To Villiersdorp!

The small town of Villiersdorp in the Western Cape lies close to my heart. This is where I finished my school career in 1969 when I matriculated from the De Villiers Graaff High School. I spent my last two school years here and thoroughly enjoyed them.

The town has its roots in the farm established here in 1843 by one Pieter de Villiers. A village soon shot up. Scandal struck when the daughter of Pieter De Villiers married a farm labourer named Petrus Graff.  The marriage was allowed on condition that the De Villiers name would not be lost.  The couple had three sons, the most eminent of whom was Sir David de Villiers-Graaf, who became a Member of Parliament. He was created a baronet in 1911 and served as Minister of Public Works and of Posts and Telegraphs (1911–1912), Minister without Portfolio (1912–1913), and Minister of Finance (1915–1916). David de Villiers Graaff was also an astute businessman and amassed a considerable fortune, some of which he used to finance the South African war effort during WW I (for which he was knighted).

Sir De Villiers-Graaff  financed the building of the De Villiers-Graaff High School in Villiersdorp in 1907, establishing a £100 000 endowment fund for the school.

Today the town has around 10 000 inhabitants and lies in an area renowned for its deciduous fruit, as well as wines. The large Theewaterskloof Dam built on the Sonderend River just outside town in 1978 today covers an area of around 5 059 ha and contains about 480 million cubic litres of water. Its catchment area is approximately 500 square km.

Heading north on the R321 from Grabouw, we drive through lush farmland and apple and other deciduous fruit orchards.

Soon the road starts climbing and we are on rise to the short, but fairly steep Viljoens Pass.

The clouds lie low on the mountains.

Looking northeast from the top of the pass. In the distance one can see the Theewaterskloof Dam.

Zooming in, we get a better view of the dam. The area between the pass and the dam is famous for its top quality apples, grown mostly for export.

Looking into the mountain from the viewpoint at the top of the pass.

As we near Villiersdorp the Theewaterskloof Dam lies close, and the road actually crosses a section of the dam via a bridge.

Looking southeast from the bridge.

Villiersdorp as seen from the hillside above the school (which is off camera to the left).

Looking across the deep valley to the mountains on the south.

The lovely little Anglican church in the town.

When the town was originally laid out, Pieter de Villiers planted many oak and eucalyptus trees. Today some of the streets are lined with stately London plane trees.

An old house in town with the thatched roof so popular in this part of the Western Cape.

As we leave Villiersdorp in the direction of Franschhoek, we drive along the dam again.

A serene little island in the dam.

As in just about everywhere in the Western Cape, the mountains are always close, and particularly atmospheric on the day we were there.

Cape Point, Cape Town, South Africa

The south-westernmost tip of the continent of Africa is known as Cape Point. The first European to sight (and round) the point was the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias, who rounded Cape Point in January 1488. His little flotilla of two ships were hit by storms when they were close to the Point and he named the place Cabo Tormentoso (Cape of Storms). Cape Point and False Bay beyond it on the eastern side of the peninsula are notorious for the autumn northwesterly gales and the ferocious south-easterlies in summer. João II, king of Portugal (1455-1495), later renamed the cape Cabo de Boa Esperança (Cape of Good Hope), because rounding the Cape ultimately served to open the only sea route to the East and its riches at the time.

The next Portuguese explorer to round the Cape was Vasco da Gama, who sailed past Cape point in a gale on November 22nd, 1497. He was the first Portuguese to reach India by sea. Today he is remembered at Cape Point by having the tallest peak named after him.

Today the cross-shaped padrão (a limestone marker used by the Portuguese explorers to mark their landing sites) one can see near the point is  in fact a replica. The original, the Padrão de São Filipe, is thought to have been erected closer to the Point on the headland known as Cape Maclear, just north-west of the point itself.

Cape Point remains one of the most significant headlands in the history of the world, and it is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful points in the world. The English sea captain and explorer Sir Francis Drake, who rounded the Cape on the 18th of July 1580, called it “a most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth”. To this day the Cape Peninsula and Cape Town are commonly referred to as “the Fairest Cape”.

Our visit to Cape Point in 2012 was on a bright, sunny and almost windless day.

The marker that greets one at the start of the track leading up to the old lighthouse.

The view along the eastern side of the peninsula towards Cape Point. The highest peak visible is Vasco da Gama Peak.

Looking north along the western side of the peninsula (looking back towards Cape Town, in other words).

Looking down on Smitswinkels Bay from the whale-watching viewpoint on the eastern side of the peninsula. The mountains on the horizon are on the far side of False Bay.

The view south from the same vantage point.

The coast is rocky and rather inhospitable, but beautiful, too.

Looking out across False Bay towards the Hottentots-Holland and Steenbras Mountains and Cape Hangklip on the eastern shore of the bay.

The old lighthouse was constructed in 1859 and is sited on the highest point of the ridge between Vasco da Gama Peak and the Point itself.

Cape Maclear, just north-west of the Point. It is here that Dias is thought to have planted his Padrão de São Filipe in 1488.

Dias Beach and Cape Maclear.

Looking north from the old lighthouse. Vasco da Gama Peak is the nearest to the camera.

A wider view in the same direction, with Table Mountain and Devils Peak in the far distance.

There is a well-constructed and beautifully maintained walkway down to a vantage point just above the sea here.

Cape Point itself, looking south. I took a photo from the edge of the flat rock in the foreground back in 1970, but was a bit more cautious this time!

Looking north, the old lighthouse just visible on top of the ridge.

Another view of Cape Point.

Even on a calm day the surf is quite ferocious. The waves breaking here have travelled unimpeded from the coast of South America!

The Point and the new lighthouse, built in 1914.

The new lighthouse is the most powerful on the coast of South Africa.

Looking back at the old lighthouse.

A last long look over False Bay before we bid Cape Point adieu…

São Miguel – More Views

The images in this blog were all made during our 2012 visit to the Azores, and are of places in the city and  on our walk back from Pópulo to Ponta Delgada.

Between the Avenida Dom Infante Henrique and the waters of the harbour: this stretch of restaurants, coffee shops and bars are all part of the improvements and extensions made to the Avenida.

The Baptista de Andrade is one of the Portuguese Navy’s eponymous class of corvettes and was stationed at Ponta Delgada during its stint protecting Azorean waters from illegal fishing fleets. This particular vessel has since been decommissioned.

Looking across the bay between Ponta Delgada and São Roque towards the Serra Água de Pau. The Rosto do Cão headland is in the middle distance.

Looking down the Rua Manuel Inácio Correia, one of the city’s many lovely medieval streets.

The Praça do Município with the Câmara Municipal (municipal offices).

Rua da Cruz and a typical little coffee shop.

The Igreja de São José on the Campo de São Francisco, Ponta Delgada.

Fishing boats in the harbour of Ponta Delgada.

Many of the old houses in this city date back to the early 16th century, and even in their decays are still beautiful.

Rosto do Cão (face of the dog) seen from a bit closer.

Looking across Ponta Delgada harbour, with the Centro Sol Mar shopping centre and apartments on the left and the Hotel Açores Atlantico on the right.

Praia das Milicias, Pôpulo.

Facade of the church of São Roque.

The little bay in front of the São Roque church.

Beautiful tile work, called azulejos, is typical of Portuguese buildings, even modest houses.

A narrow little street in São Roque, a poor parish on the outskirts of the city of Ponta Delgada.

São Roque shoreline.

A view across São Roque.

Looking towards Ponta Delgada and one of the hundreds of cruise ships that call here every year.

The hills above Ponta Delgada.

The next land from this viewpoint is Antarctica!

Close view of the Rosto do Cão.

I could not resist capturing this image!

More Cape Town

 

A few more images from Cape Town’s central area taken during our visit in 2012. Of note is the Company Gardens, established shortly after Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival at the Cape in 1652. The gardens were laid out to provide fruit and vegetables for ships of the Dutch East India Company (hence the Company Gardens), since the reason for the early Dutch settlement here was to establish a refreshment post for the Company’s ships. Today the Gardens are more of a botanical garden.

 

On the corner of Orange and Hof Streets

The entrance to the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel on Orange Street

Looking down Government Lane from the Orange Street end

The Company Gardens has plenty of these cute little grey squirrels

Another grey squirrel

The National Art Gallery

The South African Museum and Planetarium

The rose garden in the Company Gardens

A glimpse of Table Mountain from a quiet nook of the Company Gardens

Even in the middle of the city there are charming little sights like this

Greenmarket Square nowadays is swamped with stalls selling tourist-trap knickknacks brought in from the rest of Africa

Cape Town has retained many of its charming Victorian buildings, which now stand side by side with much more modern buildings

Lovely detail on a street corner

A whimsical balcony

 

 

Between the Strand and Onrus

Between the Strand and Onrus, about 80km away, the Faure Marine Drive or R44 takes one through lovely seaside towns like Gordons Bay, Rooi Els, Bettys Bay, Kleinmond and Fisherhaven. The R44 runs into the R43 near Botriver, and that in turn runs past Fisherhaven on the Botriver Vlei, Hawston and Vermont to Onrus. The images in this blog come from our drive along this route to Onrus and back in 2014.

The view northwest from the R44 just outside Gordons Bay. The Strand is off camera to the left. In the distance lie the Hottentots-Holland Mountains.

Looking southwest across False Bay towards the Swartkop Mountains on the peninsula leading to Cape Point.

Part of Gordons Bay, with Bikini Beach closest to the camera and the harbour on the left.

Kogelbaai, looking towards Cape Hangklip.

Kleinmond beach: the view across towards the Hermanus, with the Babilonstoring, Kleinrivier and Franskraal mountains on the horizon.

Another view of the Kleinmond seafront.

Botriver Vlei is an estuary lagoon in the Bot River. Here we are looking northeast towards the village of Botrivier.

Looking at the Palmiet mountains across Botriver Vlei (A “vlei” in Afrikaans can be a swamp, any stretch of shallow water or a lagoon.)

A moody sky over the Palmiet mountains.

Late afternoon sun on the Botriver Vlei.

Tidal flats at sunset.

Dramatic scenery is common on the Vlei at this time of the year (late winter).

Dark clouds gather…

I love winter in the Cape.

Looking across the Vlei towards the Atlantic Ocean.

The peaks of the Palmiet mountains above Kleinmond.

The beach, Onrus, looking across Walker Bay towards Gansbaai and the Franskraal Mountain.

En route back to the Strand. Cape Hangklip on the horizon.

Sunset drive along the Faure Marine Drive with the Blousteen and Kogelberg mountains towering over False Bay.

Another view of this stunningly scenic drive, matched only by Chapmans Peak Drive for beauty.

Late sun paints the mountains.

Looking across False Bay towards the Strand from Gordons Bay.

Back in our holiday apartment and the night view across the Strand towards Somerset West and the Helderberg Mountain beyond.

Amesbury, Wilts. England

Amesbury is a delightful English village about 120km southwest of London and a mere three kilometres from the famous Stonehenge. The surrounding countryside as typically English: green and lush and interesting. This village on the River Avon is recognized as the oldest continuously occupied UK settlement. Nearby is also the lesser-known Woodhenge, another Neolithic settlement similar to the one discovered at Boscombe Down.

Amesbury is also conveniently close to Salisbury, and is the burial place of Eleanor of Provence, who was buried here in 1291. The village church is remarkable for the fact that it houses a clock, thought to have been made for the nearby Benedictine Abbey in the 16th cent., that originally had no hands, as it was used only mark the hours of worship.

It’s a beautiful village, filled with wonderfully friendly people and it has some great pubs!

The River Avon near the village.

A typical country scene.

Beautiful English houses near the river.

Another view of the Avon.

Lord’s Walk is just outside the village and offers a delightful stroll along the banks of the Avon.

The gatehouse of the Benedictine Abbey. Today the abbey houses a nursing home.

The Greyhound.

A cottage in the village.

Autumn splendour.

Queensberry Bridge over the Avon.

Looking down High Street, with the George Hotel on the left, and the New Inn on the right.

The George.

Cape Town – The Fairest Cape or The Mother City

The oldest indications of human settlement at this, the southwestern-most tip of the African continent, date back to around 15-20 000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of the first Europeans, the area was inhabited by groups of nomadic Khoi peoples. The first recorded visit by a European is that of the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who arrived here in 1486 whilst endeavouring to reach the East Indies. The first major settlement by Europeans, however, dates to 1652, when on the 6th of April Jan van Riebeeck landed to start a refreshment post for Dutch ships passing the Cape en route to the Indies, as instructed by his superiors the Heere XVII, the Dutch council responsible for Dutch Colonies.

Today Cape Town is the second-largest city in South Africa after Johannesburg. Its metropolitan population of 3,8 million places it is the same category as Los Angeles and Yokohama. The Cape Peninsula (the city and it’s immediate surroundings, as well as Table Mountain and Cape Point) draws the bulk of both domestic and international tourists and is much loved for its mild Mediterranean climate, its spectacular scenery, its outstanding world-class wines, its cosmopolitan air and mouthwatering food. It’s a city for people who love to live to the full, who enjoy the very finest life can offer and who enjoy being close to Nature.

The city centre as seen from Signal Hill.

Looking east over the northern suburbs like Bellville and Durbanville towards the distant mountain range beyond which the interior starts. The hill on the left is Tygerberg Hill.

The entrance to the Castle of Good Hope. Built by the Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679, the Castle is the oldest existing building in South Africa. It replaced an older fort called the Fort de Goede Hoop which was constructed from clay and timber and built by Jan van Riebeeck upon his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.

The old Town Hall, Cape Town, as seen from the Grand Parade. This large Edwardian building was built in 1905. It is located on the Grand Parade to the west of the Castle and is built from honey-coloured oolitic limestone imported from Bath in England.

Flower sellers on Adderley Street. The flower sellers have been operating from this position for at least a century and form an integral part of Cape Town’s attractions.

The imposing entrance to the Standard Bank Building.

The Standard Bank building on Adderley Street . Designed by Charles Freeman, the building was completed in 1881. In 1922 two more storeys were added.

The beautiful blend of old and new which is Cape Town.

On the corner of Bloem and Long Streets, looking along the latter. Long Street is lined with beautifully preserved old Victorian buildings and a hub for nightlife.

The V&A is abuzz 24/7, all year round.

Looking northeast and out into Table Bay.

Inside the Victoria Wharf shopping centre at the V&A Waterfront.
With over 450 retail outlets selling everything from fashion, home-ware and curios, to jewellery, leather goods and audio-visual equipment,  the Waterfront is also still a working harbour and the fishing boats can be seen working bringing in fresh fish or the large container ships being towed in by the tugboats.
The Waterfront is Cape Town’s premier entertainment venue and home to many outstanding restaurants.

The V&A Waterfront with Table Mountain and Lions Head in the background.

Fishing trawlers in the working docks of the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.

A glimpse of the colourful houses of the Bo-Kaap (Upper Cape). This area was previously known as the Malay Quarter, because this is where slaves from Malaya settled in the eighteenth century. The minaret of the mosque is indicative of the strong Muslim character of the people of the Bo-Kaap.

Looking down on part of the suburb of Sea Point.

Lions Head on the right, as seen from Signal Hill, with the westerly edge of Table Mountain (and the upper cableway station on top) on the right. Between them we see the mountain range known as the Twelve Apostles.

A wider view to the east, with the Durbanville Hills on the far right.

Another view of the CBD with the harbour on the left and the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s marina in the top left corner. Much of the land in this view has been reclaimed from the sea.

Devils Peak, and below it the suburbs of Oranjezicht, Gardens, Vredehoek, Zonnebloem and Tamboerskloof.

Looking back towards Table Mountain from the road to Signal Hill. Devils Peak is on the far left.

Thank you for taking the time to get a tiny look at a very small part of the wonderful place!