The sweet promise of Summer

There is the distinct promise of a great summer in the air and now that the wind that has been taunting us all week has subsided, I can honestly say that Stellenbosch is looking fantastic! One of our Dutch guests this week couldn't stop talking about the sparkle of life, the brilliance of the various shades of green in the trees and the amazing clarity and crispness of the air around Stellenbosch! Even the Japanese Maple Tree in our courtyard that had stubbornly refused to participate in any spring excitement has made a fashionably late entrance to Spring and racing into full bloom at lightening speed.

Yes - Stellenbosch is looking amazing! And just in time too - we invited the Stellenbosch Tourism Office staff and board members to a launch cocktail party this week and got the inside scoop that the Google Street View car was making a trip out to Stellenbosch yesterday to update some of the images of our beautiful village!  We're keeping our fingers crossed that the vehicle made it up Dorp Street and got some great footage of the Guest House - not least because we have also installed a really impressive set of lights to light up the building and the surrounding trees at night.

So - if you don'y believe me that the Eikestad and its surrounds is looking fantastic - you'll have to come and see for yourself! And no one should make a trip to Stellenbosch at the moment without popping into the Botanical Garden. The garden is definitely one of central Stellenbosch's little gems that most people forget about, and yet it is a natural haven of tranquility and inspiration right in the historical town centre! Small (at only 1.8 hectares), the garden is meticulously, yet lovingly, maintained and tended and has three glass houses (tropical-, succulent- and karoo houses - each one packed full of treasures), a lotus lily / koi fish pond, a japanese garden, a herb garden and arboretum. And the gardens are not just enjoyable for budding Keith Kirstens - the Katjiepiering coffee shop (which serves a selection of home-made cakes) is the perfect location for s first date, and the garden is full of quiet, beautiful nooks and crannies perfect for a romantic picnic and nap in the afternoon sun! (http://www0.sun.ac.za/botaniesetuin/index_eng.php?skakel=tuin.)

So bring on the summer - we are so ready!