Groot Constantia

Dear friends walking with dogs in Spain.

Yesterday I had my first glass of young (2010) wine on the terrace of Groot Constantia. Overlooking the amazing vineyards, seeing the ocean at the horizon, admiring the mountains, savouring the wine, enjoying the unbelievable friendliness of everyone here, feeling my two dogs against my legs, I was in heaven. Spring is in the air here and the first leaves are sprouting from the vines.
This is the oldest wine making farm in Africa, as the first crop was harvested here in 1657. The farm was started by Simon Van der Stel who had learned (in Holland of all places) how to make wine.
Today the farm and the whole estate is a national monument.
But there are more things I like very much here.
It gives me an enormous lift to be called "Sir" by everyone. People are helpful and friendly and courteous like we used to be 60 years ago in Europe.
What I like is that there is no rubbish where I walk.
What I like is that the dog people I meet are saying hello with a friendly smile on their face.
What I like is a pair of socks I bought in Cape Union Market. Socks made from recycled cotton in place of the regular cotton. It helps eliminate the harsh dyes, pesticides, energy, water and human labour required for conventionally grown cotton. Furthermore recycling discarded fibres helps divert the millons of tons of textile what end up in the landfills. This pair of socks only costs 35 Rand, which 3,5 euro.
What I like is also the way the waiters and waitresses greet me when I go for a cappucino (16 Rand = 1,6 euro) in the coffee shop Tashas. This beautiful young men comes to me, shakes my hand and says: My name is Fidel. Unfortunately he does not speak Spanish. Of course they also bring me a news paper and a free glass of water with a slice of lemon.
What I also like is the business called "Black Forrest".
It is a butcher's for humans and adjacent is a pet food shop.
As Cava is dying from cancer of the colon and as an animal healer got in touch with Eva, and as this lady 's advice was to offer the dog mince, we now buy pet mince and black tripe in the pet(food)shop. Yesterday I bought 6 kg of pet mince and 2 kg of black tripe for 96 Rand = 9,6 euro. That is enough for 2 meals per day during 4 days.
Mixing all that meat with veggies, oats, natural tissue salts, yoghurt, rice and omega oil takes me two hours but it provides Cava and Lupa with excellent fresh food.
Eva is of course thinking that Cava got cancer of the colon because of the pellets he ate.
Me too I see a link between cancer of the colon and the super market rubbish we eat. But you know all that already as I have been boring you with stories about organic food.
What I also like is that there is a magnificent organic shop in the Constantia shopping centre. Buying organic is simply NORMAL here.
What I also like is that the Constantia shopping centre is built as a replica of old Dutch colonial style houses.
Compared to that the shopping centre in poor Ondara is HELL on earth.

That will be all for today.
I have to pay 50 cents for the use of a computer in Postnet.
So that is 25 Rand for writing this blog for you all.
Please send me the money.

LOVE from Bruno in Constantia.