11th Posting - Stellenbosch and the City.... and Farewell.

This is the last posting on this blog and we have all gone our separate ways.
Both South African tours went exceedingly well and everyone went home with lots of wonderful impressions of this country and a lot of new understandings.
Next November, 2012, I plan on doing two more trips, but the second one will be in German for a Swiss group. There are only a few spots left on the first one, so anyone wanting to go in 2012 should contact me right away! kentkauffman@ymail.com


Saturday morning we visited the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, on the other side of Table Mountain from the city. The area was first planted with vineyards, flowers, and fruit trees, back in the late 1600's and it has been an official botanical garden for just over 100 years. The variety and spacing of the native trees and plants is delightful, and always with the backdrop of Table Mountain.

Leora poses with a baboon in the Gardens.

Underneath a giant fern tree

a near perfect bird-of-paradise (strelizia)

Protea Flowers

Pincushion Protea

Protea and Watsonia

The Camphor Trees along Camphor Avenue

From Kirstenbosch we headed out into the wine region to Stellenbosch and Middelvlei Winery. It was a beautiful day out there and the vineyards with the mountains in the distance are picture perfect.

Elliot cooks up our 'Boerebraai' - farmers Barbecue. We ate royally!

After lunch we visited the town of Stellenbosch, the second-oldest town in South Africa (after Cape Town).

It is renowned for its Cape Dutch architecture, with beautiful white-washed walls, ornate gables, and steep thatched roofs. Much of the style comes from Europe originally, adapted to South Africa. It's interesting they kept the steep roofs, which are to help shed snow, when it rarely gets below 50 degrees here on the coldest winter days!

Saturday evening we took our leftovers and snacks and headed up Signal Hill for a sunset picnic.

Joyce and Shirley are here, high above Sea Point, waiting for the sun to set.

The 'Twelve Apostles' glow in the evening light.

Spread out for our picnic on the grass on Signal Hill

Sunset over the Atlantic

Cape Town and Table Mountain glow with the last evening light and the first city lights.

The Lion's Head catches the last light.

Sunday morning dawned gloriously sunny, warm, and CALM!

The Bo Kap district of Cape Town is the historic area of the Malay and Indonesian people, who were originally brought to South Africa as slaves and servants. They now have the most colorful and lively area of Cape Town.

This is a group of Iranian tourists, posing for a shot in front of the colorful houses.

We got the 'Happy Boys' to stop just long enough to snap a photo.

Company Gardens in the city center is the original gardens dating to 1652 to raise fruit and vegetables to supply the ships going from Europe to the Orient. Now it is a beautiful city park in the heart of Cape Town.

Ellen poses in front of the big rubber tree (ficus).

Parliament

St. George Avenue is a long, pedestrian street cutting right through the middle of the city.

St. George's Cathedral, the Mother Church, and the center of the peace movement, begun in 1989.

We visited the exhibit on the peace movement, which overcame apartheid, and were fortunate to have Lynette explain the pictures and history of the amazing transition from apartheid to democracy.

Maxine was invited to light a peace candle, which was a fitting way to cap off our fantastic trip to this wonderful country. Afterwards we had lunch in the center before heading out to the airport for flights home.