrive in Germany. Not that Munich is the sunniest city on earth and I probably won’t pack away my winter jerseys in a hurry, but the weather has been just fabulous with temperatures soaring up to 30 degrees.

I count myself lucky to live in a street lined with apple trees in bloom, plus a few pink cherry blossoms peeking out here and there. As though that’s not enough the bulbs are popping out of the grass all over the place, gracing the streets and the parks with bright coloured patches of red and yellow spring flowers.

My German language lessons are coming in quite handy. I’m surprised every time when people understand me and answer back like its no big deal – every sentence I say correctly is an achievement for me and I kind of expect applause for getting it right! I guess getting a normal answer to a normal question also means that I sounded pretty normal which, when it happens, is super.

Going to the supermarket is still an adventure for me, as is discovering different beers and breweries. Living in a country as an expat is a whole different experience to being a tourist. I haven’t been rushing around to see attractions, for that I will have plenty of time. For now, I’m just trying to get a sense of my place in this new Münchener world.

Our African Queen barge cruise along a river of wine

‘Pick something fabulous that you haven’t yet done in and around Cape Town and then we’ll do it together before you move to Europe,’ said my friend Susan. My first thought was a wine tasting day tour through the Hemel & Aarde (Heaven & Earth) valley in Hermanus. Or a barge cruise along the Klein River in Stanford.

Since Hermanus and Stanford are close enough together we decided to combine the two and soon got a nice festive crowd together. Gourmet coffee and deli snacks from the Hermanuspietersfontein weekend Food & Wine Market started our day right at the foot of the Hemel & Aarde valley. Once everyone was awake and ready, it was time to start our wine tasting. I quite liked the Hermanuspietersfontein Bordeaux-style Bloos, a blush wine with notes of berries and oak.

Yet, the best wines were to be found further up in the valley and we soon moved on to our favourites. The weather wasn’t exactly playing along, but we were determined to make great memories and earthy red wines from the Creation Winery soon warmed us up. With typically green rolling hills and sweeping valleys all lined with neat vines, the setting was as good as it gets. No wonder they allude to Eden when telling the story of the wine farm.

Next stop - and the highlight for me - was Ataraxia Wine Estate, with its chapel-style wine tasting room high up on a hill. Here we spent hours lingering and watching the dark clouds cast a beautiful light across the vineyards and fynbos. I bought a few bottles of Serenity 2008, a red blend made with a selection of undisclosed varietals, the winemaker’s secret in creating the perfectly balanced wine.

And so, armed with enough wine to water a small country, we made our way to Stanford to board the African Queen, for a sunset barge cruise along the Klein River. Susan had arranged a foodie feast and we soon lit both fireplaces on the barge, one to keep us warm and the other to have a braai, with steaks and boerewors, in true South African style.

Once the sun had set, it was quite cold and the wine was flowing freely. The guys all decided it would probably be warmer inside the water than out and so got rid of their kit and towed along the back of the barge holding on to tyres and tubes. Meanwhile us girls were dancing under the stars on the top deck of the barge.

Somehow we just didn’t want the good times to end and stopped at a pub in Stanford afterwards to make a good attempt at finishing all the wine in the Hermanus Winelands area. Sure, things got messy, but it was a day that I will never forget, shared with good friends who never fail to stick with me, rain or shine.

If you would like to arrange your own African Queen barge cruise in Stanford, contact Marlene on marlenes@maxitec.co.za

Proudly South African at Fairview

The main attraction at the Fairview wine and cheese farm in Paarl is no doubt the little goat tower, where goats lazily peek through tiny windows like fairy tale characters.

Besides the delicious Fairview cheese platters paired with its award-winning wines, the goats add that something extra, an interesting detail that can keep guests and especially kids entertained for hours. Then there’s the deli, which always gets my full attention. I like to select freshly baked bread, olive oil and cheeses like Crottin and Blue Rock with apricots. The hand woven baskets adds such a lovely rustic touch to the shopping atmosphere.

Fairview recently became the first carbon neutral cheesery in Africa, pulling out all the stops to make sure that this beautiful part of the world stays protected and nourished so that future generations can get as much joy (and wine and cheese) from it. Fairview owner Charles Back also recently bought over the neighbouring Seidelberg Estate and will be using it as a base for its Spice Route Label. My mom and I popped in to visit the brand new artisan chocolatier and look forward to seeing the chocolate tasting lounge opening soon. Lots of exciting things happening at this firm Cape Winelands favourite!

Somehow, even after many visits to Fairview I’ve always missed this proudly South African herb garden (see photo), carefully designed for the colours to resemble our flag. There is always something more to discover in the Cape Town area, no matter how much time is spent here.

The Cape is a heart place and looking out over this natural resemblance of out national pride makes my heart feel full to be South African. Especially on such a beautiful day! Perhaps the feeling is highlighted ahead of my big move to Munich, but the beautiful moments in Cape Town truly are as good as it gets.