Honeymoon in the Hinterland and Stellenbosch Adventures Part 2

Ok, all you voyeurs out there, you want me to get down to the nitty gritty, don't you? You surely want to know what happens when the lights go out on two tired, (but young at heart) old lovers...? Well I'll put you out off your misery and tell you that they simply go to sleep! 

We were warmly welcomed back to the Lanzerac, that much loved, gracious old lady of Stellenbosch, who on my last encounter, had been showing more than signs of age, she'd gone beyond senile dementia. Our previous stay gave us cause to rechristen the place Fawlty Towers of the Winelands, and on the strength of a polite letter, we were offered a complimentary overnight stay, thanks to Hans Steyn, the manager, which couldn't have come at a better time financially or physically. 

To our utter delight, we were taken up to one of the beautiful poolside suites, and had a private little patio with a beautiful view up over the vineyards to the Helderberg. After a welcome cup of tea, we had 40 winks, and went to revive ourselves in the magnificent swimming pool, feeling like right royalty in our fluffy white robes. (What is it about these appendages that elevate one's mood and status?) Now, I must confess, that if you hadn't cottoned on to this fact already, your Suzy Q loves little more (ask no questions, hear no lies) than to swim, and the Lanzerac boasts a swimming pool of note. It was obviously built in the days when pools were deep and of a decent length, to say the least. Oh to do laps up and down with the mountains and sky and vineyards in view was sheer bliss. Having had such a large lunch, we cried off dinner and sipped sundowners on our patio and chatted into the night about the highlights of our lives together, and of course our anniversary, and worried about the little Miss SQ's until we heard that they were safely back home. Hooray and time to crack the bubbly...

Morning dawned less clear, but the pool was irresistible to the likes of me, so I had the thrill of swimming in it all alone in the early morning mists. Damage of the day before hopefully undone!? Interesting thought though, can damage ever really be undone? That done to lives, homes, friends, egos, properties, health, relationships...? No I think the saying, "the damage has been done" holds true, no matter what further things you attempt to do. Moral of the story is "be careful what you do, for what is done can never be undone, and  will always come back to haunt you!"  Not sure where that spot of poolside philosophy came from. (See: Suzy Q thinking deeply from the depths of the pool.) Speaking of which, I think I can safely confess to you, I did a totally rebellious thing there. I disobeyed the "No Diving" sign and spent a deliciously decadent 15 minutes diving in and out of the deepest pool I've ever had the pleasure of swimming in, breaking out from my responsible, law abiding persona of always being five minutes early for everything I have to go to, and driving one kilometre under the speed limit. Watch out world!! Could this be the beginning of a New Suzy Q!?

But back to breakfast. We'd worked up a good appetite again, so tackled the delicious and very well stocked breakfast buffet with gusto. The old retainers looked after us well, and we feasted on fruits, yoghurts and cereals before being offered a hot cooked breakfast, which she of little appetite declined, but he who loves nothing more than a fry up, relished. 

We packed up wishing that we could spend another day relaxing by the pool, but responsibility and reality beckoned back home, however, not before one or two more pitstops. We had been offered a free wine tasting as guests, so popped into the winery on our way out. All modern now, the home of Pinotage and Lanzerac rose offers a tasting of four wines for R20. Guests, however, are only allowed to try two as part of their complimentary tasting. They only offer a thimbleful, so why stint on the tasting? Any marketing fool knows that the more people taste, the more they buy, so a bit of a shortfall of thought there.
www.lanzerac.co.za

 However we enjoyed it, and stopped in at the Botanical Gardens en route home, as I wanted to show Stellenbosch's answer to Kirstenbosch to Mr SQ. Being a man of wide spaces and big ideas, it didn't really do it for him, but paradoxically, he loved the bonsai garden - whew! Our stay in Stellenbosch was pleasant, but at the end of the day, east west, home's best!