From Winter to Summer - overnight!

We travelled back to Cape Town a couple of weeks ago and the outside temperature rose 30 degrees.  Many people would find that uncomfortable, but I loved it - I think I must be a summer person!

Here are a few new places visited, since arriving:

Hillsong Church, Cape Town, has recently moved into this building, which used to be a former night club.  Some changes needed to be made, but in many ways it is an ideal and interesting building to hold church. It is in a prominent position near a huge shopping mall, business centre and amusement park, called Century City.

 The whole area has been redeveloped from marsh land, with canals now part of the infrastructure. The building style is 'over the top' fake mediterranean facards, with lots of pillared walkways, spired domes and ornate plasterwork.

 However, the many walkways and bridges provide residents, shoppers and visitors with some pleasant surprises. At the farthest end is an Environmental Educational Centre, where individuals and school groups can learn about how the area was reclaimed and is now part of the Cape Town water recycling system.  

 Intaka Island has several large pools, through which water flows and is filtrated and aerated, before rejoining the main waterway again.  It is a popular spot for bird watchers.  On the day I visited we didn't have time to enter the Island, which occupies as much land as the developed area.

 Curiously, also near Intaka Island are these two old steam locomotives, one from Zimbabwe. I love coming across hidden gems like this, which most people who just visit the shopping mall would never see.

Another day I visited Groot Constantia (groot is the afrikaans word for 'big'), the oldest wine farm
in Cape Town, and largely protected from the winds by Table Mountain.  However, the day I visited it was very windy!

                                        
                                             
The grapes are almost ripe and will be harvested soon for the 2011 vintage.

                                        
On display in the old restaurant were these small bottles and wooden packing cases, which are replicas of the original bottles sent overseas in 18th Century. 

 The original manor house, coach house and outbuildings are traditional Dutch Cape style with period furniture throughout, enabling visitors to the wine farm, to also learn about the lifestyle of the first settlers to this part of Africa.

Groot Constantia is also famous for the number of old oak trees which line the avenues and paths. 

 Some are so old and decayed that three people can hide inside!

 Everywhere we walked we were crunching acorns beneath our feet.  I thought it was unusual to have so many acorns still littering the ground in summer.  Perhaps the squirrels in South Africa don't have to bury their hoard for winter?

 Another interesting feature was a huge bath built into the slopes around 200 years ago.  We wondered how they had filled it and surmised that they channelled rain water flowing off the mountain. We then found lots of channels which have now been redirected to irigate the vineyards and gardens.

Constantia is a great place to visit as there's so much to see, without even winetasting!