We were collected nice and early for the short transfer to the special departure lounge for Rovos Rail at Cape Town Station. We walked the red carpet and were greeted with a variety of welcome drinks. As we waited in the beautifully appointed lounge, the sound of classical music filled the air which conjured up great feeling of expectation. We meet a doctor and his wife from Arizona as we waited for all participants to arrive. After the welcome speech, our names were called out and we were assigned a crew member to show us to our suite again with classical music as we boarded. Before we did anything we shared the small bottle of chilled champagne in the cabin as we pulled out of the station, it was a very pleasant occasion. After unpacking and settling in we ajourned to the observation deck at the rear of train to meet fellow travelers. We passed through rolling hills covered with grape vines and mixed farming. Lunch was 1pm sharp served in the beautifully appointed dining carriage. At 5.30 we stopped at the historic town of Matjiesfontein for a walk around the old buildings. The town is almost entirely privately owned and is situated 240km north of Cape Town in the Karoo. After a walk around the town we jumped on the old London double decker bus for our own private tour around the town by a local guy who was born and bred in the town. No one else was willing to chance. He was the local tour guide, entertainer, you name it and as mad as a meat axe. The tour ended up at the pub after a look over the living quarters of the last owner where we had a drink and a singalong around the piano. He played a mean jazz of the Deep South of the US. The museum was not so much a collection but a horde by an eccentric, with 2 floors on the platform of themed areas. After 1 1/2 hours we were on our way and our first dinner on the train.
RosandDensTravels 