We depart just before sunrise from Stellenbosch. This is the way my dad did it when I was still a young boy. Early in the morning on the road – the excitement of being awake before others, sitting in a packed car on top of spare blankets and our feet on boxes filled with biscuits and rusks for the road. I have a trailer and we are only two in the car, so there is no need for sitting with our knees next to our ears like in my younger days, but the air of excitement is still the same as then.
We do the usual route on the N1 via Paarl and Worcester and arrive at the Veldskoen farm stall outside De Doorns just in time for breakfast accompanied with some nice coffee. As we leave the parking area to join the N1 north, we observe that we are just in time before a convoy of ultra-long trucks, carrying the propellers of new wind generators destined for somewhere in the Karoo, is going to keep us busy for a very long time! This must be a sign of good fortune for this trip.
We make good time to Laingsburg where we have a break again and then on to Beaufort-West where Anette’s parents live. We will spend a couple of days here before we move on. We are staying at @Mango’s guest house which we discovered a while ago. The room has a kingsize bed, nice shower, a kitchenette and even a place for braaing outside. It is always fun to bring her parents over to us to have a braai.
The days with Ouma and Oupa go by quickly. Ouma insists on cooking and all Anette’s favourite dishes get their turn. Soon it will be Oupa’s 89th birthday.
We depart for Bloemfontein early Friday morning. The original plan was to go straight to Koppies (see my next article) but our good friend Garitha has lost her dad and the funeral will be in Bloemfontein where he was the headmaster of Grey College some years ago. So we made a quick change of plans and contacted other friends of ours to stay over with them for one night in Bloemfontein. The trip to Bloemfontein is uneventful, bar the usual coffee stop at Wimpy in Colesberg. We arrive well in time in Bloem and first go to our hosts, Chris and Hanlie Gouws, to change clothes and say hello.
I have never been to Grey College but everyone knows about them – especially if you are a rugby fan. Many Springboks have had their high school education there. The funeral service is conducted in the Reunion Hall – a very special place with walls lined with the names, pictures and rugby jerseys of their heroes. As it goes with all funerals, it is a sad affair yet celebrates a remarkable life. We are intrigued by the rituals that follow the service during which this historic school honours and says goodbye to a former headmaster.
We are slightly late for our dinner appointment with Chris and Hanlie but they are understanding. They take us to Margaritas – one of the top-rated restaurants in town. And we can attest to that! Chris and Hanlie are old student friends of Anette and there is a lot of catching up to do. After dinner we have time to chat some more at their home and we also meet their soon-to-be-married son and his fiancé.
Tomorrow we depart for Koppies for another good dose of Free State hospitality.
