South African Open

We were fortunate enough to attend the South African Open at Pearl Valley Golf Estates, which is in Paarl (about 40 minutes away from Cape Town).

Tiffany, Lisa & Chris at the South African Open

We were ever luckier to be joined by our sister, Tiffany.  She came to surprise us for the Christmas holiday, and it was a WONDERFUL surprise.  So the three of us went to the South African Open

While there, we made it our quest to watch Ernie Els, the world famous golfer.  This was our first time at a professional golf tournament, and it was much more active that watching Tiger on television.  We were with a pack of more than 50 people who ran from hole to hole to try and see Els shoot.  It was a lot of fun.  We ran miles that day to stand close by the “Lion” (as we called him, because of his golf club cover) at each hole.

Ernie Els at the South African Open

His swing was lovely.  Our Pappy was an avid golfer, and we thought of him often watching those effortless and smooth swings.

Els Swinging

Els started way behind, but by the final hole, he was in reach of finishing 2 under the leader.  A score, we found out later, would have won the tournament.  Unfortunately, his putting fell apart on the last hole.  I guess it really is all about your short game.

Ernie Els Putting

Ernie walked away from the course a little down,

Ernie Els Walking Off the Course

and this was made even worse his grabby fans (not us).

This was a really fun day of golf in the sunshine.   The event was well organized, and the location was beautiful.  We had a great time.

Chris & Tiffany with the South African Open mascot

Africa Cafe

A very nice place to get African food in Cape Town is the Africa Cafe.  It has wonderful ambiance, and great art all over the walls to enjoy while eating.  The food is served family style, and there is only one choice, the menu of the day.  Within that though, they are really flexible.  We are both vegetarian, and the fantastic staff at the restaurant gave us many other choices, and numerous helpings of the non-meat options.  We ate and ate – we were so full!  We particularly loved the cassava bread, the Ethiopian black bean stew, the delicious fish, and the Mozambican piri piri sauce.

It’s right in town, and frequented by tour buses, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying African food, very nice service, and a lovely atmosphere at Africa Cafe.