The iconic crisp, white, delicately detailed Cape Dutch architecture of South Africa stands so beautifully against nature’s backdrop. Once I began seeing these beauties pop out from all corners of the Cape – suburban city lots and rolling wine country hills alike – I geeked out for a mini-moment and started pinning pictures of my new architectural crush.
Toward the very end of our time in the country, as a delegate attending the International Federation of Landscape Architects’ World Congress, I gladly accepted the opportunity to visit Rustenberg Wines in Stellenbosch as part of the Cultural Landscapes in Transition tour circuit, and, I’ll be honest, I was more than a little bit excited to take one or two original snapshots of Cape Dutch style to pin on my board…
For over three hundred years, various families have tended the land and taken care of the buildings and legacy of Rustenberg Estate and its incredible setting at the base of the Simonsberg Mountains. If you’re curious to know more, have a quick read of the site’s history: The Epic Stories and Wines of Rustenberg.
Anyway, that’s the gist. I won’t jabber much since this is really just a quick photo post…
And, yes, I promise, I’ll be out of South Africa soon.
Enjoy the peek at Rustenberg’s grounds and labyrinth and garden blooms – and remember these images are from the tail end of their winter!
WHAT TO KNOW:
The Rustenberg Wines estate is just lovely, and they’re happily open to visitors.
Check them out on Facebook for more details.
This post is part of our twoOregonians Tour the Cape series featuring quintessential and offbeat South African experiences, one-of-a-kind accommodations and beautiful B&Bs, respectful wildlife programs, social service projects, and landscape photography from the South African Cape. As always, all opinions, photos, and stories are our own; many thanks to our kind hosts and partners along the way. It was our pleasure to experience such genuine kindness and hospitality!
8 Comments
Gorgeous! And that shadow picture is brilliant!
Thanks! Perfect timing, right? : )
Seriously, it was such a beautiful spot…
Beautiful spot. I just attended an event where they asked everyone to write their next dream destination. I wrote India. But after checking out some of your photos maybe I’ll move South Africa up the list. Where’s the wine?
Hah. The wine. Yes, I drank it, and it was delicious, but I’m so much of a landscape architecture nerd that I was happily snapping the building and grounds and didn’t really take any fabulous drink photos… Oh well. I’ll just have to go back ; )
I hope you do bump South Africa up on the list – it’s a fascinating, gorgeous, complex land!
I love visiting wineries like this one because of the mix of great architecture, gardens, and place in nature. I haven’t been to South Africa but I can find some pretty amazing places like that to visit here in Northern California. What a fun and interesting mission you have for your tour (as mentioned at the bottom of your post)!
Jenna, I agree! Beautifully landscaped wineries in gorgeous settings make such fun destinations. I’ve visited California more times than I can count, but would you believe I’ve never been to a Californian winery? That may need to change… Leave another note if you have an particular favorites you’d recommend : )
Yep, we really loved our trip through South Africa. So many beautiful places and people and experiences and now memories… Thanks so much for leaving a note. Pleasure to meet you. P.S. I just read the guest post on your blog – http://thisismyhappiness.com/2012/09/19/oregon-coast/ – and I see that you’ve never been to Oregon! You must come up north sometime soon. We have several beautiful wineries of our own, too. I’m certain you’d enjoy your visit : )
Impressive grounds! But what about the wines? :-)
I know, I know! Like I replied to Noah above, I was mostly caught up in photographing the grounds… I ended up drinking a really lovely red and lounging around on the lawn with new landscape architecture friends I’d met on the tour. We had a wonderful time, and I didn’t bother keeping the camera out. ; )