La Rive

La Rive

We have returned home, thoroughly buoyed and exuberant, after a wonderful weekend spent visiting each of ten exquisite private gardens, generously made available for public viewing by their respective owners during this season's Franschhoek Open Gardens 2011 extravaganza. All funds generated by this worthy cause have been donated by the Lions Club of Franschhoek to the Fleur de Lis old age home in the village.

Kaleidoscope of Colour in the Orchid Greenhouse

A bright, sunshiny day. Perfect weather to spend a couple of hours quietly absorbing all the loveliness on offer at Van Den Berg Garden Village outside Stellenbosch.

After having received a number of requests to walk you through the Orchid Greenhouse at the marvellous Van Den Berg Garden Village nursery we visited in my last post, I bid you 'WELCOME', as we step inside.

Van Den Berg Garden Village...A Remarkable Place!

A while ago, my trusty camera and I spent a couple of hours viewing a rather eclectic (and new to me) nursery, up close and personal.

Grab your wallets...we're going shopping in Franschhoek!

Handcrafted African-themed pottery on display in a Franschhoek Curio and Gift Shop.

It pleases me no end, knowing so many of you have been enjoying this series on Franschhoek. I thought I'd give you a change of scene this time around and show you inside one of the gift shops, in case any of you feel the impulse to buy a souvenir before we go for lunch.

Franschhoek Visit [Part 2]

A lovely farmhouse, with resident horses enjoying the bright sunshine, on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Franschhoek.

Rather frustratingly, we have been experiencing intermittent internet outages, apparently due to an upgrade by our local telecommunications provider. I have, therefore, not been able to reliably access my email account or Blogger for the past few days. My husband has just called out to let me know we are "Back online!" [for now] and so I thought I'd use the chance to quickly upload the second installment of our trip to Franschhoek.  Without further ado, therefore, please join me on a pleasant amble through the older village, with its ever so quaint, cottage-style homes and very pretty gardens! This is a sampling of the many pictures both my husband and I took. I will allow them to speak for themselves in most instances and will only offer captions here and there.

The Truth about the Evolution of Man!

 "Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree,

   Discussing things as they’re said to be."

A Fine Time in Franschhoek

Farmland on the outskirts of Franschhoek.

We recently spent two absolutely delightful days exploring Franschhoek (literal translation: the French Corner), reputed to be one of the most picturesque wine valleys in the world. We count ourselves fortunate, as it is only a stone's throw away from where we live. I am not going to elaborate any further, as time is short right now and I do so want to get this post up before bedtime, so for those of you who are interested in finding out more about this South African gem and the history of the French heritage that is still manifestly in evidence today, please go to http://www.franschhoek.org.za/about_franschhoek