We walk alongside a dusty road just behind the winery and restaurant, and there we find about 500 runner ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). They lay waiting for the big show that happens at 12 pm (noon). That is when they will run past all of the guests on the winefarm. That is when they will perform their show, to showcase where the wine of the wine farm gets its name from The Runner Duck.. Welcome to Vergenoegd Löw situated in Stellenbosch sunny South Africa. The wine farm where 500 ducks run past you when you eat a freshly made rooster koek (bread baked on open coals) and drink some of the local region's best wines. Please come along with me on this rather fun-packed journey.
Finding the Waiting Ducks
The ducks lay and wait at the back of the wine farm out of site. We were lucky to stumble upon them. They waited in the cool region of a pond, chilling like it was a normal day at the beach. It is quite a site to see them all laying still waiting for the big moment in a couple of minutes.
We did not want to disturb them any longer, so we made our way to the wine farm to eat some freshly baked roosterkoek or breads baked over an open bed of coals.
Freshly Baked Roosterkoek and Coffee
The chef stands in front of you and bakes the roosterkoek. It is something to witness, it is something to taste. The setting is perfect: old style homes; lots of trees; away from the hustle of everyday life.
When you look up, you can see the wind just barely rustling the leaves in the tree.
Then you smell the fire, the roosterkoek, the freshly ground coffee, the fresh air of the country side.
The chef stands there, in front of you, turning the roosterkoeke as they need to be turned around. A friendly smile, you know the food will be good.
You sit down and wait for yours to arrive. You can already taste it, a familiar taste to every South African. We cannot get enough of them. It is truly a unique culinary thing you need to try if you have never had them.
Add some cheese and butter. The coffee will also arrive. This is a breakfast made for those that still need to taste wine and look at a bunch of ducks running past them!
Looking over your shoulder, you see the old manor house in which you can taste wine. You know that you will soon taste the nectar of gods; fermented fruits. You live the old dream of having no worries.
Duck Runner and Old Manor Houses
The wine tasting room is situated in the old manor house. They restores it to its previous glory, but they added many modern reminders.
Before entering the tasting room, you walk past this magnificent runner duck statue.
The ducks serve as a natural pesticide. They eat all of the nasty bugs we do not want to hurt the grapes.
There is a YouTuber (whose name I cannot remember) who said that you do not have a snail or slug problem but a lack of duck problem. I guess the wine farm took this sentiment to heart.
They do not have a lack of duck problem as there are about 500 runner ducks securing and safeguarding the vineyards!
As the farm is situated on old property, there are constant reminders of its history. This old bell was spectacular with the mountains in the background.
The old stables were also recently turned into a fine dining restaurant, but this is way above my budget. I only go to such places to take photographs:
Then there is the actual manor house in which you taste the wine.
Tasting Wine in the Old Manor House Before the Duck Running Show
We walked in the footsteps of thousands of older generations of people who set foot there, either as wine drinkers or original owners 300 years ago. Various things remind you of the old age:
But then some modern instantiations also feature with strange art which would have been unthinkable 300 years ago:
The old and modern blend together to create something special. As you walk through the old manor house, you can see some of the old things that survived time:
This place is a photographer's heaven. My girlfriend, 
My favorite on the other hand is this one:
And then the Main Show... The Duck Runners!
By now you have a drink or two in. Then from afar, you see the ducks and their handlers...
They are trained to listen to their handlers, yet they run like crazy. They are probably hungry for worms and bugs.
In droves they run. It is a spectacle that few will see but many will come to see it. It is amazing to watch them run.
And then as soon as they arrived, the show is over, and they run back into the vineyards.
Postscriptum, or Now You Only Have One Feather Left
At the end of the day, you will only have memories left. Money will decay, and things will go away, but memories will last. We are our memories. It is life a feather we safe. It will stay behind and we will long be gone.
The ducks are long gone, and the wine has been drunk, but we have the memories of that day.
We have the memories of 500 runner ducks running past us and eating roosterkoek and drinking wine.
Live. That is all we need to do.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour with me. All of the photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300. All of the writings are also my own. I hope you will travel here sometime! Safe travels, and be well!