Lu-Gerda's Travels

In December we went to Cape Town for the weekend to visit my sister.  We decided to do a bit of sightseeing along the way in stead of just driving the whole 4 hours.  Our first stop was in Riviersonderend .  The next stop was in Caledon. Walking around in Caledon we found a beautiful little church called the Holy Trinity Church.  While taking photos we noticed that the door was open and went to knock.  We were very lucky. A lady was getting flowers ready for a wedding the next day and let as have a look inside. This Anglican church was designed by Sophy Gray, the wife of Robert Gray, the first Anglican Bishop of the Cape.  Building commenced in 1850 and the church was consecrated in 1855. It was declared a heritage site in 1978.   List of the Rectors from 1849    Inside the Holy Trinity Church  Inside the Holy Trinity Church    The organ was installed in 1905   The inside of the church is beautiful and the atmosphere was sacred

A while back my fiancé  told me that he wanted to take photos of the old churches in South Africa.  So when we decided to go visit my sister in Cape Town in December 2011 we thought it was a good time to start. Our first stop was at in Riviersonderend (meaning river without end).  The town was established in 1922 when Ms Edith McIntyre sold her farm to the church.  Although there were a lot of clouds, it was a really warm day.  We reluctantly left the air-conditioned car to take photos.  The gothic church is pretty and the tower can be seen from far away.  I enjoyed the garden.  It is beautifully cared for and there was  blooming roses along the paths. Unfortunately the church was closed during the day (as most churches in South-Africa) and we could not see the inside.  (Will try to make an appointment next time or visit before/after a service) 

 After spending about an hour walking around in the  Outeniqua Transport Museum  we were ready for our trip on the Outeniqua Power Van . Outeniqua Power Van is a motorized rail trolley and was used for doing maintenance on the railways.  It has 2 vans with place for about 12 people in each.  The interior looks a bit neglected but it is a comfortable ride.  There are four passes over the Outeniqua Mountains towards Oudtshoorn namely the Cradock Pass (Ox wagon), the Railways Pass, the un-tarred Montagu Pass and the tarred Outeniqua Pass. The Power Van rides on the railway pass. Construction of the railway started in 1908 and was completed in 1913. There was a guide traveling with us in the van who gives interesting information about the history of George and the four passes and about the plants and birds along the way. The first pass over the mountain was the Cradock pass built for ox wagons.  This pass is marked with white beacons and can be seen while traveling up the

This is my first post on my first blog.   Don’t know what I am doing yet, but I have to start somewhere. 2012 started peacefully after spending the Christmas holidays at home with family.   On Thursday 5 January 2012 we went to visit the Outeniqua Transport Museum and took a ride on the Outeniqua Power Van.   I have done this once before and wanted to share it with my fiancé.  It was his first time. The Outeniqua Transport museum displays a variety of steam locomotives, vintage cars and other exhibits about transport.  I don't know a lot about trains but enjoyed walking around while Mr Fiancé got excited about all the technical details. Some photos of the trains:   Locomotive 645 - Built in 1902 by Nielson, Reid & Co    The 46 tonner "Roos" was built by Emil Kessler Maschinenefabrik, Esslinger, Germany in 1893.  She worked mainly on the Pretoria-Komatipoort line    The coach used as private lounge by King George VI and Quee