Elaine and Randy had asked for COLOR (see Rainbow Nation post). They kept getting it!!! These photos were taken at Storms River Mouth. Our cottage looked out at the scene below.
The Aloes were just coming into full bloom.
They attracted more than us.
Sunbird on Aloe
A good camouflage ... if you are on an aloe!
We set off on a healthy hike along the coast to the Waterfall
Even the rocks are colorful
This is part of the Garden Route -- Calla Lilies grow wild
Exploring a cave en route -- see how small Randy looks
The rub of water on stone
The star of this underwater show (a rock pool near the cave)
Looking back along our route
Finally we reach the waterfall and settle down to enjoy our picnic. I would normally just toss in an apple and a handful of nuts and dried fruit, but Elaine had taken charge.... We eat well.
A rainbow shimmers above the lip of the waterfall. Its reflection in the pool below almost more substantial than the real thing.
We sit in silence, surrounded by the sound and movement of water. It falls loudly in front of us and swirls in patterns at our feet to find its way through other rocks, other mini watefalls down to the ocean which crashs at our backs. Constantly advancing and receding. Claiming this new water for its own.
A kiss of salt.
We are silently watched as we wind back through a dense patch of forest
Watched also by this female bushbuck
But she is more interested in her nosh
Standing on our cottage patio -- the day ends, color keeps coming
Wine glasses in hand, we settle down to a sumptuous meal. It is shortly after two o’clock in the afternoon. We begin with sweet potato and lentil soup with freshly baked bread, still hot from the open wood fired oven. Then we dine on Kudu sirloin with tarragon cream sauce, pampoen poffertjies (pumpkin fritters), slaphaakskeentjies (pickling onions cooked in a sweet and spicy cream sauce), and some broccoli to feel a little virtuous. Finally we indulge in sinfully delicious Malva pudding with crème anglaise.
We have made the entire meal ourselves. In a manner of speaking, of course --- it would not have been possible without the expert and relaxed help and guidance of our instructor, Jeremy Freemantle. It has all been enormous fun. We are at African Relish, a recreational culinary school in Prince Albert.
White stones on a hill top -- typical town markers in the Karoo
African Relish Cooking School
African Relish
All attention on Jeremy
The school is flooded with air and light
This was a private lesson for the four of us: me and Graham and our friends, Elaine and Randall (visiting from Durham, North Carolina). We had the entire cooking school to ourselves from early morning til after we had finished our leisurely meal mid afternoon. We had chosen to prepare a menu typical for the Karoo -- this dry, arid part of the country. There is something deliciously incongruous about finding a culinary school of such caliber and style in this small, remote and totally charming town of Prince Albert (about 4 hours drive from Cape Town).
Let the fun begin
My husband, Graham, a master at keeping many pots on the go!
Wine break
Gay's dairy at the edge of town -- source of the rich cream in our meal
There is something very special and authentic about Prince Albert. Being there is like stepping back in time and geography. Ancient rugged mountains rise at one side of the town and at the other the arid Karoo stretches empty into the distance. A white-washed church dominates the small town, water out of the mountains still flows down stone channels at the sides of streets to feed small private dams. There are thorn trees and windmills, a good art gallery, olive groves, bougainvillea-splashed guest houses and several atmospheric restaurants and coffee shops.
At the base of the Pass -- see the rock cross above me
Walking at sunset above the town
There is something about the clarity and quality of the light, the way it plays on
the mountains at the edges of the day and makes things sharp edged and unequivocal,
drawing the eye to examine all it sees, reconnecting one to nature.
There is a particular Karoo aesthetic. it is pared down and celebrates the beauty in simplicity,
in nature. Nothing gushy or ornate or unnecessary. It is in perfect step with the
spare harsh beauty of the environment ---clean cut, basic, true.
comment:
"This is one of the most beautiful journal posts I have read. I appreciate your attention and insight to your African Relish and Prince Albert experience. For international guests to to feel so immersed and appreciate not only the culinary but also the town and surroundings so much is really gratifying to us; the owners of African Relish. Thank you. Lisa Key"
“I crave color. Give me color.” Elaine pleaded. She and her husband Randall had just arrived from China where they’d been for the past two months. They complained about the drabness, the lack of color, not seeing a blue sky for weeks. They had come to South Africa for a 3 week vacation.
These photos were taken on Elaine and Randy’s second day in South Africa. There were six of us hiking in the mountainous Jonkershoek Nature Reserve close to Stellenbosch, about 30 minutes from our house. We were the only ones on the trail.
There were times on our walk when we saw several rainbows at once. The moist air and towering mountains seemed to be a playground for them. Baby rainbows practiced at the base of mountains showing off their perfect small arcs, brilliant slices of rainbow clung to the sides of sheer cliffs, magnificent rainbows in their prime rose high in the air and doubled themselves in mirror image - 14 arcs of pure colour. Pots of gold everywhere.
There was magic in the air. A special luminescent presence.
“You know what would make this better?” Nancy asked me as we drove along the Garden Route on a crystal blue morning. “What?”, I asked, hesitation in my voice. “Nothing”, she sighed with contentment, leaning back in her seat and looking out at the view. Mountain ranges, thick forests, sudden great sweeps of ocean.
Another day she said she had good news and bad. The good news was that she was having a most marvelous time. The bad news was that she was already missing it, even though she wasn’t leaving yet.
It’s always interesting to see a place you know through the eyes of newcomers. On the way to drop Nancy at Cape Town airport for her flight back to Boston, she told me how she had been struck by the gentleness and friendliness of interactions between people – she had noticed this in stores and restaurants and at the airport.
View as you wait for your flight
My sister-in-law chuckled as she pulled me aside to share a comment Nancy had made
about South Africans "always hugging and always want to go for a walk".
