autumn escape

whilst northern europe is busy being reborn again, as every spring, the emergence of autumn dominates here in the south. last weekend we decided to escape civilisation and head to the mountains in search of peace and tranquility. christine, naomi, justin and I stayed at this beautiful little house/cabin/"chalet" two hours north of stellenbosch - a place called berghoff.

the europeans brought tons of pine trees (or hopefully the seeds) to south africa when they decided to come here and liberate the continent from all sorts of things. the trees were brought both to feel at home (at least I like to think so), but also to protect the fruit farms from the strong winds from the atlantic ocean (you know, everything thats european is more efficient and useful). unfortunately, the pine trees have "spread like the plague" and because these european trees need enormous amounts of water, it creates problems for the survival of the local flora, fynbos.

pine trees, cones and a white person in a bergans jacket
- who would think this picture was taken in southern africa?
blame colonialism?

baboon viewpoint (can you spot them?)

is that also a baboon enjoying the view? :)

strolling through the protea farms

the beauty of a protea

quietness...
...only the sound of gravel under your shoes...

hyttekos!
cold evenings... nice fireplace...
good food... wine... discussions...

magical moon light on the lake
(yes, where is my tripod?)

berghoff - beware - the gangstas will be back!