South Africans love the sun and the outdoors. Every weekend you will find many of us getting into our cars and head out to the country. You might not know where you will end up, as you do not always plan. The only plan you have is to explore.
Travelman and I will pack a cool box and leave. The cool box came to fruition as we once ended up a long way from home, starving and no restaurants or shops open to buy food or drink. Not to be recommended. You end up eating the sweeties from the bottom of you handbag…you know the ones that you saved from your last few restaurant visits..Yea
On this Sunday we ended up in Philadelphia. This is a small town in the Western Cape, close to Malmesbury, developed from a parish of the Dutch Reformed Church established in 1863. The name means “brotherly love”.
We came into town driving through wheat and cattle farms. This in itself was a beautiful experience. Waves of wheat as far as the eye can see dotted with cattle of all shapes and sizes. Don’t rush. Take a leisurely drive and enjoy the sights.
Now Philadelphia is a true one horse town, but a beautiful horse. It is tiny with only a few houses, a primary school, police station, post office, a few local shops and we found a few eateries. The main road is beautiful with quaint houses like “Die Blikhuisie”.
Die Blikhuisie is typical of the area the town was established in and made of corrugated tin sheets. These houses all had a lovely “stoep” so the owners can sit and have coffee and chat to all who wander past. If you have the time you are invited to join the coffee experience. Sadly this no longer happens as folk no longer make time to relax and chat to fellow humans. I just love the “broekie lace” framing the stoep. Not the traditional ones from that era, but still beautiful.
“Helena se Hoekwinkel” and The General Store are the local shops that sells those items that you forgot to buy during your weekly shopping in Malmesbury or Durbanville.
The photo above is of the main road that end in lush, green wheat fields. Helena se Hoekwinkel is at the bottom of this road. To the right you will find the restaurants. We had coffee at The Deli Shed. They make a decent coffee and sells homemade items and freshly baked bread. Their Moorish Mix is a mixture of sundried tomatoes, olives and feta cheese in an olive oil vinaigrette and is absolutely divine. Another popular restaurant is Pepper Tree Art Stable.
Then you have De Malle Meul. This is a restaurant built in the old mill and very popular. It is recommended that you book your spot for Sunday buffet lunch. They are open Thursday – Saturday 10:00 – 16:00 & Sundays from 12:00.
Go to their website and see what they offer ( https://demallemeul.co.za)
Do browse through Magic Mineral. A very interesting shop that sells anything from stones and minerals to fortune cookies. Note the succulents for sale in front of the shop.
We started collecting photos of old churches as we travel and Philadelphia has a beautiful church. This was the 68th Dutch Reformed church built in South Africa. The building started in 1858 and the congregation was established in 1863.
My grandfather was a policeman and stationed in this small town from 1934 to 1941. My mother was born in 1935 and arrested and jailed at the age of 5 for a minor misdemeanor by said policeman. She was release after a few minutes and a promise to eat her vegetables. No record could be found of this arrest.
The Philadelphians are very friendly and make you feel welcome in their town. Well worth a visit. From Philadelphia you can take a drive to Kalbaskraal (a town with a railway line running through it) , then on to Malmesbury, Wellington and Paarl.
On to the next adventure.
Hedonistic travels 