The Franschhoek Wine Tram

Kieron outside the Franschhoek Museum

Wine tasting area at Holden Manz

Grapes

Farm drive way

Tram

Vineyards

Tracker Tram

Slave Bell

The farm house at Rickety Bridge

The Rickety Bridge river

The Entrance to Rickety Bridge

Tram home

22/3/2014

Yesterday, which happened to be the 22 March 2014 Kieron, his dad, Kirsty, Henry and I drove to Franschhoek for the day. We decided to go on the wine tram so we could go to the wine farms for some wine tasting. Since some members of our party where late we decided to take the blue route and leave at 13:00 pm. We would only do a few farms but this was ok with us. So Kieron and I decided to take his dad to the museum while we waited. This museum has always been my favourite since one of my ancestors was a French Huguenot who came out from France in 1688 and for some odd reason I have been quite proud of this.

Then after looking around the museum we headed off for lunch and we decided to try out this cafe which was very nice and not priced over the top which is amazing for Franschhoek.

Franschhoek is mostly a major tourist attraction now so that is why some of the prices at restaurants and shops are so expensive.

Then at 12:50 we got onto this tram. It has been creating like the old trams expect this time there is not rails across the road so they have just put wheels on it. There is a stage where we went on an actually railway but that is to be told later when I get there.

We had a choice between three wine farms because it was an afternoon time and there wasn’t going to be much time for all the farms.

So our first stop was La Bri but we didn’t get out we decided rather go to Holden Manz instead which was very interesting. Though I only drank a little wine since I can’t drink a lot. As we sat waiting for the tram to come back Kieron decided to take loads of photos.

We then decided to go to Rickety Bridge which was near the end of the tour. It is named Rickety Bridge for the bridge which one had to cross to get to the farm. This bridge was really rickety at the time before they built the new bridge only in 1996.

Ron decided that sitting around wine tasting and eating cheeses wasn’t good enough so he took my camera and went off on a photography mission. Only when it was time to go then we had to go off looking for him, which believe you me it took a while even with his dad and me trying to phone him.

Once we had found him, we then jumped on the tracker/tram ride back to the station, caught the actually tram back to town and then got put on a last tram and drove back to town.

I think we mostly enjoyed the tram ride more than the actual wine itself. Watching old houses and vineyards flash past one. It is one of the most of beautiful parts of the world. By just enjoying each other’s company since we don’t get together very often.

We decided to skip the last wine farm and go home so afterwards we got back in the car and drove home. We then had to go and buy ingredients for dinner so we went shopping. So we decided to braai burgers for supper, Ron’s style.

So here is too the next adventure!

15/3/2014

Kirstenbosch has so many trails going off in all directions one can certainly get lost. So the other day I was trying really hard to research information for this when I came across something interesting, a Heritage Trail. This trail seemed to give people a piece of history from the beginning until now, 1700s – 2014. This garden has historical value and an interesting past.

It was reopened on Heritage Day in 2013 and this trail seems to only go along the old section of the garden. It gives one a self guided tour and explains the history of the gardens and shows old photographs. I find this way a much more fun way to learn about something. It also shows one how the landscapes have changed back when the garden was first created and what it is today.

For me I haven’t been on this new and exciting trail yet so I decided to find out where this trail begins and it seems one can start at any point where there is a sign called Heritage Trail and it is a circle route for only 2 km long.

I find that it would be an excellent why to expand ones knowledge of the area and learn about the history.

So this morning Kieron and I decided to go to Kirstenbosch and actually walk the Heritage Trail and see what it in tales.

There are many entrances to the trail itself, but its best to start from the beginning. The start is from opposite the Magic Tree (or what the Magic Tree was) and next to the Useful Plants Garden.

This walk is actually very easy and it’s just the usually steepness up to the next path or lawn.

The trail leads itself to Pelargonium Koppie and from there is amazing view of the garden and the structure of the Treetop Canopy Tour. So at each stop there is a sign the history of the section written on it. Then it’s along to the Colonel Christopher Bird’s bath and the history behind the bath itself.

How Bird bought the southern part of Kirstenbosch and built the bath as a form of a water source to the house in 1811. The bath was built in a “Bird” shape.

The next spot was the Cycad Amphitheatre, where some of the oldest Cycad’s are planted. Some have been around for centuries and some are quite rare.

Pearson’s Grave is another stop. Pearson was a Professor at UCT as well as a caretaker who decided a need for Botany at UCT and Cape Town and also

Kirstenbosch Heritage Trail

Treetop Tour

A Heritage path

Table Mountain

Walking the Heritage Trail

Water bubbling

Bird’s Bath

Treetop Tour

Pearson’s Grave

Cycad Amphitheatre

Mountain

Mountain

Amphitheatre

Beginning of Treetop Tours

a needed link to the university.

The next stop was Matthew’s Rockery who was another caretaker from 1913 – 1936. His rockery was built in 1920’s of local sandstone.

He was also the first horticulturists to encourage use of indigenous plants.

The last bits of the trail goes past the only remaining section of Van Riebeeck’s Hedge, which was planted in 1660.

Down another path through the Concert Area, pass through the main restaurant, up through the Peninsula Gardens. Then last but not least through the Marquee Lawn (where the old tea room used to be). Then back to where we began.

The Heritage Trail is an amazing, interesting, beautiful walk. It’s like going back through the past and also through nature, which also helped reconstruct the gardens we know today.