Saturday, September 24, 2011

Peacocks at Paddagang

One of the peacocks we saw at Paddagang Restaurant in Tulbagh.
A fortnight ago, my husband and I were able to take two days off to enjoy a much-needed break from our busy routines. On the first day, we spontaneously decided to drive to Tulbagh, a very pretty little town situated less than 2 hours drive from Cape Town.
  
To continue reading this post, please click the Read more button below...

 
Tulbagh, a very picturesque town situated in the Boland wine growing region of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Tulbagh lies in a scenic valley surrounded by towering mountain ranges. It is located in the winelands of the Boland, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The town itself has great historical significance. It is the only town in South Africa that can claim the highest concentration of historical buildings existing in a single street! All 32 buildings in Church Street were lovingly restored after an earthquake struck the town in 1969 and almost destroyed them. It is wonderful to stroll from one end of the street to the other, quietly enjoying the Cape Dutch architecture of these well-preserved landmarks. My next post will share some of these charming sights with you. Most are privately owned; several have been been converted to accommodate restaurants, an hote,l and Bed & Breakfast accommodations. One or two are shops (a clothing and gift shop, as well as a wine shop and delicatessen).

Tulbagh is situated in a verdant valley surrounded by towering mountains. When we were there, the veld (surrounding countryside) was a riotous display of glorious spring blossoms (I will be sharing the pictures we took of the wild flowers in my next post).
It was raining when we left home, but by the time we arrived in Tulbagh, the rain had stopped and we were able to enjoy a really beautiful day.



We stopped to photograph this pretty dam on the outskirts of the town.

A small herd of goats, grazing in the fields adjacent to the dam, were wearing bells...we could hear their friendly tinkling and jingling i the distance.
Our first stop upon entering the town was Paddagang Restaurant in Church Street, one of the landmark eateries in Tulbagh, famous for its traditional Cape Country fare. We had not eaten breakfast and so were greatly looking forward to our midday meal.
The restaurant where we had lunch is named Paddagang. 'Padda' is the Afrikaans word for 'frog' and 'gang' means 'route, path or way', so translated, it means frog's path. Hence the sign, "Frogs Crossing!"



This magnificent fellow was seated on a gate as we drove down the gravel approach to the Paddagang Restaurant.

Driving down the narrow, gravel entrance to the restaurant, we espied our first peacock of the day. Little did we realise that a whole flock would entertain us all the way through lunch, so we had to stop and take a few photographs right away. This peacock was extremely obliging!

He happily allowed us to approach up close...

And offered us his most attractive sides...

He really was quite magnificent! If you look on the roof in the background at left, you will see a group of cocks and hens. We counted five altogether.

"I think this is one of my best sides. Please, do feel free to click away as much as you like!"

"On second thoughts, this might actually be a slightly better side. What do you think?"

"You have to get my gorgeous legs in, too!"

As you can see, when we arrived at the restaurant itself, the front lawn was alive with peacocks, peahens and guinea fowl!

We saw peacocks draping themselves every whichway we turned!

We parked beneath this oak tree and guess what was sitting in the branches above us?

Yes, yet another beautiful peacock...

...eager to share his handsome visage with us!

By now, our hunger had turned ravenous, so we headed straight inside to enjoy our meal.

We had a pleasant view across the garden from our window seating.

And, yes, you guessed correctly...the view took in the peacocks and hens!

On and off, throughout our three course meal (I did say we were ravenous!) this magnificent bird put on a most glorious show. We took several pictures. I'll only include a couple...

Turning this way...

...then this way...

...and showing us his rear...


...he put on several repeat performances to impress the ladies...they seemed disinterested, but he certainly impressed us! So much so, that I completely forgot to photograph our meal!

After lunch, we enjoyed a slow amble around the property...the pergola was heavily draped with these fragrant wisteria blooms...the bees were having a wonderful time!

There are several oak trees in the garden and each one was occupied by at least one peacock!

Beautiful white Dog roses were sprawling over the boundary fence, such healthy plants covered in these full blown blossoms. Again, the bees were buzzing merrily!

I think these are wild garlic. Very pretty to look at, but stinky when picked!

The new season's oak leaves formed a dense canopy overhead. A lone sunray struggled to penetrate, but when it did, how glorious!


Next time, I'll show you some of the lovely sights we took in whilst in Tulbagh.

36 comments:

  1. Beautiful photographs, those peacock's are magnificent. I love the blue colors in their feathers.
    Thank you for touring us around. Have a lovely Saturday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The peacock is amazing, breath taking pictures, I showed them to Peter as well! Thank you for the walk!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was also very impressed by the beautiful peacocks. I've never seen so many all in one place and so photogenic! They are beautiful creatures and it seems like the males are always dressed for a ball.
    I noticed that all the buildings in the town had white walls. The overall effect is very pleasing to the eyes.
    I'm sorry I've been away for a while and I hope you're also enjoying your weekend! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fabulous shots. Love them all.

    The peacock is absolutely beautiful.

    I saw some pheasants yesterday and thought they were lovely but thinking of them now they were like ugly ducklings in comparison to the wonderful birds you spotted!!

    Thanks for the great pics.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The photographs of the scenery, as you came into Tulbagh, are beautiful - and lush with growth, with just a peep at the wildflowers in the grass. I knew we'd be in for a treat as you got further into the post.
    I can see where the saying "proud as a peacock" comes from now! Such magnificent creatures - stunning displays. I really like the delicate little feather headdress too (it's nice to see the females have those too). Even their rear end is a feast for the eyes!
    Beautiful photographs, a delight to see and to read your post Desiree :D)

    ReplyDelete
  6. such gorgeous birds! and that area is so lush and green and the skies are gorgeous! thanks for sharing with us!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Desiree! Let me start with a few general blog business observations: I noticed that you place your captions beneath the pictures, same as I do on my blog. When I read other blogs I sometimes get lost because they place the captions or text above the picture. I looked it up and discovered that you are six hours (time zones) ahead of me, the same as my friends in Italy and Poland. That's not too great a time difference. At least I can reply to your posts same day before you retire for the night. In your comment on my blog you asked if you may call me Tom. Yes, please do. Other friends have been doing so ever since I posted this at the end of last year:

    http://shadydell.blogspot.com/2010/12/unmasking-of-shady-del-knight.html

    In this post you took us with you on another fascinating road trip. I simply can't get over the natural beauty that surrounds you, the historic structures that are yours to explore and the amazing creatures that you encounter. Best of all, springtime is arriving in your part of the world.

    It would bring me great joy to listen to the bells tinkling on that herd of goats. Those pictures of pea fowl are magnificent and I can imagine how much fun it was to be entertained by them while you dined! Now I know where the expression "proud as a peacock" comes from. The one showing off his legs for you should have entered Carol's Mini Skirt Contest! (LOL)

    Thank you very much for another delightful post, dear Desiree, and take good care of Noodle!

    ReplyDelete
  8. GORGEOUS--as always. :) We have a peacock farm by us. I want to go visit it so badly now. I bet my kids would love it. I need to show them these lovely pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my goodness - that looked like a wonderful trip - how far is that from you - I might have missed it - but what different countryside and views are there where you are compared to where I live. And Georgia is pretty just different.

    Thanks for the tour! Have you gotten my email reply - not sure i have your correct address.

    skcz@comcast.net

    sandie

    ReplyDelete
  10. The second I saw the peacock picture I could almost hear that call of theirs. The peacocks were just gorgeous and it looked like a lovely place to have dinner and to spend the day. Love the panorama of those first shots...and the frog crossing! Glad you have more to share. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such gorgeous blue plumage on those peacocks! This was yet another wonderful tour that you allowed your readers to take with you, thanks so much! I love that spring is on the way for you, just as fall is arriving here. You are so lucky to be able to take these little trips with your husband, into your lovely countryside.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such a flambouyant peacock with his long tail feathers, love his brilliant colors and your beautiful post, Desiree. The soft white Dog roses and wild garlic flowers were a beautiful lead into the bright white of the sunray coming through the oak leaves!

    ReplyDelete
  13. simply beautifully captured shots...lovely captures of the peacock in different hues and the sceneries all around.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If only yo had plucked me a few of his feathers, for my fly tying!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a wonderful trip !! great that peacock !! like your pictures!! love from me...xxx..

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear Desiree, I've fully enjoyed my adventure here today, and the peacock is magnificent! Recently I've taken on a "dreams" project in which I'm supposed to collect images and post them in a book. I've spent hours today searching old magazines and absolutely nothing called to my soul. But then, when I visited you here, dreams were stirred. The adventure girl within stands up and takes notice. I need to print the pictures of South Africa in my dream book.

    ReplyDelete
  17. WOWZEEWOW. What unbelievabe photographs, makes me never want to put a picture on my blog again. Am very envious of you and your husband atking such romantic trips here and there. The colors, design of the peacock, are evidence there is a creator, God Almighty. The beauty is this world did not just happen by accident. Thanks for the post ! Gina

    ReplyDelete
  18. Magnificent shots! I just had no idea that South Africa was one huge country of such vast beauty! It's all around you- everywhere you go and even at home. Wow. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh Desiree, I love the peacocks. In fact the gate I have in the front of my house is a peacock design that I designed and an artist made out of wrought iron. The photos are stunning. Thank you for the show!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The peacocks are magnificent - I love the blues and greens of their feathers - one of God's masterpieces for sure. Too bad He ran out of paint when he created the hens ;) I had never realized South Africa was so beautiful. I thoroughly enjoy your descriptive blog entries about this mysterious (to me) part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, how wonderful pictures, SO MARVELOUS!!!
    I just enjoyed the pictures, my precious new friend.
    Just don't have time to read, so sorry. I wanted to let you know I stopped by.
    Love and lots of Hugs to you, Orchid*

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi my friend. I am feeling a little brighter today, so just had to pop over to see what you have been up to! I know what you're like when you're left to your own devices, with no-one to keep an eye on you!! First of all, I do hope that poor little Noodle is a bit better now. I read your comment over at Shady's blog and I could see that you've had quite a time of it keeping your eye on her. What a lovely little trip you had with your husband there and how wonderful to be surrounded by all that natural beauty. The photos of the peacocks were stunning. That colour blue is absolutely magnificent. They do like to show off, don't they?! Must be lovely for you to see all those spring flowers on the veld. It's such a wonderful time of year, when everything is coming to life again. Hope you're having a lovely Sunday. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dear Desiree, once again, your husband's photography leaves me searching for words to describe the loveliness of those peacocks. I've never seen a blue like that on their chests.

    I so look forward to your future postings on Tulbagh. I so like these journeys you take us on.

    Of course, I'm thanking you again for commenting on my recent posting about Meniere's and my restoration to life. Like you, I feel I was guided to Curves that day. And also, like you, I hope my postings helps others to live with and understand this disease.

    Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I especially love how the blue of the peacock glows in these pictures. This was another grand and gorgeous adventure for you - so glad you shared.

    ReplyDelete
  25. wow you got some gorgeous photos of peacocks, and they certainly were strutting their stuff for you! what a perfect place for a getaway, I look forward to the next installment.

    ReplyDelete
  26. What beautiful countryside! I think those peacocks must have had a fashion show - they were certainly strutting and posing in their finery!

    ReplyDelete
  27. a magnificent adornment to the oak tree Desiree:-) I'm so glad you had a day to just get away and enjoy time with your beloved. Beautiful, beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Desiree my sweet friend I am finding it very difficult to come up with an adjective to adequately describe how beautiful and wonderful your posts are. Those birds are so magnificent and the colors are so deep and like I said it is hard to find words. Every day I know you and Linda I love South Africa more. You are certainly blessed to live where you can see the sights you have shared with us. Have a great rest of the week and know you are so appreciated.
    Odie

    ReplyDelete
  29. You were so lucky that the peacock performed for you. I think you get to see some pretty awesome sights in your part of the world as well. Love the last photo.
    Thanks also for sharing your thoughts on my "Skywatch – September Full Moon" photos, it was truly a beautiful display by Mother Nature.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a magical place! And I love all the peacock closeups!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Dear Desiree,
    Orchid again, finally finding time to read your precious post,
    Tulbagh sure is picturesque with your wonderful pictures,isn't it♡♡♡
    The vast field must be a soothing relief to see(or tonic? haha I mean it must give you refreshing feeling).
    What a gorgeous peacock and LUCKY you he was friendly and as if he was posing for you♬♬♬ I like the picture with his drapes. What a show he made you enjoy☆☆☆
    Haha, even though the female one wasn't so attracted, we could have a chance to see your post. MARVELOUS to see all the different angels!!! Thank you very much.
    To my new friend from east,
    Love and lots of Hugs to you, Orchid*

    PS> I think I won't be able to post for a while because of tight schedule. But I'll try to keep in touch commenting to your post.

    ReplyDelete
  32. What a beautiful post. These are gorgeous. It reminds me of hen I was a child and i would chase peacocks through the park. I was always hoping one would leave a feather behind for me.. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  33. Gorgeous photos! Sorry it has taken me so long to get caught up on your posts!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I best not share your peacock photos with my Peabody boys, Hans and Moses. They are just beginning to grow in their flashy eye feathers, at 2 years old, and are terribly proud of themselves. If they catch a glimpse of those Stupendous tails on your South African birds, they will feel very inferior,indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi Desiree, Beautiful scenery, colorful peacocks, fragrant wisteria and a delicious lunch; it all sounds like the making of a perfect day. The peacock certainly put on an impressive show for you. What a magnificent bird!

    ReplyDelete
  36. you always seem to find the most beautiful plants...flowers...to take pictures of! everything always looks so GREEN...so lush!!
    the peacocks are gorgeous. what a beautiful day!
    love the sun through the trees too...OH, and the REAR END shots! ha!!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you!