smelling like lavender
we become a poem
that everyone can smell
our fingers become
edible memories
that slowly fade...
The Cape region in South Africa has turned into an ocean of flowers. It does not matter where you drive, wild mustards, wood sorrel, arum lilies, and Cape daisies colour everything into a palette of bursting colour.
Everything is a series of flowers that would love to put itself in your way, from neon yellows to blinding white flowers, with purple centres.
Recently, we visited a wine farm that also has a lavender field on it. Or, it is a lavender farm with some grape vines growing on it! Either way, we picked a bunch of lavender, enjoyed the views, and drank some wine in the early summer Stellenbosch weather. So please join me on this virtual journey, as I take you on a tour through the Canettevallei farm at the foot of the Stellenbosch mountains!
Before exploring a bit on the farm, here is a short video of us walking through the lavender!
The Setting
As you drive to the farm, you are always confronted with the most beautiful Stellenbosch mountains in the background. I will never get used to this view.
But the farm itself, nestled next to a small dam, is just as beautiful. With old oak trees growing over the farmhouse/tasting room, you will be able to enjoy a quiet afternoon sipping on some wine just like we did.
On the other side of the little pond or dam, we saw some goats/sheep that wandered through the vineyards. I think a lot of the vineyards rely on these animals to keep the weeds away! But sometimes they also eat the fruit... But we also saw some buffalo that just quietly roamed on two different properties.
The Farm House
The farmhouse was a small building with loads of beautiful features, like the shop (see more below), the tasting room, and some old-looking features, reminiscent of bygone eras.
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These are the flowers that the owners probably grew for themselves, as they were behind a gate that we could not access. But they were still a feast for the eyes, as they just illustrate the beauty of the cape region at this moment!
On to the MAIN EVENT: Picking Some Lavender
The main even of the afternoon was picking the lavender. I never knew about the lavender farm until @urban.scout told me about it. But for a couple of months, I worked on one of the neighbouring farms! So, everyday I drove past this hidden gem without knowing it.
We were given a pair of scissors and some elastic bands, and then we were sent into the fields where we could pick up to 100 or 200 individual flowers. In the afternoon sun, it was good fun with @urban.scout, but we also made a new friend...
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While in the fields, busily picking lavender, a small doggy settled in with us. Apparently, their name was Dingo, even though I started calling it Basil or a host of other herb names. I was a bit intoxicated by the lavender fumes!
Either way, it was seriously cute as he or she followed us all the way through the fields. It was on the hunt for something. We thought it was for mice or something along those lines, but in the end, we saw it attacking the bees! Maybe little Basil or Dingo wanted to protect the lavender fields!
But as we went through the fields, picking out bunches of flowers, we realised that we had seriously different techniques. @urban.scout wanted to make a perfect little bouquet with the tops of the flowers aligning, and I myself aligned the flowers on the bottom!
What an interesting turn of events, as these small things in life make it interesting.
In thinking about these different arrangement strategies, we somehow lost Dingo... Oh well.
More Lavender Fields
The fields are stunning, with various wild flowers growing between them. The most common is the Cape Daisy, a seriously beautiful yellow wildflower. They are growing wild alongside most of the roads now, and people drive from far away to visit these flowers. Once a year, in end of spring beginning of summer, these flowers allow us to see their beauty.
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The ocean of flowers looks stunning, especially with the blue background of the sky. The fumes were seriously intoxicating, and we wanted to stay out in the sun for hours, but we obviously could not, and had to return... for some wine!
Tasting Some Local Wines
Stellenbosch is famous for its wines. There are so many wineries, and this one is unique like all of them. Focussing mostly on exporting their wines, this was the first time that I saw and drank their wines.
After a long time in the fields, the cold white and heavy red were spectacular and refreshing, and it made me poetic!
The interior of the tasting room was minimalist and beautiful. It was comforting after the long sunny afternoon in the fields.
A Quaint Little Lavender Shop
We finished our trip at the little quaint shop next to the tasting room. The lighting was perfect for some photography, and I took the opportunity to take these photographs while @urban.scout bought some gifts. These moments are those that one cherishes as a photographer, the moments that most people walk past.
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The shop sold various things made from lavender, from soaps to honey, and to tea. We bought some gifts for friends and family, all while smelling like lavender and taking in the smell of the shop.
We enjoyed these last moments of sensory overload, from smell, to touch, to vision.
Postscriptum, and so another sun sets over the Stellenbosch mountains
We are so blessed to live in this region. I can think of so many other places where I would not have wanted to live. But here I find myself at the foot of a beautiful mountain, surrounded by countless vineyards.
For now, I will smell my finger tips that reek of lavender.
I hope that you enjoyed this virtual adventure with me!
Happy travels, and keep safe.
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by the smell of all of the lavender. The photographs are also my own (including the video) taken with my Nikon D300 or iPhone.