Road Trip days 13 . Graaf Rienet

 Cubby managed the steep incline very well. We nearly had to change down from 2nd gear to 1st but we got to the top of the hill just in time.
Graaf Rienet is a charming Colonial town . It was established in 1786 and was named after the first governor general of the Cape, Jacob van der Graaff and his wife, Cornelia Rijnet. As usual there is a church in the middle - but what a church! apparently it is modeled after Salisbury Cathedral.

The Congregation was established in 1792.

Inside is just as beautiful with stained glass windows and beautiful wood.

We went to a nursery, The Bue Magnolia, for breakfast and I indulged my craving for a scone with jam and cream.

Then it was explore time. We parked Cubby in a quiet street and went further on foot. There are a number of museums and historical houses. We bought a combo ticker for 4 and Started with Rienet House. This was once the parsonage of Andrew Murray. He was called from Scotland to be the minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. First he went to the Netherlands to learn to speak Dutch. I suppose today we would regard him as a missionary. He married a young girl of 16 from Cape Town who he had met two years before while attending Synod. They had 16 children of whom 11 survived. All the boys became minister and the girls married ministers. they lived in the house for 40 years.

Outside was a water wheel that could be activated with a R2 coin.  I think it started a pump which caused a stream of water to flow over the vanes.

Dolls house made of porcupine quills

Stove made in Norway

Typical 4 poster bed.

There was so much to see and so much to read! I liked the story of a wax doll that was given to a little girl. Her mother warned her not to leave the doll outside or it would melt. The little girl forgot and left it outside and it melted. She cried so much that her mother flet so sorry for her that she bought her another one. This time she looked after it so well it was donated to the museum on her death.

I even found registration certificates for two Graaf Rienet Girl Guide Companies.

We only got to do the one museum but decided to spend two nights and see the others the next day. Even the town itself is so pretty.

We had decided to stay at the Nature Reserve which we had identified on our way in. However, when we went to sign in we found out that it would cost twice as much as our budgeted amount including the conservancy fees. They told us about another caravan park in town and although we had been advised by our motor-home club members not to stay in the park in town, we did. It is your typical municipal park - used to be good but now fallen into disrepair.  Construction workers stayed in the cottages and trucks and cars were constantly coming and going although there was only one other caravan. In the bathrooms there were broken showers, cracked and stained baths, broken electrical plugs, constantly drizzling taps and even a door that looked like it had had a fist through it at some stage. On the plus side, there was hot water. We decided not to set up camp but just have our braai, go to bed and head out in the morning.  We could still continue our site seeing and then make for Somerset East in the afternoon.