World Cup and Cape Town

England will play their second group-stage match in Cape Town on June 12^th. If you are lucky enough to be there, be sure to walk up the road a bit from the stadium to visit Mitchell’s Brewery on Dock Road. They have seven TV screens for watching the games and offers six of their own beers.

The Grand Daddy Hotel is booked solid, but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting The Daddy Cool bar with its white leather chairs, DJs and cocktails. On the roof is the Pink Flamingo open-air cinema, which shows modern classics such as Bullitt and Boogie Nights. Blankets and director’s chairs are included.

A pub with a wood-panelled game room, the Neighbourhood bar and restaurant is the best place for lunch. You can even get a seat on the balcony and watch Cape Town’s busiest street. Try their chili poppers, luscious large chilis with melted cheese inside.

Boo Radley’s bistro and bar on Hout Street is the place to meet for cocktails and dinner. The menu includes French onion soup and steak, with chocolate brownies the finishing touch.

Wine tasting at the lush Constantia winelands are only about 20 minutes away. The oldest estate is Groot Constantia, with a vast selection of great wines. Klein Constantia and Constantia Uitsig are next with the dessert wines at Constantia Uitsig having been praised by Napoleon Bonaparte and Jane Austen. Tastings are free at Klein Constantia, but not at Groot Constantia or Constantia Uitsig.

Don’t miss Sanbona Wildlife Reserve near Montagu in the Cape Overberg. About a three-hour drive west from Cape Town, route 62 meanders through tiny towns and wineries. Sanbona is the home to a rare pride of white lions and rock art by the San people dating back thousands of years.