Lu-Gerda's Travels

Prince Albert has a lovely Dutch Reformed Church. It is one of those buildings that had to photograph every time we drove or walked pass. The corner stone was laid on 1 October 1860 and the church was completed in 1865 with the bell and clock, both imported from London, installed in 1878. During the Boer War the British forces used the church tower as a look-out. The corners of the wall surrounding the church and the spikes on the fence have been designed to match the church building. As usual in South Africa, the church was locked and we could not go inside. Church Hall Lovely lavender in front of the church Corner stone

In December 2015 we went to Calitzdorp for a daytrip.  My grandmother grew up in Calitzdorp.  My mother joined us for the day and we went looking for places she remembered from visits to her grandparents. The road from George to Oudstshoorn was very busy.  We arrived in a very hot Calitzdorp at about 10:30.  We stopped next to the tourist information office and when mom looked up she saw her grandparents home.  The house is in Barry Street and is called “Vine Grove”. We left the car and walked around in Barry Street and then to the Dutch Reformed Church. The foundation stone for the sandstone church was laid on 17 December 1910 and the inauguration was in April 1912. The stand for the cottage at nr 27 Andries Pretorius Street was acquired in 1859 by JJ Stimie and he built the house.  The third owner was  John Baldwin who arrived in SA from the island Tristan da Cunha.  When the Baldwins bought the property in 1...

One of our stops when we visited Oudtshoorn was the Dutch Reformed Mother Church on the corner of High Street and Church Street.   Unfortunately the gates to the church grounds was locked and we could not take a closer look or visit the inside.   The foundation stone was laid on 15 January 1861 but work was stopped in the 1860’s due to the lack of money and a problem due with the wall because the plans were read incorrectly.   In 1876 Carl Otto Hager was appointed to complete the church and work stared again.   The church was complete and consecrated in 1879.   It was built from local sandstone and is a national monument.    The hall next to church was completed in 1895. For more detail about the history in Afrikaans read here .

On Friday 9 August 2013 we spent the day in Oudtshoorn.  We started by walking along Baron van Rheede Street and soon we reached St Jude’s Church.  This was my favourite stop of day and the best part was that it was open and we could visit the inside. The original church was designed by Sophy Gray and was erected besteen 1860 and 1865.   The current church was largely the work of architect George Wallis and was built in 1897.   It incorporates parts of the original church. This church is the oldest stone building in the town, built with sandstone by four Scottish stone masons.  The church is a National Heritage Site. Inside we saw some beautiful stain glass windows.  Also some interesting memorials and a flag presented to the Oudtshoorn Volunteers by King Edward VII in 1904.

Hello.   It has been a long time since my last post  on the blog.   The last few months were busy.   We were busy getting everything ready for the arrival of our baby.   He was born at the end of July and since then taking care of him was my full time job.   I still have 2 months left of my maternity leave and intend to enjoy every minute with my son. As I wrote in the post in May 2014 , my husband has cancer.   This has also kept us busy.   He is currently busy with his 5 th cycle of chemo and at the end of October he will get a bone marrow transplant.   His doctor is happy with his progress. But this is a travel blog.   We did not travel the last few months but I still have some posts left about places we visited earlier. We had a very nice December holiday.   We spend it at home in Mossel Bay.   The town was very busy with many people who came here for their holidays.   The weather was also perf...

Dorp or “Town” Street is one of my favourite streets in Stellenbosch.   I love the beautiful old oak trees that line the street along with all the old homes with their interesting gables, windows, doors and stoeps. We started our walk at the Dutch Reformed Church and walked along Dorp Street until we reached Oom Samie’s Winkel.   The street is very busy but we kept crossing to see buildings on both sides. Saxenhof – 159 Dorp Street The land was granted to Pieter Andriesz Saxe in 1704 and he probably built the original Saxenhof house.   In the late 19 th century the house was extended to a double storey with the interesting wooden balcony.   Stellenbosch Hotel – 160 & 162 Dorp Street After the original building was destroyed is a fire in 1803, the present building was built. Lutheran Church This church was designed by Carl Otto Hager and was inaugurated in 1854.   The church fell into disuse and was bought by Dr Anton R...

In March we went to Cape Town area for a long weekend.   During this visit we made an unplanned trip to Stellenbosch and decided to explore the town. I studied at the Stellenbosch University for four years and know parts of the town.   Like most students I did not have a lot of money, my bicycle was my only transport and it was before I bought my first digital camera.   Back then I admired the old buildings but never took the time to take photos of them or learn about their history.   This day trip was a great way to show Stellenbosch to my husband and explore learn about the town. Oak Trees in Dorp Street Governor Simon van der Stel founded the town in 1679 and he named it after himself.   The name can be translated as “(Van der) Stel’s Bush”.   The town is also known as the Eikestad or “City of Oaks” due to the many Oak trees that were planted by the residents after on the recommendation of Commissioner Van Reede tot Drakenstein. Dutch...