Funny thing is, I went to a wine farm to buy coffee. Life is strange. In any case, this particular wine farm — Lourensford — offers a myriad of different shops to visit and gardens to walk in beside the normal wine tasting. In fact, most people I know visit Lourensford for things other than the wine. The wine is superb, don't think it is not, but there are so many other things to do on the wine farm. In this post, I will share with you two things: the spectacular gardens and the sculptures of Anton Smit and the coffee roastery nestled between the gardens and sculptures. Please take this virtual tour with me to the stunning Lourensford wine farm that offers more than wine!

Enroute to Lourensford Wine Estate

Lourensford Wine Estate was established in 1709 and is one of those classic wine farms in South Africa with a history as long as the existence of the country itself. That is, since the arrival of the Dutch settlers.

Some of the buildings on the property still have that "classical" settler look or Dutch style.

There are impressive trees growing on this property but also on the surrounding properties (like Erinvale golf course and the neighboring two wine farms Vergelegen and Morgenster).

The impressive gardens you need to drive past to get to the parking area is always in full bloom. The weather in South Africa is such that you get different species that bloom giving the impression that there are always flowers in the gardens.

Lourensford wine farm sits at the foot of the mountain, and the views are spectacular. The flora and fynbos are beautifully mixed with the vineyards and, as you will see later on in this post, with the sculptures of the artist Anton Smit.

Parking is not free, even though it always was. It is funny to see how things change. When we started visiting the farm in 2007, the coffee roastery was quaint and small. You could sample the coffees and the gardens were void of sculptures. Now, it has become a tourist attraction with a myriad of other shops and attractions on the premise. Therefore, they installed these parking meters:

Very fancy machines indeed!

Coffee at the Wine Farm

The first shop close to the parking area is the coffee roastery. From a humble small shop to an impressive coffee shop with many tables and a kitchen, this is a must for all coffee lovers.

You are greeted with a wall of different coffees to choose from all over the world. Single-origin and blends, they have them all!

I do not think you can order these coffees at the coffee shop anymore, that is, in the past, you could sample the coffees. Now, it is more of a standard coffee shop that works in tandem with the roastery.

Even though this is the case, the espressos they serve are really good. Accompanied with something sweet or savory, one is treated with awesome outside scenery and good "vibes".

I always fall into the trap of ordering a plain croissant. Flaky and buttery rich, I breathe in deeply to take in the fresh air and smells of nature and coffee mixed together. Surrounded by the sculptures, one can easily feel the eyes of the artworks on your skin. Or, feeling rather philosophical, one can inspect the artworks to see a kind of mirror image of ourselves in these lifeless objects and figures.

What do these sculptures tell us about ourselves?

Walking Beside Anton Smit through the Art Route at Lourensford

Art reminds us of our humanity. Art humbles us. Art is so human. The wine farm is "littered" with the work of Anton Smit, a world-renowned South African artist. Herewith is a small sample of the works you can stand next to ponder your own humanity. (Please visit his website to see some of his fantastic works throughout South Africa and other parts of the world.)

(Side note: All of the works belong to the artist. Because they are exhibited in public space, I feel that it is okay to take photographs of them and use them here. If they were inside an art gallery with the explicit sign of "No Photographs" it would have been a different situation. I am by no means claiming them as my own, but I claim the photograph as being an "artistic reproduction" filtered through my own interpretation and presented in a novel and new way. I will obviously remove the images if requested by the artist but the works are placed in the public domain/space for everyone to see and enjoy.)

Contemplating Art and Meandering through the Garden: Facing the Mirror of Our Own Humanity

Humans are funny creatures. Even though this is a travel blog, and people view this place as a tourist attraction, I take the liberty to use it as a "philosophical space" from which we can contemplate our own humanity.

The sculptures are life-size. Sometimes, like the one above, one can mistake it for someone real. What does this tell us about ourselves? Not much I guess. But we can feel the sadness in this figure. How lonely does she not look? If we get poetic, we can say she sits in a pond of her own tears.

But if we look to the side, we can find another figure, in a similar situation. Our humanity is one of shared isolation. Locked up in our minds, we forget that others suffer a similar fate.

Whilst walking through the gardens, contemplating our humanity, one is struck by the beauty of the garden. This Strelitzia might be prettier than all of the sculptures! Perfection of nature, perfection in mother earth's image.

Postscriptum, or the End of Our Journey

And so we come to the end of our journey. Without wine but pumped up with caffeine, clarity rather fogginess sets in. The magic of these sculptures is their life-like feeling even though they are not life-like. Rather contradicting. But the facial expressions are so true to life, that it feels like looking into the mirror.

This is a wonderful quick stop on your way to the wine farm or the surrounding wine farms. If you are a coffee drinker, this will be the stop for you. Various coffees to choose from to brew at home, and a stunning walk through the gardens and sculptures (or sculpture garden), you really need to visit!

All of the photographs were taken with my Nikon D300 and iPhone. Again, and obviously, none of the art is mine. I merely pointed the camera and took the photographs. I hope you enjoyed this more artistic journey to a stunning place I often visit (even though only to buy coffee and see the artwork!). South Africa has stunning views, but also talented artists. Why not mix the two. I hope you travel safely, and that you might visit South Africa sometime.