Once upon a time we were free to go wherever we wanted and although this was not so very long ago, it feels like it was all a dream!
We thank our lucky stars that we took the leap when we did, despite running our really busy BnB back then, but we took ourselves down to the Langeberg region in the Western Cape for a week long getaway with special friends.
Following 57 days under ridiculously strict lockdown here in South Africa, our BnB no longer thrives, in fact we are not permitted to operate and the future is uncertain!
However, we will go back in time to those wonderful carefree days and visit a farmstall called Platform 62 where we found wine, an eatery and a shop in the little town of Ashton.
An old steam engine parked off in the car park is a reminder of a time when life was at a much slower pace - although nowadays life seems to have come to a total halt here in our country while the rest of the world is slowly opening up again!
Walking into this building that promises to be a wine experience this really quirky sign caught my eyes - on closer inspection one notices that cutlery was used to do the sign-writing;)
Many wines and liqueurs from the Robertson Wine Valley are on offer here, and of course there has to be a tasting room.
We skipped that part however, had a very good coffee instead as we'd already stopped at the Bonnievale winery earlier that same day and had quite enough wine tasting under our belt for one day; the road was still long on Route 62!
There's so many wines on offer from the many wineries that one realy does not know where to start; I got dizzy just looking at the selection.
This really is a wine lover's paradise, I have never seen such a wide range of wines from so many wine makers; many of these wines are not available here in our province. We could not buy too many bottles as we were flying but fortunately can order online once lockdown is over.
Some really tempting liqueurs, and the bottle that resembles a Rhino Horn was my choice.
This decadent African cream liqueur with strong Arabica coffee and floral vanilla overtones is a real treat, delicious served over a creamy Vanilla Ice Cream or to make an African Dom Pedro! Proceeds from the sales go to the Rhino Fund so that was a plus!
Two cheeky tipster bottles - judge for yourself:
There were some genuine vintage equipment on display, quite a collection of old scales in the window but the sun shone so fiercely that one could not see anything in my photos, so I have only shown you some of the display and quaint decor of yester year.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Platform 62, arrived back home just before lockdown!
I'm saddened to think of the many little wineries that simply will not make it post-Covid19 as they could not remain open and our government further stifled them by not allowing any wine exports until about a week ago, so they have lost massive revenue!
I found it quite inspiring to hear how tasters from various countries have now started using apps like Zoom to connect with clients and are swishing and swirling their wines in front of their laptops as both parties have the same wines in their homes, very ingenious!
It goes without saying that wineries all over the world are having to reassess the way forward; I further cannot think of any industry that's not been affected by Covid19 except perhaps the big pharmas and those in the medical field!
Never underestimate the strength of the human spirit though!
One last look at the beautiful Langeberg mountain range and the vineyards.
Always a flower...
Especially for the lovely Denise aka @dswigle...a painting of the Cape Protea by our friend Peter Wink and the sculpture of Mother and Child by the same artist; two very special gifts!
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