SOUTH AFRICA - THE BRIGHT AND THE BEAUTIFUL

On my recent trip back home, I photographed everything in sight.  I wanted to capture the colors, the smells, the delicious taste of the food, the feel of the soul of Africa.  Here are a few random pics around and about Cape Town - to me, the most spectacular area in the world.

One of the many stunning bunches of flowers with local protea and vynbos

A few local kiddies sheltering from some drizzling rain, outside the Hout Bay market

Umthombo Wesizwe - a multicultural program that my niece went through - aimed at the youth of South Africa age 11-15 to "develop an identity that will enable them to evolve as responsible citizens and ethical leaders, within a multicultural society".  

Coffee bar at the Hout Bay market.  I "needed" this old red metal jug with a bunch of locally picked pincushion proteas.

A box decorated as a "building block" by one of the kids at Umthombo Wesizwe.  They symbolically added their "brick" to the wall as they received their graduation certificate.  

Food stands at the Hout Bay market - serving the most delicious meals - I wanted one of everything

In the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Strelitzia and purple Plectranthus

A small multicolor Pincushion Protea - not sure of the species but amazing how it changed color as it progressed from a bud to a full open flower.

A wall of "building block" boxes decorated by the graduation kids of Umthombo Wesizwe - describing their dreams and hope for South Africa.

A spectacular sea of Pincushion Proteas

A sheet decorated by the kids of Umthombo Wesizwe, their footprints left behind.........

A blaze of color in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town

On a steep street corner of Bo-Kaap, a suburb of Cape Town, sits Haas - the most outrageously interesting and eclectic mix of goodies to buy in this decorating/coffee shop.  How are these cushions!!!

Bo-Kaap, also known as the Malay Quarter on the slopes of Table Mountain, above the city of Cape Town.  With cobbled streets and multi-colored houses, this is a very interesting area of the city to visit.

Private open gardens in Franschhoek, outside Cape Town - this one of an artist with interesting rusty collections of pot lids, spades, barbed wire and garden tools.

A courtyard area of Haas, a coffee shop/decorating store in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town.  They have an incredible collection of chairs and couches, old furniture, including a few velvet couches out on the pavement, to lounge around on, sip coffee and indulge in one of their yummy meals.

More colors of Bo-Kaap

Roses competing for pinkness against a wall in Bo-Kaap.

A multi-colored locust munching on the Clivia seed pods in my sister's garden

Vygies, ice flowers, or also known as Mesembryanthemums - desert blooms

Champagne, rose and white wine area of the bar at The Grand Cafe and Beach Bar in Cape Town

Purple columbines

Pink Alstromeria against a backdrop of yellow Nasturtiums

I couldn't imagine painting my house this color, but in the Bo-Kaap, it works - adds to the spicy aroma of the locally cooked malay curries.

Inside the ladies loo at The Grand Cafe and Beach Bar

Glorious pelagoniums (geraniums some say)

More garden art hanging in a private garden in Cape Town - lids of tin cans and a bit of beadwork - interesting

I loved this old red General Electric fridge standing inside Twist, a lovely restaurant out in the Cape winelands, with a simple bunch of pincushions, daisies and leek flowers.

THE MOST DELICIOUS DESERT EVER - a white chocolate and lemon tart - served at the glass house conservatory at Babylonstoren in Franschhoek, Cape Town

A breathtaking view along the roadside, driving from Cape Town to Camps Bay, looking down over the four beaches of Clifton - white sands and cold aqua water.

A delectable display inside the deli of Babylonstoren in Franschhoek of pickles, preserves and cordials.

My absolute favorite flower ever - I have many, but the Protea is the national flower of my homeland, huge, exotic and complex but breathtakingly beautiful.  Taken here for sale outside a farm shop at one of the many wine farms we visited.

The exotically amazing and over decorated but divine Cape to Cairo restaurant, overlooking the little fishing harbor of Kalk Bay outside Cape Town.

An old wooden rowboat bobbing peacefully in Simonstown.

Breakfast in the Cape Winelands at Twist some More - country restaurant, Wellington, South Africa

Twist some More, a wonderful cozy country restaurant, on a farm, nestled in a barn and sprawling out onto a patio with views of the surrounding hills and mountains.  In winter time, a crackling fire indoors beckons you to sip local wines at the bar in the barn, in summertime, stretch out under the oak trees and soak up the view.  With a blackboard menu, selections change regularly depending on freshly available local produce.  I recently visited with my mom and sister for a delicious breakfast in a gorgeous setting.

Enter the barn through large corrugated red and wine striped barn doors to the country restaurant

Sitting out under the old oak trees, gorgeous views over the valley, delicious breakfasts

Outdoor dining

Views from the paved patio - out over the fields to the mountains which add a spectacular backdrop

Inside the barn

Blackboards provide the delicious food of the day

Centerpieces on every table are simple and elegant, chives, poppyseed heads, asparagus, roses, onion blooms, artichokes

Lovely old wooden farm tables and mismatched chairs, rustic shelving with books and magazines, things you would find in an old farmhouse, make for a cozy welcome into this homelike setting.  And then there is the amazing home-cooked food.

Bottles of jams and pickles, cheeses, home baked goods are also for sale in a small deli area

My sister walking through the bar in the barn

I love the decorative cut log wall and huge fireplace in the background

Just like being at home with old antiques and cottage furniture, I love the scabiosa flower arrangement in the bright pottery vase

The bar in the barn serving local wines from the surrounding area.  Wellington is an area with award winning wines and an array of locally produced vegetables and fruits, sitting in the middle of lush farmlands

Some local pride.........

Amazing arrangements everywhere, this one with freshly picked artichokes, onion flowers

Sitting atop a bright red old General Electric fridge, a vase of fairy daisies, yellow indigenous pincushion proteas and a few onion flowers make a spectacular statement