Franschhoek is one of the tourist hotspots of the Western Cape. It is a beautiful little town in the winelands surrounded by soaring, majestic mountains, with a much celebrated French heritage. It has also, over the years, been developed as a tourist destination, so that the streets are now lined with exquisite eateries, art galleries and antique shops. It is quite expensive but remains stunningly beautiful.
This was our destination on Friday. My sister had a day off, so we decided to do something fun. We got going fairly slowly – because that’s half the joy of days off. We drove along the R44 towards Stellenbosch. Patches of flowers gave a grass beside the road a purple haze. Beyond a white-fenced paddock, two children tear along a farm road rolling tyres. We pass a strawberry farm.
Through Stellenbosch and on. I barely glimpse Stellenbosch. I’ll come back here later and see it again. Some places are too big, too much to deal with all in one go.
The road to Franschhoek from Stellenbosch is smooth and broad and fills even those of us who don’t drive with a desire to have a go at it in something expensive and fast. Sadly, the road was actually being worked on, but the delays were minimal, so it didn’t interfere with the day.
We arrive in Franschhoek and head for the garden-type place I’d remember wanting to come back to on a previous visit. We wandered around the old graveyard first. I love cemeteries. They have such a great sense of place and past.
In the gardens stands the Huguenot Monument. Entry fee to the monument is R10. It is situated in beautifully-kept gardens. Gardeners were working as we passed. Sprinklers sparkled water across beds of bright roses. The monument itself is highly symbolic. The Huguenots who chose to settle so very far from their homes in Europe were doing so in order to escape religious persecution, so religious symbolism is prominent in their memorialisation. The three arches represent the trinity. The central female figure with a bible in one hand and broken chains in the other (fairly obviously) represents religious freedom.
In South Africa, representations of settler history are, of course, somewhat controversial but as a firm believer in the notion of multiple coexisting narratives of South African history, I delight in monuments like these that celebrate and keep alive the history and narrative of a particular group. I think there should be more of them. I also love that they are so often set in beautiful gardens surrounded by stunning scenery. This one is no exception. My sister reminds me that the Huguenot story is not unrelated to our own.
We decide against the museum in favour of lunch but rather than staying in Franschhoek, we attempted to find the Berry Farm, where we’d each had lovely experiences at different times in the past.
Lunch was delightful. We sat outside, looking across the valley to magnificent mountains rising towards the sky, fields of farms on all sides. Nearer by, a cheeky robin kept us company, even hopping onto the table to try and eat the butter from my sister’s plate. I sipped a gentle Chenin Blanc and tried kassler and caramelised onion quiche. My sister had scones, berry jam and cream. We sat and chatted and ate and drank and simply enjoyed the peacefulness. A friend recently said to me that, judging from my pics, Korea must be a beautiful place. I had a strange moment because, while there are attractive places there, I cannot think of anywhere that could match up to something as simple as lunch at the Berry Farm in South Africa. I don’t think we appreciate how lucky we are to have the incredibly privilege of living in this country.
Friday in Franschhoek
Franschhoek is one of the tourist hotspots of the Western Cape. It is a beautiful little town in the winelands surrounded by soaring, majestic mountains, with a much celebrated French heritage. It has also, over the years, been developed as a tourist destination, so that the streets are now lined with exquisite eateries, art galleries and antique shops. It is quite expensive but remains stunningly beautiful.
This was our destination on Friday. My sister had a day off, so we decided to do something fun. We got going fairly slowly – because that’s half the joy of days off. We drove along the R44 towards Stellenbosch. Patches of flowers gave a grass beside the road a purple haze. Beyond a white-fenced paddock, two children tear along a farm road rolling tyres. We pass a strawberry farm.
Through Stellenbosch and on. I barely glimpse Stellenbosch. I’ll come back here later and see it again. Some places are too big, too much to deal with all in one go.
The road to Franschhoek from Stellenbosch is smooth and broad and fills even those of us who don’t drive with a desire to have a go at it in something expensive and fast. Sadly, the road was actually being worked on, but the delays were minimal, so it didn’t interfere with the day.
We arrive in Franschhoek and head for the garden-type place I’d remember wanting to come back to on a previous visit. We wandered around the old graveyard first. I love cemeteries. They’re such a great place to find peace and a sense of place and past.
In the gardens stands the Huguenot Monument. Entry fee to the monument is R10. It is situated in beautifully-kept gardens. Gardeners were working as we passed. Sprinklers sparkled water across beds of bright roses. The monument itself is highly symbolic. These Huguenots, who chose to settle so very far from their homes in Europe, were doing so in order to escape religious persecution, so religious symbolism is prominent in their memorialisation. The three arches represent the trinity. The central female figure with a bible in one hand and broken chains in the other (fairly obviously) represents religious freedom.
In South Africa, representations of settler history are, of course, somewhat controversial but as a firm believer in the notion of multiple coexisting narratives of South African history, I delight in monuments like these that celebrate and keep alive the history and narrative of a particular group. I think there should be more of them. I also love that they are so often set in beautiful gardens surrounded by stunning scenery. This one is no exception. My sister reminds me that the Huguenot story is not unrelated to our own.
We decide against the museum in favour of lunch but rather than staying in Franschhoek, we attempted to find the Berry Farm, where we’d each had lovely experiences at different times in the past.
Lunch was delightful. We sat outside, looking across the valley to magnificent mountains rising towards the sky, fields of farms on all sides. Nearer by, a cheeky robin kept us company, even hopping onto the table to try and eat the butter from my sister’s plate. I sipped a gentle Chenin Blanc and tried kassler and caramelised onion quiche. My sister had scones, berry jam and cream. We sat and chatted and ate and drank and simply enjoyed the peacefulness. A friend recently said to me that, judging from my pics, Korea must be a beautiful place. I had a strange moment because, while there are attractive places there, I cannot think of anywhere that could match up to something as simple as lunch at the Berry Farm in South Africa. I don’t think we appreciate how lucky we are to have the incredibly privilege of living in this country.