Bill's Blog

Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island, is the capital of Portugal's Azores archipelago. The trip was a three-day cruise from Southampton and, after leaving, a five-day trip to disembark in New York.

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Bill's note:
This post will finish the 142 posts that comprise the story of our Around The World cruise, which started on December 28, 2023, and ended on July 12, 2024. Click/ tap here to go to a hyperlinked index of all the trip's posts (there is also a link on the main menu at the top of this page). 

This, however, is NOT the last post of the experience. Next are Breakouts of the many, many posted images, including:

- Top twenty favorite images from the trip
- Favorite posts/ stories
- Sunrises/ Sunsets
- At Sea
- Reimagined as paintings
- Pretty Flowers
- Best Scenics
- and more

Stay tuned! More to come after a short break!

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Our day in Ponta Delgada was built around a spur-of-the-moment Whale/ Dolphin Watch Mini- Cruise. A beautiful, sunny, breezy day, unfortunately the attendance memo to the dolphins and whales was not adhered to. A very nice boat ride to the best viewing areas with 50+ of our new friends yielded distance views only. The return ride to the harbor provided a final far-away look. 

A beautiful day!

Whale watching. The closest we got was the little speck on the left as a whale surfaced.

Four dolphins

Notice the water's color change. We were almost back at the port when we saw these three guys.

Back in port. It was a lovely ride despite not getting close to any critters. 

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

The link to an Index of all of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. Jump from there to any of the posts. 

Punta Delgada, Portugal (the Azores)
07/06/24

Miscellaneous images to supplement the previous two English posts (Salisbury and The Truth about Stonehenge). 

First, some "wandering through Salisbury" finishing images:

Typical of an old village, narrow walkways and streets

Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary




Nine miles away, Stonehenge- a touristy view

The arrow points out the direction of the "Midwinter Sunset." The big stone is called the Heel Stone, sometimes called "The Friar's Heel." It is surrounded by a small ditch and weighs more than 36 tons.

Views through a bus window with a small camera

Cathedral from afar

Unfortunately, "when only the best is good enough" didn't quite work. The store is vacant.

Traipsing through the English countryside

Pretty scenics

A final view of Stonehenge


 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

The link to an Index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. Jump from there to any of the posts. 

 Salisbury & Stonehenge, England
07/02/24


 

This is the first of two posts about our day at port in Southhampton, England. They follow up on the expeditionary research treatise published here on July 3. Click here to review the report's, some say, shocking revelations.

  Salisbury, England (not to be confused with its sister city in North Carolina) is a medieval cathedral city in the southern English county of Wiltshire. It was our first stop of the day since it is only nine miles south of Stonehenge.

We walked the quaint downtown area to a street fair. The second post will have pretty pictures of the cathedral the city is famous for and a few street scenes. This post is dedicated to the uniquely British take on buildings, storefronts, and signs.

Excuse me, dear, but did you know there is a large deer on your roof?

A Comic Soda Bar?

The sign on the door says, "Closed, we are."

"We actually know what we're talking about"

MILFs, Attitude, and other things, along with a self-portrait

The downtown government building

So British

Just to ensure you know the building name, it is in SIX places at the entrance.

Not all the shops are doing well, as evidenced by the following two, which have closeups of the very polite signs on their doors.

A modernized version of the traditional Red British call box. While phone booths in the rest of the world have virtually disappeared, the Brits keep them around primarily to entertain tourists.

There was nothing above the sign!

What do you do when there are too many letters for the space? Make some letters smaller to make it look like an old sign!

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

The link to an Index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. Jump from there to any of the posts. 

Salisbury, England
07/02/24

Honfleur is a commune ("town" in French) in northwestern France. For many, it is the jumping-off point for tours of Paris, a short 2 1/2- 3 hour drive away. Since we were there for less than twelve hours, five or more hours on a bus for a few hours in Paris didn't work for us, so we stayed in Honfleur.

Honfleur is an old picturesque port with beautiful buildings and even cobblestone streets in places. The only downside was that many people decided to stay in town, so the streets were very crowded. We counted ten excursion buses just at our designated parking area. Honfleur was our last port in France before heading to Jolly Old England. 

Streetwalk 

Lobs and other shellfish!

Small car, suitable for traveling the narrow town streets; not so good for carrying people or stuff!

The Guardians Of The Town

Eglise Saint-Leonard
The Saint Leonardo church is named after a hermit, Leonardo, who lived in the time of Clovis, the first king of the Franks (466-511). The bell tower dates from 1780, and the interior paintings from the 19th century. 

Pathway leading away from the side of the church

Two scenics of the small harbor from a pedestrian bridge 




 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

The link to an Index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. Jump from there to any of the posts. 

Honfleur, France
07/01/24

If you have been living under a rock your whole life, you need to know that Bordeaux is a wine capital of the world. In fact, many, particularly those who live there, think of it as THE wine capital of the world.  The many chateaux and vineyards surrounding the city, and its architectural and cultural heritage, make it an international tourist destination. While ships can usually dock at the city center, we docked well outside the city because it was the weekend of The Bordeaux Wine Festival, which followed Vinexpo, called "the world's main wine fair."  

There is a striking difference between the wineries and vineyards of the Bordeaux area compared to other "wine capitals"... Napa, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. Developing other areas as wine capitals occurred relatively recently in the arch of history. Wine production in the Bordeaux region started 2000 years ago, sometime after 43 AD, during the Roman occupation. The winemakers of Bordeaux are very proud of their rich history, working hard to preserve it and show it off. A sense of age and history that you do not feel in other areas is prevalent wherever you go.    

Day One: an afternoon at a winery

The white hands are eye-catching.

Wine control panel

Day Two

The town of Saint-Emilion.
According to local signage, the "Romanesque perimeter wall is one of the oldest and best preserved in France."

Flames shooting out his eyes and a sword out of his mouth!

A Butcher's Shop on the edge of town, away from the tourist area

A young lady keeping an eye on things

Winery across the street





Chateau Cantenac winery

An intern from the US who married one of the owner's sons explained how wine is made.

End of Day, leaving Bordeaux



The index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. 

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Bordeaux, France
06/28-29/24

One month home from the Around The World cruise, the new Normal is in place.

The neighbors are out and about...

Minor repairs due to being gone for six months are ongoing...

Ruth's first batch of bread from her new sourdough starter is superb...

The Flamingos are back on full display...

Wilson has returned to guarding the glass display (he INSISTS on wearing the sombrero and sunglasses in memory of the trip)...

Bill continues to thoroughly test the PS5 to make sure it suffered no damage while we were gone...

The trip board is about done. A blank spot at the top right memorializes those lost during the Great Magnet Theft Incident. (note the addition of the worm at the top and the lacquer piece bottom left)...

All is good!!!

One month home
08/12/24

Bilbao is a port city in northern Spain and is in Basque country. It developed as a heavily industrialized city but is reinventing itself to a service economy. The city was heavily damaged in the Spanish Civil War and Francoist dictatorship.

Looking down from one of the highest points in the city. It was a gray and cloudy day, with fog in abundance.

It's a fingerprint by the Spanish Sculptor Juanjo Novella. It is a memorial to the Spanish Civil War.

Bottom center is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of contemporary and modern art. The unique building opened in 1997 in a formerly decrepit port area and quickly became a top attraction. It is one of several museums affiliated with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which includes the Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. 

Note: The beautiful museum building and its art exhibits made this one of the best excursions of the cruise. We were in Bilbao over 1 1/2 years ago, but the museum was closed. This was a Bucket List item for me. The images below are a tiny piece of the museum. To have the best impact of the art, click the link at the bottom of this post to see the full-size images. 

Soft Shuttlecock, 1995, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

A photograph.

Looking down at the central atrium.

Cloth ships

If modern art can have a classic, this is one. Ruth bought the teeshirt.

Orange Disaster #5, 1963, Andy Warhol. Warhol appropriated the electric chair image from a press photograph dated January 13,1953. It was taken inside a death chamber at Sing Sing Prison in New York, where that same year, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed for leaking classified information surrounding the atomic bomb to Russia during World War II.

I particularly like these three.

Daddy, Daddy, 2008, Maurizio Cattelan. A life-size sculpture of Pinocchio can be seen lying face down in a body of water, dead. The puppet, who was created for the 1940 film, sacrifices his life in order to save a human being and is later rewarded with a resurrection into a real boy.

Meanwhile, outside the museum.

Even the bridges are art

Maman, Louise Bourgeois,1999.

Obligatory scenic

The index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. 

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 
Bilbao, Spain
06/27/24

Oporto, also known as Porto, is the second-largest city in Portugal. A fairly well-known beverage is named after it: Port wine. While the grapes are grown elsewhere, the fortified wine is packaged, transported, and exported in Oporto.

She Changes, also known as "An Anemona," is a sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman.

Old trolley, still in service, advertising a popular local beverage.

Sign on a store's door

Gustave Eiffel, a structural engineer who built a Tower in Paris, built the bridge in this image.

Taylor Fladgate, often called Taylor's, is one of the premier wine houses producing Port. The company was founded by an English merchant named Job Bearsley in 1692. Its production is based in Oporto, with wineries in the Duoro Valley in Portugal. The company is named after later English owners, Joseph Taylor and  John Fladgate.

Port is a fortified wine made by adding a neutral grape spirit, aguardiente, to stop fermentation. This leaves residual sugar and boosts the alcohol content, giving Port its unique sweetness and flavors. Most commonly a red wine, it is also produced as a milder White Port. Port can only be a product of Portugal and, until 1986, could only be exported out of Oporto.  

Two British cartoons in the tasting room. The text in this one says, "Open another '08, Hargreaves, this is what I call a full-bodied Port!!!" Handwritten notes by the artist detail print changes to the cartoon. 

White Port, called Chip Dry, is combined with Tonic Water, preferably British style, to make a popular Portuguese beverage named Portonic.

This is VOP, Very Old Port. Very expensive.

This is VVOP, Very Very Old Port. Very, very expensive. Some of the barrels date back to before World War Two.

The index of all 131 of my Around-The-World (ATW 2024) posts is at the top of the page on the menu bar. On a mobile device, access it by clicking the three-line menu icon at the top left. 

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Oporto, Potugal
06/25/24

It was a dark and stormy night...

Tropical Storm Debby passed west of Tampa last night on her way north, bringing high winds and approximately 10" of rain through 9 a.m. Unusually heavy rain and winds are expected today as Debby grew to a Cat 1 hurricane before making landfall north of us in the Big Bend of Florida.

Images courtesy of Ring.

08/05/24

Coming into port in Lisbon




Later that evening



After a sit-down dinner featuring Portuguese-themed food, Oceania Worldies were treated to a concert by world-famous Fado singer Mariza and her band. Fado is a traditional Portuguese music style that dates back to the 1820s. Modern fado is popular in Portugal and has been performed by many renowned musicians. Marisa dos Reis Nunes, known professionally as Mariza, is one of the best.

A toast

Out amongst the audience..."workin' the crowd." 

Singing to a couple in the audience

One on one

Finale

A Good Time Was Had By All


Outside the venue





The next day, a persistent minor but nagging back problem kept me onboard, so I took a few images leaving beautiful Lisbon (Ruth posted many pictures of her trip ashore).

Click here for a hyperlinked Index of all the Around the World 2024 blog posts! 

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Lisbon, Portugal
06/23-24/24

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island in the Canary Islands. Approximately 43% of the archipelago's population resides on the island. Tenerife is also a huge tourist destination, hosting about 5 million visitors annually. That makes it the most visited island in the archipelago and one of Spain's most important tourist destinations. Click here to see part 1 of the Tenerife posts. 

Pretty Scenics while traveling around the island.

It was a cloudy day, and we dodged rainstorms throughout.

The same image reimagined as an oil painting.

Vineyard on a slope

The road from town down to the sea

Garden closeup 

Travel Break menu

A storm coming in

Views from the highway 

Auditorio De Tenerife, next to the ocean

And in the category of unusual and strange ships we saw, we present the Floatel Reliance docked in Santa Crus de Tenerife port harbor.


It is a semi-submersible accommodation and construction support vessel (floatel) designed for worldwide operation with an emphasis on mid-harsh environmental conditions in the world, such as the southern North Sea. Basically, it is a floating hotel that can be moored to support seagoing operations such as oil rigs. Floatel Reliance accommodates 500 people in one, two, and four-bed cabins and has large recreational areas, including mess and day rooms, a gymnasium, an internet café, and a cinema. The vessel has a telescopic gangway for client personnel to transfer between the floatel and the host installation. A helideck, two deck cranes, a large lay-down area, workshops/ warehouses support the client’s logistics, construction, and storage activities.

While designed for harsh environments, it has been in the mild-weather harbor since 2016, when it was brought in for repairs. It is now used primarily by the audiovisual industry as a location prop in filmmaking.


 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Tenerife, Spain
06/21/24

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island in the Canary Islands. Approximately 43% of the archipelago's population resides on the island. Tenerife is also a huge tourist destination, hosting about 5 million visitors annually. That makes it the most visited island in the archipelago and one of Spain's most important tourist destinations.

For us, Tenerife was important for another reason. When we docked, the 67 survivors of the rescue carried out by our ship two days before disembarked (one soul died on board our ship despite the best efforts of Medical). They wore clothing donated by the passengers and were met by the Red Cross and Spanish authorities. We were told they would not be returned to the country they fled. Instead, they were granted asylum by the Spanish government. Click here to read the story of the rescue.  

San Cristobal de La Laguna, also known as La Laguna, is an old city adjacent to the port city and is the former capital of the Canary Islands. It is considered the cultural capital of the islands. 

My kind of therapy!

Three perspectives of Iglesia de la Concepcion

The top marker is dated 1890, and the bottom one is 100 years later.

We started our walk in the morning before most shops were open. The shop protective covers were unusual. 

The door to a comic-book shop

The tee shirt says, "10 years giving war motherf**kers," "Best Burger in town," and "Burgers and craft beers."

See the robot at the door offering tea?

It's literally a road map... a metal map built into the roadway.

Our walk ended at the big central marketplace. They were setting up for a festival in the square. The last three images are the sides of one of the trucks.

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Tenerife, Spain
06/21/24

Mindelo is a port city on the island of Sao Vincente off the western coast of Africa and part of the nation of Cape Verde. It is home to 93% of the island's population. Originally a Portuguese colony, it was also an essential stop for British ships of the British East India Company and, later, the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. In the late 1800s, an underwater communications cable was laid between Europe, Africa, India, and North America, which made Mindelo a critical communications hub for the British Empire.  

A quick shuttle ride downtown put us at the edge of the large local market. 

A well-decorated roundabout.

Boat Repair Area

Fresh Fish

A variety of items in front of a shop

Ruth spent a fair amount of time here.

Statue exhibit on the edge of the market

Across the street from the far end of the market...

Dental work, tennis, and... an owl

A very pro-looking tennis club which looked like it hadn't been used in a while

Back in the Market

Picture of...

this building a block or so away.

Houses in the background were demo units for "Floating Houses."

End of Day


 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Mindelo (Sao Vicente), Cape Verde
06/18/24

Banjul is the capital of The Gambia and is located on St Mary's Island (Banjul Island), with a population of 31,301 in the city proper. Its original name was Bathurst, and it was renamed Banjul in 1973 following independence from British colonial rule. As noted in my first The Gambia Post, the country is poor, with close to 50% of the population in 2015 living in poverty. It is impossible to ignore as you travel around this small country. The unstable political situation in the country exacerbates the effects of poverty.

Our excursion took us through Banjul and the nearby much larger city of Serekunda, just across the bridge.

If you are expecting pretty travelogue pictures, you may wish to skip this post. Better yet, click here to go to The Gambia, 1 of 2. Almost all the images below were taken through a bus window, so please excuse any reflections or minor distortions. To my eye, they show The Gambia as life there really is.

A Shoe Store

Note the trash in the lower right. Trash was piled up everywhere. Our guide said the government couldn't afford garbage pickups, so trash was thrown down wherever. This is a stunning contrast to, for example, Japan, where the streets were immaculate.

Maci's Restaurant

 Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Banjul, The Gambia, 2 of 2
06/16/24

The Gambia (officially the Republic of The Gambia) is a West African country and the smallest country in continental Africa. It is on both sides of its namesake river, the Gambia River. The Gambia gained its independence from England in 1965. Since then, there have been four coups: one successful military coup in 1994 and three failing.  The nation is extremely poor. In 2015, 48.6% of the 2.5 million population lived in poverty. Rural poverty is even higher, reaching 70%.

Trivia: The Gambia is one of three nations officially recognized as having "The" in their name. Do you know the other two? (No looking it up!)
Now you must go through the entire post because the answer is at the end.

The economy is dominated by fishing, farming, and, more recently, tourism.  The unstable political environment and extreme national poverty affect the growth of tourism. Despite their best efforts, the nation's poverty is always glaringly apparent. My second post deals more with the obvious. 

Banjul is the nation's capital and The Gambia's largest metropolitan area. 

The National Museum

Museum docent?

Paper boat

In the courtyard

Front

Back

Arch 22
A monument built in 1996 memorializing the military coup d'etat of July 22, 1994. 
The military coup occurred because of discontent in the armed forces and the ineffectiveness of the current government. Ironically, the new military government, led by a 29-year-old Lieutenant, became more restrictive and totalitarian. 







A TieDye and Batike Factory

Husbands keeping a close eye on things

A Break

A very well-kept and secure resort

Critters

You lookin' at me?

Guides Corner. The guy on the right said I could leave him in the picture if I didn't show his face. The crocodile says: "Don't run, I don't bite. I'm a friendly crocodile. I only eat fish. I want my guests to go with a smile. I may look ugly, but I am friendly."

A croc-viewing bench

 Jammah Mosque

Groundskeeper for the mosque?

Saudi Arabia actually funded the Mosque.

And a Powerplant

A floating electrical power station built by a Turkish company. According to their website, it provides 60% of the electrical power in The Gambia.

A bunch of guys on an excursion

Trivia: The three countries recognized as having "The" in their names are The Gambia, The Bahamas, and The U.K. 

Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Banjul, The Gambia, 1 of 2
06/16/24

- Them: Hey ya'll, good to see 'ya. Where you been?

- Us: We just got off a cruise ship in New York City!

- Them: Woooo-eeee, Neww Yolk Citee. Where'd you go on the big boat?

- Us: Oh, you know, just out and about... hither and yon.

A sampling... we went to a lot more places!

(Thank you, fellow Worldies & Oceania; it was an amazing journey!)

Bill & Ruth

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for "Saint Thomas." Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. The nation comprises two islands, aptly named Sao Tome and Principe. Thus, the nation's official name is the Democratic Republic of San Tome and Principe. It is the second-smallest and second-least populous African nation. The legacy of long Portuguese rule is visible in the country's architecture, culture, customs, and music, which fuse European and African influences.

Dancing for the tourists, part 1

Former bank building

How to keep people from climbing over

Way down the dock a guy is waving at me

The government building (and the bank, not pictured) are the best-maintained buildings in the city. Hmmmm.

Dancing for the tourists, part 2

Food Court

Wreck

Wrecks

Very small boat in a very big ocean

End of day

Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Sao Tome, Sao Tome & Principe, 2 of 2
06/09/24

São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for "Saint Thomas." Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. The nation comprises two islands, aptly named Sao Tome and Principe. Thus, the nation's official name is the Democratic Republic of San Tome and Principe. It is the second-smallest and second-least populous African nation. The legacy of long Portuguese rule is visible in the country's architecture, culture, customs, and music, which fuse European and African influences.

The islands' National Museum is housed in a small 16th-century fort named San Sebastiao. The Portuguese built the fortress in 1566 to protect the port and city of São Tomé against pirate attacks. The exhibits are mainly religious art and colonial-era artifacts, with a smattering of colonial history. Many exhibits are decaying and show the effects of a lack of care, but they give a feel for the small nation and its population. 

The Entrance Yard

Inner Courtyard and Museum 

The museum guide said a few letters may be missing

If you look closely, the extra arm is not a person

Showing some age

On the parapet

Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe, 1 of 2
06/09/24

Luderitz is a town in southern Namibia on the west coast of Africa. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. The city is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. Luderitz is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work and a strong German influence. The town is named after Adolf Lüderitz, founder of the German South West Africa colony.

Town Walk 

Green

Wilson (and Ruth) FINALLY get up close to a penguin!

Hanging out in front of the grocery. The kid walking towards us asked Ruth for a dollar to buy some bread. She, in turn, asked him where a  shop that had been recommended was. He earned his dollar by taking her to the shop, introducing the owner, and finding me after I wandered off to take pictures.

Main downtown street

The Port and its Boats

Big Ship in a Small Port

I already published this one, so here it is again. Water reflecting off the side of our ship where the anchor is stored.

Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Luderitz, Namibia
06/04/24

Stellenbosch Valley, generally referred to simply as Stellenbosch, is located 31 miles east of Cape Town. It, along with the Paarl and Franschhoek Valleys, form the Cape Winelands. The South African wine industry produces about 1,000,000,000 liters of wine annually.

Here is Wikopedia's description of the area. "The region has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Stellenbosch lies at the foot of the Cape Fold mountain range, which provides soil favourable to viticulture. Grapes grown in this area are mainly used for wine production, as opposed to table grapes. The region possesses a wide range of soils in the area, from light, sandy soils to decomposed granite. Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is beginning to get a good reputation as a fine wine." 

Our private tour took us to four Stellenbosch wineries. The wines and the wineries were all excellent, equal to or better than Napa's offerings. Pinotage, a grape developed in South Africa in 1925, is a unique cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. We were fortunate to taste the top-rated pinotage at our second stop. Excellent.

Rustenberg Winery







Lavenir Estate
Their Pinotage is a wonderful wine.

Local inhabitants

Beautiful South African flowers. The punt (the indent at the bottom of a bottle) on one of the bottles was designed to look like the flower.

Guardian Peak Winery with lunch!

Grape crates from other wineries. Ernie Eis is a pro golfer who is also in the wine business

Lunch

View from the dining room.

Waterford Estate







Cellars Tour 

Thank you to Willem Swanepowl at Tsiba Tsiba Wine Tours/ Travel for a fabulous tour!

Click here for full-size, high-def, no-watermark images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Click here to see all my Around-The-World 2024 images going back to January. 

Cape Town/ Stellenbosch, South Africa- Day 2
06/02/24