Stellenbosch

Yesterday we took a trip to Stellenbosch.

We didn't realise that it was the start of the Woordfees, a week-long celebration of literature, theatre, art and music. Everybody and their neighbour and all their cousins were in Stellenbosch for the festivities. The traffic was unbelievable with several roads being blocked off.
We started exploring at Oom Samie se Winkel.

I was not allowed to take photos inside but I wish I could show you the variety of things crammed into that little shop, from every day articles of yesteryear like suspender belts and old shoes, to dried fish, homemade preserves and a flat leather hand  attached to a stick called "Will'ie Luister."
After a quick bite, we made our way to the Village Museum.
A car guard, called Bongani, noticed us ride around the block several times looking for parking. He recognised my brother-in-law's Eastern Cape registration and, being from the Eastern Cape himself, allowed us to park in the company parking across the road.

The museum consists of four houses built between 1709 and 1850. We were welcomed to each by a hostess dressed in clothes of that era. The first was Schreuderhuis (1709)

The floor was made of cow dung mixed with clay.  Strings of onions, herbs and salted fish hang from the rafters.

Next we visited Blettermanhuis (1789).

The third house is Grosvenor House (1803)
It is furnished in the Victorian style with rich red/maroon wallpaper. It has one of only two hand coloured portraits of Queen Victoria in the world. However, I was more interested in the old cameras.

House number four is O.M.Berghuis which originally had a thatch roof and gables but was altered in the nineteenth century and reflects the style of a typical Stellenbosch dwelling of the period 1840 - 1870.
 By this time it was getting late and we wanted to avoid the crazy Cape Town rush hour from 3pm. We did leave it too late, however, and my brother-in-law spent the next three hours in traffic.
Nevertheless it was  lovely day outing and we will remember Stellenbosch but try not to visit again during Woordfees.