Sunday in Franschoek

On Sunday I spent a wonderful day with a family from my host Rotary club. This family is French-speaking from Mauritius and thought I would enjoy a relaxing day in a French-influenced town in the Western Cape called Franschoek. Not only did I enjoy a lovely meal and beautiful scenery, I was also informed of the historical background of the area from the amazing family who has taken me under their wing for the day.

Our first stop was at a wine farm, the whole room smelled like wine!

The name of Franschoek is Dutch for "French corner." In the 1650's this town was a refuge for the French Hueguenot settlers in the Dutch Cape Colony.

French Hueguenot monument in Franschoek

When we arrived in town we ate at a restaurant called French Connection. I ordered the local river fish of Kingklip, a meaty white fish, and it was delicious. Then we went to a chocolate store to get some deserts and I bought gooseberry jam and fig jam for my toast at home.


One of the first things I noticed on the drive to the town were the buildings on the wine and fruit farms. They were all white with dark green around the windows and on the doors. The Mervens informed me that the green paint was the only color that was sent to them from Holland years ago so now, it has historically stayed the same. They also pointed out the thatched roofs. The gables over the front door were designed for fire safety. With thatched roofs that could easily catch on fire, they had to design the house so that they could grab their belongings and get out quickly with out the flaming roof falling over the front door.

We stopped at a winery called Boschendal and I was able to see these Dutch homes up close.

This is the "National Monument" sign posted on alot of the Dutch homes to preserve them.
In Stellenbosch this sign is seen on many buildings that have not been physically changed
but have been turned into bookstores or restaurants, for example.

The Mervens also pointed out that there were many of little homes for the farm workers to live with their family. Many of them are still occupied, and some are kept very well whereas others need some maintenance.

On the way home we stopped at Hillcrest berry farm and had  very traditional coffee and scones (which are like biscuits). The view of the mountains and fall trees was breathtaking  and our warm, fresh scones came out with all different kinds of home made jams from their farm.  The picture at the top of this blog post was taken on Hillcrest.


After driving through Stellenbosch and getting a quick tour of this also historical town we drove home. The sun was beginning to set on the mountains and the trees have all begun to change colors for Fall. The Mervens clearly took in the atmosphere as much as I did and have not ceased to appreciate their surroundings in South Africa. This day has taught me more about South Africa than I had yet known. One of the most remarkable things I find about South Africa is its diversity and historical influences. I realize this diversity is for good reason, people from all over the world shared a desire to inhabit this beautiful land. I am a student abroad currently experiencing the same mindset as people who settled here hundreds of years ago.  Each day I drive a few minutes here or a few hours there, I feel like I am arriving in a new country because the architecture changes, the people change, the language spoken and written around me changes, and I learn something new through the history that has shaped and continues to shape the area.