What's in a name?

During the year between finishing University and moving to London, I did a course to become a qualified tour guide in the Western Cape. My thought process was…. I love travelling, so I’ll take other people who love travelling around in my area and that will feel like I’m travelling every day. It was a great idea and if I still lived in South Africa, I would absolutely be doing this job and LOVE it.

The course was very interesting. I learnt so many things about my own country/province and I was fascinated by everything that we had to offer travelers. My fellow students were just as interesting and everyone was so different and came from such different backgrounds. We were quite the group.

On our Franschoek daytrip, we got some spare time to get to know the town and since I grew up in the town just next to it, Paarl, I felt I knew the town well enough. As we arrived, everyone went in different directions and I had trouble deciding which group to join. Our 2 Bloemfontein Doctors, (Bloemfontein is a city in the middle of South Africa in the Freestate province) who were both successful in their medical practices but decided that they wanted to start a travel company too, told me that they were going on a culinary expedition, so I decided to join them. We went to Le Quartier Français, one of my favorite restaurants in town. (The restaurant has 2 sections, a formal dining room and a more relaxed patio and bar section). As we sat down, they both ordered the lamb burger and since we were limited for time, I ordered the same – it was divine and I still go back for it whenever I can. Lamb burger on foccacia bread with cucumber – yum!

We talked about travel and food and how they can truly compliment each other and that day, the term culinary expedition just stuck in my head. I decided that while on my travels, I would try to eat as much of the local food as I could or as my Western brain would allow (dogs, scorpions, worms etc are out of the question for me), so when I had to decide on a name for my blog, it quickly came to me: Culinary Expedition. When I travel, I don’t just want to get to know the towns, area and history, but I also love getting to know the food and drinks of the area, so I guess each trip that I take becomes an expedition/journey/voyage – not just to find great places, but great food too.

Just a little bit about Franschoek:

Franschoek was first called Olifantshoek (Elephant’s corner) because of all the elephants that used to roam the area, but after many of the French Huguenots (who fled religious persecution in France) arrived South Africa in 1688, they were given some land in the area to live on and it became known as Franschoek (French Corner). Today still, the influence of the French is very strong in the town, many restaurants and wine farms have French names and there is an annual Bastille Day festival celebrated in the town. The picturesque valley of Franschoek is surrounded by impressive mountains and covered with vineyards - truly a beautiful place to see. I would highly recommend that anyone travelling to Cape Town, drive to Franschoek and Paarl for the day or even to spend a few days, for some sightseeing, wine tasting, wonderful meals at some of the highly acclaimed restaurants and just breathtaking views. http://www.fwvta.co.za