Today, the 190th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on St Helena, was our first day in South Africa. We commemorated the occasion with a visit to Groot (Estate) Constantia, just outside of Cape Town.
One of the few pleasures Napoleon experienced during his six-year exile on St Helena was the Grand Constance sweet white wine from this vineyard. Indeed, against his doctors’ advice and his faithful valet Marchand’s admonitions, he sipped a few last drops on his deathbed. “What could it matter?” he asked.
So one hundred and ninety years later, I toasted the emperor with his favorite wine.
Remarkable fitting. Hope the wine was tasty and helped you experience a bit of his life on the anniversary of his death!
Nothing like drinking in history, there, Margaret! Glad you made it safely all the way. Looking forward to more adventures of discovery. (Just watch those sharks. Do *not* bring them any sweet white wine or any other thing which will encourage them to outrageous and unwanted behavior. 😉 ) Cheers!
Lovely picture of you, Margaret. I guess they don’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo too much in South Africa. And here I was in Virginia drinking a margarita instead of having a wine toast in Napoleon’s memory. Looking forward to reading more about your travels and reflections.
It was a treat to be at Groot Constantia on a momentous ocassion. Thanks for your comment, Melanie.
Glad you made it We miss you but looks like you are having a good time—I could use a nice glass of white wine–
Hope you had a margarita for me, SMK! I’m happy to celebrate that occasion, too, even though it is a celebration over French troops!
In fact, David, the wine was surprisingly tasty. We brought a few bottles to bring home.
Scott, we’ll have one when we get back home. Thanks for taking care of things while we travel.
Assume you’re getting a case of that wine to bring back, Margaret? Did you like it?
I have to admit that I did buy some to bring back!
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