Lu-Gerda's Travels

I thought that I finished my Swellendam posts.   But then realized that there was one more post left.   FOOD. When it is time to eat on a trip, we mostly go to franchise restaurants we know.   We know the food will be good and more importantly we know what the cost will be.   But on the weekend in Swellendam we decided to try something new.   And it was a great decision. Mattsens Steakhouse On Friday night on host at the guesthouse suggested a few places to eat.   We decided to try Mattsens.   It was a lovely autumn night and we sat outside under the trees with a lantern giving light.   Great atmosphere.   It was still early and not very busy.   The staff was very friendly and service was fast.   H ate an ostrich burger and he loved it.   I had a very good chicken burger.   The portions were huge.   It was good value for money. Oppi Stoep For lunch on Saturday afternoon we stopped at Oppi S...

Hello everyone.   It has been a while since my last post.  Mossel Bay is cold, rainy and windy today and the perfect weather to stay inside.  So time to write a post and then catch up on my blog reading as well. Mossel Bay (14 Sep 2013) I still need to write posts about some of the places we visited:   More about walking in my hometown George in January;   Our visit to Stellenbosch in March;  A visit to Oudtshoorn in August; and   A post or two about the Company Gardens in Cape Town from my visit in 2009 But before I can start with all those places, one more post about the beautiful Swellendam. We loved walking around in the town.  We were looking for the buildings on the map we received from the tourism office but we also saw other pretty houses along the way. BIBLIOTHECA READING ROOM & MARTIN VERSVELD GARDEN We walked in Moolman Street to see the three Heritage Houses when we found this building with its ...

Voortrek Street is the main street used to travel from the National Road (N2) through Swellendam.   This street has some beautiful old buildings.   Most of the buildings are privately owned and can only be viewed from the street.   Many are National Heritage Sites. View Larger Map The street is very long and we decided not to walk the whole length of it. We first drove to the end of the road and walk around that part of the street. (This part was less crowded because it is not in the central business part of town) We then drove towards the center of town, parked and then explored more of the historic town.   ROTHMAN MANOR GUESTHOUSE (218 Voortrek Street) This house was built in 1834 and was known as the JVDS House.   It has a beautiful gable and thatched roof. OLD BOYS SCHOOL  (147 Voortrek Street) This building was built in 1825 to serve as a house but from 1870 housed the Swellendam Grammar School or Old Boys School.   It is n...

One of our favourite parts of visiting new towns is to walk around in the streets to see what we find.   In Swellendam we had help from a document we received from the Swellendam Tourism Office called “Swellendam Treasures”.   You can get a copy from their offices in Swellengrebel Street or by sending them an email. Swellendam Treasures list 80 historical buildings listed in Swellendam and surrounding area with a bit of information and a map. The buildings are spread out through the town. To save time we drove to a few central spots.   We then walked to see the buildings and then back in the car to another area.   We also found that the town was busy Saturday morning, especially the area around the shopping mall.   To take photos Saturday afternoons or Sundays are better. Here are a few of the buildings we saw.  BUKKENBURG - 8 HERMANUS STEYN STREET  Bukkenburg was built in 1880’s as a “dorpshuis” or townhouse for the Streicher family.   ...

We visited Swellendam in April.   The weather was lovely with sunshine but not to warm.   The evenings were cooler but still very nice.   The town has one of the most beautiful Dutch Reformed Churches. We took our first photos of the church Saturday evening during twilight. On Sunday morning we returned to attend the church service at 9:30.   After an interesting sermon we asked if we could look around and take a few photos of the inside*.   The inside is quite plain with wooden pews with a beautiful pulpit.   The church has a beautiful organ and pretty ceilings. *   The church is open for visitors during the week for a small fee but not on weekends.   We arrived in Swellendam at about 18:00 on Friday afternoon and were to late to see the inside. The congregation was established in 1798 and the first church building was completed in 1802. After lots of changes to the church the congregation decided to replace it with a new churc...

In every town we visit there is a building that I keep photographing.   Every time I walk pass this building I snap another photo.   When we drive pass, I immediately want to take out the camera and snap another one.   During the weekend in Swellendam the beautiful Dutch Reformed Church had that effect. We first drove past on Friday evening when we were searching for our guesthouse but did not stop.   Saturday morning the town was very busy. The mall is close to the church and lots of cars were parked in front of the church.   We decided to return a bit later after most of the shoppers went home.   Unfortunately before our return my camera’s battery died and the spare was not charged.   We made our third trip of the day to the church just before sunset. I love this time of day when the sky turns a deep blue.   It was the perfect time to photograph the church.   The street was quiet and the white of the church stood out. ...