KNYSNA TOUR REPORT
15th – 19th November 2016

How do you define HAPPINESS?

Happiness, we know it when we feel it – it induces positive emotion which includes joy,
contentment and gratitude. (Thank you GOOGLE)

To the 19 people who joined us on our tour to Knysna we all certainly experienced HAPPINESS, thanks to you!  We all left the city on Tuesday 15^th in such high spirits nothing could have spoilt our happiness at all.  Leaving the city behind, with the thought of fun ahead, had us all in very high spirits.

We somehow ambled along the route giving us a rather late check in on Thesen Island of 18h30!  However, Candice who was preparing our dinner at the Amazing and Gracious house was herself so gracious and let herself in, ensuring that on our arrival all was organised.  Early to bed after this with the promise of things to come!

Wednesday started off with a delicious breakfast at the Turbine Hotel – seeing 21 people seated at one LONG table made us realise just how many we were on tour!  Fun ahead as we drove up to Hoekwil – The best kept secret on the Garden Route.  We met Jenny at the Hoekwil Country Café and headed to her awesome garden.  Even though Jenny had recently broken her ankle she was so positive in hosting us in her garden, which is part of the Open Gardens every year.  After this we all headed to the Country Café where most chose their fabulous cheesecake (winner of The Eat In award for best cheesecake in the country in 2015)!  After lunch a short visit to Hercules Keyser who does such superb art. Mind you, in that setting he certainly has peace in his heart for sure! We had to dodge rain all day but this didn’t dampen our spirits.

At 18h30 we headed up to Kilzer’s kitchen!  Talk about Fun – some of the ladies had come all set with masks / flashing light glasses and the fun began.  Jenny and Albie entertain you to a Theatre Kitchen dinner (You Look, We Cook)– they along with their efficient staff produce 2 appetisers and a 3-course dinner all in a relatively small kitchen – we were very fortunate to get a table overlooking the kitchen which made the evening more special.  We only left at 10h15 having consumed far too much food – albeit delicious!

Thursday morning and 4 of the ladies opted to do-their-thing!  The rest of us headed to Plettenberg Bay and to Ouland Royale where Wilja is fulfilling her dream of having a restaurant in a barn!  Her staff served us very efficiently, a pre-ordered breakfast of fruit/yoghurt and muesli / scrambled eggs with either salmon or bacon (with a group of women guess which was the most popular?) coupled with coffee and a freshly baked muffin!  Then the heavens opened and on our drive to The Craggs there was much discussion as to whether some could, in fact, go to Tenikwa and Birds of Eden.  On arrival, there was a brief respite in the rain but the decision was made that the mud factor would have spoilt the visits.  The ladies then shopped at a little centre where one lady was SO sorry she’d changed bags and didn’t have her credit card with her! (A friend managed to convince her she didn’t ‘need’ the jacket anyway!)

Lunch was at the Bramon Wine Estate where tapas was enjoyed – sadly they had become busy and a second order placed by one table never got fulfilled which left a sour taste!  A short stop at Old Nick village outside Plett had some more shopping done!

Dinner tonight was at Freshline (Rib ‘n Rump) – superb fish – fresher than this you won’t find!  They even accommodated one lady who doesn’t eat fish – all around another fun evening!

Friday morning and breakfast was at Knysna Log Inn – before a stop at the Knysna Waterfront where guess what a few ladies did? – yes, shopped up a storm!  (In hindsight perhaps a trip up to the Heads would have been more FUN – after all how much more can you buy)

Then one of the highlights on tour was our trip on the paddle steamer – FUN & extended FRIENDSHIP made for much HAPPINESS – the extended friendship came in the form of 2 ladies who were from Boksburg and became ‘instant friends’ – and even 2 Germans who joined our circle of friendship.

A brief stop in at our houses on Thesen Island to grab something warm and head down to the local Montessori school for their Friday Market for an early evening of chilling / listening to music / and trying to decide what to eat from the stalls………somehow a great disappointment that Kilzers Kitchen were not there due to their working on the Veritas awards evening!  (Maybe everyone battled to decide as we’ve all been eating far-too-much as well) – a relatively early evening of packing and sorting and the thought that our tour was almost over made a few sad!

However, if analysis is done HAPPINESS WAS SUPREME!

An early start saw us leaving the Island by 08h15 as we wanted to make the most of the market in Sedgefield – The Wild Oats Market.  What a lovely vibe there is – Minstrels welcoming you in song to the market where local ‘farmers’ sell their produce!  Anything from fresh oysters; to vegetables (I was amazed to see their stock on a bakkie behind the stall); to fresh fish; to cakes and rusks; fabulous fresh juices ; OMGoodness the list goes on and on!  Let’s not forget the range of breakfast goodies as well. Unfortunately, we had to set a deadline of 10h30 to leave as we still had over 460km to go to reach the city.

In life, there is a very true saying – “ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END” and none more true than this tour!

YES, Good Things Come to An End –

but we all have the promise of GOOD THINGS TO COME as well!!

2017 is around the corner.

View tour photos