Last updated on March 21st, 2024
We have come to tiny Nieuwoudtville in search of wildflowers, but first we find a charming small town constructed almost entirely of sandstone. It’s a simple, sturdy, elegant architectural style that makes me wonder about the people who built this place. It makes me think they must have been practical and hardy, but with a desire for beauty too.
It’s a pretty little town – and it is little. Still, we aren’t sure how to find the Hantam National Botanical Garden, which is what drew me here in the first place. I’m not even sure where to look for it, so, not knowing what to do (if there is a tourist office as the signs promise, we can’t find it), we head toward our lodging for the night.
Along the way we find the gardens.
I expected we’d find it, but it is already late in the afternoon and I’m not sure how long it will take us to get to the cottage where we will be staying. . . actually, I’m not really sure how far that is from town either, since my plan had been to come in from the other direction. It seems like a good idea to first go there and then decide whether or not to head back to the botanical garden (which is really more of a wildflower preserve, like Antelope Valley in California).
Besides, there are quite a lot of flowers all along the road!
It seems a bit like overkill to go to a botanical garden to see them.
Next post: Settling in at the De Hoop Cottage