What is it like to celebrate Christmas in the summer? For me, it was a multi-day road trip, absorbing South Africa’s rich history and wildly varying climate, then nesting for the holidays at a family farm in Augrabies, Northern Cape.
My dear friend Petra captained the tour, guiding us from one serendipitous experience to the next, until we landed at a home deserving of that Biblical ode: “a land flowing with milk and honey…”
- We bought a bucket of berries by the roadside…
- …sort of like tiny grapes: sweet, with edible seeds!
- A sweet night’s rest with the Heese family, the most hospitable of hosts
“No man knows England who only England knows,” they say, and it’s true of Zululand as well: Getting better acquainted with Afrikaans culture during our road trip opened my eyes to phrases, foods, and even cookware that the Zulus have adopted from their long-time neighbors!
- Happening to visit Blood River on the anniversary of the battle that made it famous…
- …we were tickled to find ourselves in the midst of a full-blown re-enactment!
- Petra introduced us to milk tart, one of the many pioneer innovations from the Great Trek that have wound their way into culinary tradition
- At our fashionable B&B, we partook of our own traveler’s fare: a chicken sandwich porch picnic, purchased at Spar (a revelation that this local grocery chain stocks a wider range of products elsewhere than our rural mountain area)
- Driving west through the Clarens national park, we witnessed majestic mountain ranges…
- …and sampled the best breakfast imaginable at the mountainside restaurant Sugar & Cinnamon:
- …a pear and ice cream “pancake”!
- Saturday just happened to be the day of the local flea market! After browsing the local wares and crafts…
- …we celebrated with a meat and cheese platter at the Eat More Cheese Deli…
- …then toured The Purple Onion, a general store with chocolates and candies, jams and jellies, cookbooks and cured meats! We settled for “koeksisters”: a traditional Afrikaner dessert, braided, dipped in honey, and deep-fried
We finally arrived after a few close encounters with the local wildlife: one too close!
We were admiring these colossal constructions, courtesy of common sparrows–nests like space stations, dangling from the telephone poles!–searching for one on the right side of the fence so that we could hop out and snap some evidence.
Then Petra spotted a furry friend straight out of Disney: a round-shouldered, flat-nosed warthog. “Look!”
Our eyes raked to the left of the road: “And guinea fowl!”
The next amazing critter collided with our windshield.
Another guinea fowl, it must have misjudged the angle for darting across the road. Seconds after its ill-timed intrusion, it whipped out of sight again, leaving as its calling card two feathers, trapped in the windshield wiper–and a circle of smashed glass.
Happily, Petra’s insurance company proved their mettle by arranging for a rush repair job, and no one was the worst for it–except perhaps the perpetrator.
Petra’s family in a word: “industrious.” Renate, the lady of the house, rises before the sun every morning to catch the best of the cool daylight hours.
She breaks in the day with a sprint-like stroll around the property. Judy and I dashed along in her wake, sweating out nine kilometers in less than an hour before we knew what had happened.
On the first morning, we made it back in time for a new adventure: milking the goats!
You’ve heard of ‘farm to table,’ perhaps dined at one of these illustrious establishments?
For this family, ‘farm to table’ is breakfast every morning. It’s not yet eight in the morning by the time the family convenes for a mouthwatering, open air feast.
- Homemade dairy, all from goat milk: butter, yogurt, cheddar, gouda, delectable soft cheeses…
- …and fresh honey!
- We learned sausage-making…
- cheese-making…
- and witnessed the beekeepers at work!
- Then we picked grapes from the vine…
- …for the annual raisin crop!
- In short, a heavenly spread
Judy and I rolled up our sleeves to join in on the holiday activity: sewing Christmas gift bags for the farmhands’ children!
- Judy unleashed her formidable experience as a home economics teacher to instruct me in hemming and applique
- Christmas treats courtesy of Renate
- Watermelon, musical performances, and photo shoots at the party!
Christmas in South Africa juxtaposed European-style decorations at the mall with outdoor get-togethers more reminiscent of the USA’s Fourth of July. On Christmas Eve, we dined with extended family on the porch, then exchanged goody bags wrapped in evergreen-printed paper:
Petra recommended we liven up the 25th by visiting the Augrabies waterfall and “moon rock”:
We spent the weekend before Christmas camping in the open air. It was a harrowing drive, with a faulty car battery and precipitous drop-offs, but we survived to soak away our stress in the park’s mineral pools. Then Petra’s cousins grilled homemade pork sausages and baked potatoes for late-night stargazing and prayer.
The wild adventures continued:
- Nursing a baby kudu! The family hopes the little guy will rejoin a herd when he grows out of goat milk
- Bike riding in the sand and reeds with an American expat…
- …and witnessing her rescued owlets scarf down raw chicken!
To crown our trip, the family outstripped any imagining of hospitality by shipping us back to KZN with a trailer of raisins–a two day haul! As a final reminder of our blessed visit to a land overflowing with blessings, Renate packed us one last taste of those unforgettable farm breakfasts:
Thank you, dear Kitty, for the updates and the fantastic pictures!…you are on our prayer calendar each week…go with God today and be a blessing…
Mr. Pete
Such adventures! A delightful read 😘