adventure

A sunset date with Krone

Krone recently sent me a beautiful picnic basket filled with mouth-watering hand made treats and two bottles of their still Chardonnay/Pinot Noir.

This blend is my absolute favourite wine so the arrival of said basket delivered great excitement for me.

I thoroughly appreciated the crisp, fresh bouquet and I foresee that this wine will accompany me to many occasions in the future.

“An unexpected twist” - I had to appreciate the playful double entendre that Krone had (I’m assuming, intentionally) provided; the theme of the basket and the innovative helix cork, which lets be honest, really gives this bottle of wine the spirit of spontaneity.

This is a wine that is ready to be enjoyed wherever, whenever.  

I had to decide on a setting that would compliment the idea of innovation.

Something a little different…

I must admit that my first thought was stuck on the notion of romance, however since my partner does not drink, I was forced to really expand on my initial idea. I had an epiphany;

Why do we maintain that the notion of romance is exclusively reserved for a lover or significant other?

Google tells me that, aside from being a noun, “Romance is a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.”

I can definitely say without a shadow of doubt that my very close friends offer me exactly that.

Spoiling my friends in this way can be a bit self-indulgent but the beauty of it? I get to share in the fun unashamedly without the need of a corkscrew or clean-shaven legs.

That’s the kind of spontaneity I can really get behind.

-Melissa

*This blog post was sponsored by Krone. All opinions are my own.

Lourensford Harvest Market

Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market
Lourensford Harvest Market

This past weekend I opted for something a little different for Easter weekend. Instead of the usual feast at home and a full on food coma afterwards, I decided to load my family up and take a drive to the much talked about Lourensford Harvest Market.

The market is on every Sunday and this time round was an Easter theme.  They even had an Easter egg hunt for the little ones. With over 70 stalls filled with food, clothing and arts, there is something on the go for everyone! Of course my main focus was food and tasting as many morsels as possible. I always feel at markets committing to one single big meal isn’t the way to go. Either that or my food FOMO really shines! Get there early as the food starts to sell out later on and you will want to get the cream of the crop and of course grab a bottle of wine!

The atmosphere is relaxing and with cold beers and live music I found myself sitting at the table in a mellow mood that I would recommend to anyone.  Puppies are welcome and of course there are enough children to keep them busy!

Lourensford is one of the biggest producing estates in South Africa and has so much to offer! They have coffee roasting, galleries, the market and Mill House restaurant. A must try if you are in the area, bookings essential.  The food is outstanding and I have been lucky enough to eat there on a previous occasion.

So if you are wondering what to do and want to venture out of the noisy city, I recommend taking a drive to this beautiful estate and exploring it with camera or loved one in hand!

-Melissa

Visiting Vergenoegd Wine Estate

vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate
vergenoegd wine estate

Our wine country here in the Cape is filled with history. The sad thing is that not everyone appreciates it or even honours it. I recently got around to visiting Vergenoegd Wine Estate and I was blown away by the experience and their respect for its history and buildings. The farm is filled with stories and activities for the whole family. But before I get into that, let us talk ducks!

The farm has almost 800 Indian Runner ducks that are let out every morning to graze on the snails and bugs that threaten the vineyards. The ducks are an eco-friendly solution for the farm and to be honest, they are possibly one of the cutest creatures I have ever seen! If you find yourself visiting the estate then I would recommend arriving  before 09:45 to see them go to work in their duck parade. Or catch them at the end of a hard day’s work at 15:30 daily! The sounds and sites of these feathered friends running into the vineyards is a must see! They are also part of the reason why Vergenoegd proudly carries the WWF biodiversity certificate.

The Estate is bustling with activities such as wine, coffee, tea and olive oil blending. I decided to opt for the olive oil blending as it was something different to what I’ve done before and I must admit that I was happy with my choice! Being educated on olive oils and the blends was fascinating! And the best part? I received a labelled bottle of my olive oil blend!

Sitting in the old buildings, I was able to take in the history of the Estate, and I think it is really special that they work so hard to preserve it. There is something to be said for those who honour the past and remember where they come from and I truly got that feeling at Vergenoegd!

The chef, Ryan Shell, has put together a picnic menu of epic proportions. Coming from a background of working with Chris Erasmus (one of my favourite chefs) I knew I was going to be blown away! With freshly baked bread and scrumptious salads, you can’t go wrong! Each picnic basket is accompanied with a fantastic bottle of Runner Duck wine. The white wine is crisp and fresh - the perfect pairing to a summer’s picnic! Booking is essential for all the activities on the farm and Vergenoegd ‘s site is also a hive of information! Give them a visit next time you want to wonder out to wine country! You will not be disappointed!

-Melissa

The Orange River - Namibia

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Over New Years (yes this blog post is late) a group of friends and I decided that we were going to paddle down the Orange River over a 4 day period with a company called Bushwhacked.

The Orange River for those of you that have my geographical skills is the border between South Africa and Namibia. They call it the Richtersveld and it is possibly one of the harshest environments one can experience or witness.  It is a seven and a half hour drive up to the border of Namibia and of course we decided to drive up in December. As we drove north the temperature on my car went up. Driving into Bushwhacked it was a whopping 55 Degrees Celsius

This adventure was going to be one of heat and tough paddling.

 We spent the first night at base camp, a beautifully set up space for you to practice your camping skills for the first night. Everyone settled in and of course the heavy debate of what to take and what to leave behind ensued.

We were given two dry bags and a cooler box per boat. You have to paddle your boat, so you don’t want to make it a very heavy one. The dilemma? You also don’t want to be out there in the riverbed without your basic comforts.  

Lesson number one: Travel light and nimble as an elf.

After many a debate we settled on leaving our tent behind. thereby cutting our clothing in half and making sure we had plenty of snacks and drinks for the river.

After breakfast we headed out on what was sure to be the adventure of a lifetime. The only problem is that after the first 100m I realised I might have possibly bitten off more than I can chew.  But I realised in that moment that there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Lesson number two: Finish what you start.

Very soon after leaving the base camp the beauty of your environment hits you. I could not believe the colour of the rocks and the mountains surrounding us. Some were bright orange and others deep red all the while with green trees on the boarder of the river and blue skies. The vivid colour palette was something I will never forget.

We paddled until lunch and then found a spot on the side of the river where our guide and his assistance setup lunch. The food is basic but simply delicious with a carefully thought out menu I could not fault. I had to question whether in survival mode if I would be fussy?

Between every moment you find yourself in the water. It was the only relief from the relentless heat that pounded down on us. Sunblock was sure to be our best friend and a precious commodity over the next few days. 

Lesson number three: wear sunscreen. Yes, like the song. He was right.

Paddling further after lunch and facing a strong head wind I again questioned if this break was for me. With my arms burning and my sense of humor fading I learnt my fourth lesson on the Orange River. Stop sulking, there is nothing you can do about it so change your attitude and be positive. A special shout out to my girlfriend for surviving me and to all the couples that broke up and got back together that afternoon!

 Our first night of camping without a tent left me with mixed emotions. The stars are unlike anything you have ever seen before but so are the insects. Now I wouldn’t call myself a city girl who lacks adventure but I will say this. I don’t want bugs on me. At all. With mixed emotions we set up camp and started counting shooting stars. The first night was possibly the best as the moon decided to put on a show and rose over the mountains. Drifting in and out of sleep, I remember thinking every time I opened my eyes that I was in the most beautiful place I had ever slept in my life.

The sun rises early so you do too. Packing up the camp after our river shower and making sure we hit the water early was our daily mission. 

Lesson number five: The early bird catches the worm

Paddling down the river I couldn’t believe the harsh environment that the animals of the Orange River live in.  The sun beats down with no mercy and the only way to protect yourself is to cover up with wet sarongs. It made me appreciate evolution and the animals ability to survive in their surrounding. We saw a troupe of baboons that clearly looked as if they thrived. I however was twitching that I might not have enough sunblock! 

Lesson number six: Be grateful for what you have, someone else has it harsher.

Our second day of paddling was fantastic. The water moved faster so the paddling was easier. We also did what is called a nappy run. This is when you tie your life jacket around your bum like a nappy and go legs first down the river. I simply loved it. If you surrender to the river you feel as if you are flowing with the water. Even when the rapid pulls you under it brings you back up. It was exhilarating.

Lesson number seven: Sometimes you just got to let go and surrender.

By late afternoon on the second day we had setup camp. Again no tent. I was fine with this given the first night was beautiful. Mother Nature however had a different idea and decided to test us with a freak electrical storm. Within the space of 5 minutes we went from blue skies to rain and lightning with gale force winds. I was still standing in my bikini! The temperature dropped so suddenly that I started shaking. I thought to myself, this is it. This is how I die, in a leopard print bikini in the Orange River. Twenty minutes later there were blue skies. It was wild. The rest of the evening was spent on edge waiting for a curve ball from our environment. It never arrived. 

Lesson number eight: Life is what happens when you are making other plans.

Our third day was again magical. Floating/paddling down the river with ice cold drinks and a group of friends that can laugh at any situation I realised how grateful I was for the people in my life. Being able to laugh no matter what is critical to your survival. If we didn’t laugh there were definitely moments we would cry. But in these moments I realised my next Orange River lesson. Laughter is the best medicine.

With the sun setting on our third day on the Orange River I went for a walk with my girlfriend. We stood in the middle of the Orange River and looked around us. It is massive and magnificent. Best of all? It is actually right in our back yard. I cannot believe so many people are trekking over seas when they haven’t even seen this part of the country. I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself.  To walk on the riverbed and see how majestic the mountains are, and to know that I was seeing something few people could see because few people would voluntarily sleep with out a tent, paddle their butt off and do their business in the bush. I felt like I had accomplished something; that I had an adventure not many will have in their lifetime and that it all came from hard work.

Lesson number ten: Be brave and capture the spirit of adventure within you.

We watched the sunset and boy, did it put on a show. The colours were something else. With great company, laughter, good food and a comfortable seat I felt content. 

We set up camp on the edge of the riverbed and lay watching fireflies to the sound of frogs croaking. It was like a scene from a movie until it started raining. So about that no tent thing… Pack one. A small durable waterproof tent. It is worth the slog. I must admit it was an all-time low in my life lying in the dark on a riverbed in the rain.

Lesson number eleven: Make the best of a bad situation.

On our last day we paddled to brunch and shortly afterward set out to do shamrock. I rapid which is classed as a stage three difficulty and was going to test us, all the team work and communication we had built up over the last three days on the river. We had to paddle extra and carry our boats 500 meters across rocks if we wanted to do it. We did. We decided that we had come this far and nothing was going to stop us now. What a blast it was and if you ever find yourself there remember lesson number eleven. Nothing in life comes without a little bit of hard work!

Once we left the river I had this instant sense of nostalgia for the last few days. Was that it? It went so fast! I felt like I was a fully-fledged river rat and I didn’t want that to change!

The busses pick you up and take you across the border, which is quick and painless. You return to the campsite sun beaten, tired and ready for a shower. I promise you it is the best shower you will ever have!

We spent New Years Eve in the campsite with spit braai’s (a South African BBQ with a whole sheep) and cold beer, which was a perfect way to watch the sun go down on the final day of a very rough year. It got me thinking. 2015 was a hard year as I have mentioned but it was also a great year. I grew from strength to strength. This was the year that launched the blog and ended it with the adventure of a lifetime. Which bought me to my final Orange River lesson.

Lesson number twelve: No one said it would be easy. They only said it would be worth it.

Thank you to Jonathan Tucker, my love, my friends and of course The Orange River for a trip and lessons I will never forget!

 

 

Getting festive in Stellenbosch

Sometimes I find it slightly scary meeting new people. I am one of those people who wear their heart on their sleeve.  This is a good thing in many ways but it can also result in unwanted vulnerability.

I read this quote the other day, “If you are scared, it is because you are about to do something really brave!”

I was invited by a group of really fantastic visual storytellers recently to a tour of Stellenbosch. Young bloggers and influencers that are making waves as they go. As you can imagine meeting everyone and not knowing them from a bar of soap was rather daunting. Daunting until they shared their various handles with me. Isn’t it strange that living in a world of social media sometimes results in people knowing me more as The Truffle Journal than Melissa Delport?

Well I can’t exactly criticize because I am one of those people that will recognize you quicker by your Instagram handle than your real name. Once I had matched the "virtual persona" to all the real live persons I quickly settled in for an adventure that involved a group of really dynamic and fun people.

The hashtag for the day was #festivestellenbosch, which quickly started trending on twitter just by the influence of everyone combined. This is my photo journal. A little look-see into what Stellenbosch has to offer.

A walking tour through Kayamandi that in my opinion, every South African should do hosted by Bites and Sites.  It ended up being the best excursion of the day. Why? Simply because it forced me to look across cultural boundaries and to see that in truth as a young South African I had never actually been into a township. Yes to be honest it was out of fear. Now I see it was the fear of the unknown. To see how my fellow South Africans live was not only humbling but also enlightening.

The smiles and warm energy that we were received with was something I will never forget. To see another human being live in destitution but still smile, laugh and face each day with bravery made me feel foolish for the amount of times I complain in a day. So you will have to excuse the amount of photographs but I couldn't help but capture this experience!

Walking into a little nursery school with broken windows and worn off paint I couldn’t help but have flash backs about the privileged education I received and how different it was. I could not begin to compare.

My heart almost burst when I entered the nursery. Happy little faces greeted me with smiles and cheer. They called us Teacher, as it is a standard for anyone who visits them. They sang us songs and performed dances for us. All the while the walls covered with posters about sexual abuse and how it isn’t their fault, teaching these tiny little humans to speak up and communicate to the adults teaching them. Again it made me think of my fairy tale up bringing.

With prominent events like our #feesmustfall in headlines recently it makes me think how we as a nation need to stand together. Yes, tertiary education should be affordable to all South Africans but in my opinion every single child of our nation should have access to the fundamentals; the ABC’s.

We stopped by an elderly gentleman called Jimmy who does pottery from his shack. He was illiterate and yet had forged his own path in life the best way he could – to be honest I don’t know if I would have survived as well as he has. He worked at a pottery studio sweeping floors and one day asked his boss to teach him. He now has several spinning wheels and offers classes for those who are interested in the craft as well as selling his beautiful little bowls, plates etc. His laughter and his eager attitude left me wondering how different his world would be if education were an option for him.  I thought about how something as simple as a Facebook page and a great location would swing his life around or at least create the possibility of change.

Of course after this amount of walking I was starving – not that it was far! I am just always game for lunch.

We were whisked off to Tokara wine estate to juxtapose our township adventure. The Deli is one of my favourites. With plenty of great products on offer their Olive Oil made on site is one of my favourites. We all sat down and had a chance to finally chat and get to know one another more as fellow online Bloggers. Of course I decided to take it easy and get their burger for lunch. A giant patty of goodness served with the perfect potato fry. An ideal lunch to wash down with some of the finest wine Stellenbosch has to offer!

With our bellies full we set off to take a guided tour through Stellenbosch. It is amazing how something can be right in your back yard and yet you can have such little knowledge of it. Walking through the town and learning of its history and landmarks was just fantastic. I must admit I had house envy for some of the historical landmarks. They are simply magnificent and I wouldn’t mind moving in!

I’m no authority and it's no rule - here it is, a list of the places I went to and loved.

Stellenbosch Dorp Museum
Tokara Deli
Bites & Sites cultural food tour
Schoon De Companje
De Warenmarket
Spier wine farm & Eigh

-Melissa