Lu-Gerda's Travels

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. Then the lights cam

In March 2010 I went to Cape Town to visited some friends.   We then decided to spend the Saturday in Hout Bay.   We started by spending most of the morning at the World of Birds . We then went for a walk on the beach.   It was a bit cloudy and windy but still a nice day for a walk.  From the beach there is beautiful views of the mountain. We then drove to the harbour to take a look.  There are lots of restaurants and you can take a boat trip from the harbour.  We already ate and decided to leave the boat trip for next time. To finish the day we drove up to the start of Chapman’s Peak drive to see the beautiful view of the bay.   Chapman’s Peak is a toll road and we did not want to pay to drive the whole pass.   We turned around before the tollbooths and went back down. If you were wondering Hout Bay means Wood Bay.  It was named by the Dutch explorers who found the bay with all its wood.  The wood was used to help built Cape Town

In January this year H and I went for a walk in my hometown, George. George is about 60km from Mossel Bay.   My parents live here and we visit them regularly.   This time we wanted to walk and take some photos of the historical buildings in town.   It was a nice warm day but the town was very busy (it was still December/Summer holiday). The Dutch East India Company started a woodcutter’s outpost on the site of the town in1776.   This post later became George.   The town was established in 1811 while South Africa was under British rule. It was named after the reigning British monarch, King George III. We started our day with a great breakfast and coffee at Up Stairs at Harry’s . We love this Café-Bar and someday I will remember to take a photo for a post.   We started our walk at the Post Office in York Street.   The street was named in honour of the Duke of York, the second son of King George III.   The Post Office was built in 1948. Next we turned into Market Street and

We were very excited to visit the two churches designed by Sohpy Gray in Swellendam.   (Read more about Sohpy Gray Churches here ) I did some reading about these churches and found that the one was demolished soon after it was build.   It is disappointing but luckily there was another church to visit. Christ Church Bishop Robert Gray visited Swellendam a few times during his time in South Africa. His first visit in 1848 was to help the English community with a church.   In 1849 a site was found and his wife, Sophy, discussed the plans for the church.   The first reverend also arrived in the town. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1852 while the Gray’s were in England.   When they visited three years later they found a pretty English style stone church but the work was not good quality. The west side was not built correctly and was taken down and rebuilt.   The church was consecrated in 1855. Unfortunately the poor building work led to an early end for th

I have been struggeling to find the time and words to write some posts. So today I want to share some photos of the beautiful sunrise we had yesterday.  I am not very good at taking photos of sunrises and sunsets but I think these came out good.  (Although I was almost late for work because I spend to much time taking photos) Have a nice day.  

Wildebraam Berry Estate  is only about 2 or 3 kilometers outside of Swellendam.   After a nice lunch we got directions at the Tourism information center.  The farm was easy to find and first thing we saw was the beautiful views of the mountain. We went to the tasting cellar and started by tasting the 9 different liqueurs that is made by Wildebraam.   The flavours include Guava, Rooibos, Youngberry, Honey, Peppermint, Fennel & Aniseed, Lemon, Hazelnut and Choc Chilli.   My favourites were the Guava and Peppermint while H liked the Rooibos and Aniseed.   Next we tried some of the relishes and chutneys.   Most of these are spicy and I did not taste all of them.   I did like the Tomato Chutney.   Then we moved to the last table to taste the jams.   There are jams with different berries, oranges, and other fruit. We left Wildebraam with a box full of liqueurs and jams for ourselves and some gifts.   It was fun to taste all the different items and find our favourites.  

We spent the morning of Saturday 27 April in the museums in Swellendam.  First we visited the  Drosdy and Old Gaol and then we walked to the last building of the museum complex, Mayville.     The ground was originally part of the Drosdy property but it was sold in 1846 to Daniel de Bruyn.   He built the T-shaped house between 1853 and 1855.   I changed owners many times and in 1974 was left to the museum by Nita Steyn.   The house was restored to its 1887 appearance and was opened to the public in 1978.   The interior reflects the wealth and status of a middle class family.   I loved the different wallpapers in each room.   Nita Steyn also left a collection of beautiful Victorian furniture that is on display in the house. It was just after 12:00 when we finished our museum visit.   We walk around for a while and decided to get something to drink.   We stopped at Oppi Stoep Café and found a table outside.