Day 12: Would you like some cheese with that whine?

No, I am most certainly not complaining. I went on a vineyard tour yesterday! We drove through the rolling hills of the Cape Town countryside to the Haut Espoir, a vineyard run by a sweet man and his family. His three year old, precious son met us as we each got off the bus and proceeded to give us a kid’s tour of the vineyard. Of course, his father chimed in with facts about each type of grape plant, showed us an example of the national flower, and offered medicinal cures for the chorus of coughers in our group. I can not imagine living in an area with a majestic background of the mountains and fall-like colors in the foreground. What a life! The owner explained that just within the past hundred years, elephants roamed the valleys as noted by the trails carved through mountains. Yes, I did picture the Land Before Time series as he described the land.



As the owner continued to speak, I found myself getting lost in translation. I know next to nothing about wine and worried about my engagement for the rest of the tour. Granite, this thought lasted for a total of twenty seconds, because then, we got a once in a life-time opportunity. (This seems to be a common theme on this trip.) We broke into small groups in which the owner gave us glasses, five different wines, and an empty bottle. For the next hour, each group had to dust off the cobwebs from our high school chemistry days to combine the wines to create the best tasting blend. The winning group would receive a free case. Game on! Our group put on our pretend wine connoisseur hats and began mixing. Believe it or not, our blend of Merlot, Petit Verdo, Cab Franc, and other unpronounceable flavors did not taste half bad! We even had the opportunity to create a label for our new found wine A Shot in the Dark, appropriately describing our experience. As luck would have it, we did not win all the glory, but all is fair in love in war.



For the remaining afternoon, our group wondered around the quaint city indulging in delicious restaurants and shopping. I had a delicious “lasagna” platter that did not consist of meat or noddles, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I did eye the boys’ double decker burger if I am honest. Maybe, tomorrow will be a burger day!

The town could have satisfied any European city, but the most intriguing aspect of the day consisted of accompanying Ish at his home mosque. What an enlightening experience! South Africa has a large Islamic population with parts of Cape Town reaching seventy percent Muslim. Our curiosity got the best of us when Ish invited us to attend his mosque followed by a question and answer session. We entered the mosque by removing our shoes and walked up the stairs to the balcony where the women traditionally worship. The intricate carpet laid in diagonal rows facing Mecca, and a digital clock hung on one of the walls. Muslims pray five times a day at sunrise, one o’clock, five o’clock, sunset, and seven o’clock, so the clock has great significance. We watched as the men conducted their sunset prayer listening to them recite the Qu’ran. Afterwards, the “priest” answered our questions about their customs, beliefs, American perceptions, and pilgrimages. I was overwhelmed at their dedication to their practice and how comparable Islam and Christianity can be. Of course, they have drastic, foundational differences as well. In experiencing new traditions, I have grown in my own understanding of others and myself.