Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the
\nKirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them. It is
\nsituated on the mountainside near Constantia and covers
\nmany hectares of land. When you enter these gardens it is
\nlike entering paradise. The hustle and bustle of traffic
\nand the city fade away and you find yourself in this most
\nbeautiful of places.<\/p>\n
For those who don't know this garden, it is the home
\nto many of the indigenous plants found in and around Cape
\nTown and South Africa. There is always a show of colour as
\nthousands of plants in the garden flower in their seasons.
\nAt the moment there are proteas and many purple flowers in
\nbloom. The lovely king protea being the main flower on show
\nat the moment.<\/p>\n
The gardens are laid out in beds with large grass lawns
\nin between them. There are many large oak and yellow wood
\ntrees that provide shade and there are paths set out
\namongst the beds so that visitors are able to see what is
\nin them. One area is especially set out for the visually
\nhandicapped. Plants with strong scents grow in this area.
\nAll visitors have to do is reach out and touch the plant to
\nsmell the lovely aromas given off by the plants. This is
\none of my favourite areas as I grew up amongst many of the
\nplants and know their smells intimately. Signage in this
\narea is also in Braille for blind visitors.<\/p>\n
At the top of the garden on the highest part of the
\nmountain slope are the cycads (Bread trees). The trees date
\nback to the dinosaurs. The fruit looks like a large
\npineapple. The trees are protected as they take many years
\nto mature. They are normally found in the Eastern Cape
\nwhere they grow naturally. Unfortunately as they are scarce
\nand popular a black market has developed. The authorities
\nhave had to take measures to stop the trade in them.<\/p>\n
Lower down the slopes you will find a bath that is known
\nas Lady Anne's bath. The story goes that she used to
\ncome for a swim in it but unfortunately the story is
\nuntrue. The bath was in fact built by a Colonel Bird after
\nLady Anne had left the Cape. It is in the shape of a bird
\nand was used to filter water for his farmhouse that was
\nfound lower down the slope. The water in this pool is very
\nclear, as none of the natural tannins of the surrounding
\nplants have entered the water. The water comes straight out
\nof the earth and does not run along the ground before
\nentering the pool. When we visited the gardens it was a
\nveritable league of nations. Sitting having a meal in the
\nrestaurant at tables on either side of us, we had people
\nfrom San Francisco, Colorado and Australia. There were also
\nGermans, Italians and Chinese and Dutch people walking
\nthrough the gardens.<\/p>\n
On the lawns between the beds there are a number of
\nAfrican sculptures which visitors found very interesting.
\nThey were sculpted from rock in the shapes of African
\nladies in various poses. The number of visitors posing next
\nto them for photographs was very interesting. To spend a
\nday relaxing in the garden is a must. The visitors I saw
\nwere just running in and having a quick glance and leaving
\nagain. This is a complete NO NO. To really enjoy this
\ntourist attraction and the fantastic feeling of peace and
\ntranquillity, one has to spend a good number of hours just
\nsavouring it. The restaurant can provide picnic baskets for
\nvisitors who are then able to find a spot to sit down and
\nenjoy lunch and take in the views. There are a number of
\nbirds in the garden, which are quite cheeky. The guinea
\nfowl will follow you around hoping for a handout if it sees
\nyou with a basket. In the larger trees are a number of
\nsquirrels and near the centre of the garden is a pond with
\na number of ducks on it.<\/p>\n
This garden is not only a garden but a natural theatre
\nas well. On summer evenings they have symphony concerts on
\nthe lawns and thousands of people arrive for them.
\nIt’s like a big family, most of whom pack a picnic
\nbasket and come and have sundowners while listening to the
\nmusic. You can miss other venues and tourist attractions in
\nCape Town but not this one. Visit this one on your free day
\nand spend the day.<\/p>\n
A note from Geoff, the author of this article: a quick Cape Town has many beautiful places to visit and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of them. It is situated on the mountainside near Constantia and covers many hectares of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"css_class_manager_body_classes":"","css_class_manager_use_in_post_loop":false},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-1142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","category-main-article","tag-may-2003"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nand easy way to discover Cape Town is to read Turtle Essays
\nEzine. To subscribe just send a blank e-mail to TurtleEssays-subscribe@turtlesa.com<\/a>
\nor visit my site at http:\/\/www.turtlesa.com<\/a> and
\nread the essays and articles on line.<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"