Downtown Stellenbosch

With perfect weather and a quiet Sunday to myself, I took a walk (and this time remembered my camera!) through downtown Stellenbosch, the more historical and touristy side. It was really nice to have some time to look at the old buildings and window shop. Also, during the trip, I walked through the univeristy's botanical garden which was really nice.

 Along Dorp street, this is the Theology department for the university. Definitely one of my favorite buildings so far, it's so grand and pretty. The gardens around it are also quite nice.

I'm not sure if this is the oldest building in Stellenbosch, but it has to be one of them. The date on the roof, although you can't see in this photo is 1779. I believe it's the rector's house and is attached to the main church in town. It's a good example of the Cape Dutch architecture with the white and green with the peaked front.

Walking down Kerk (Church) Street, this is also a good example of traditional homes in the Cape. The historical green and white colour and the wide front porch, plus the tin roof make it perfect. Driving through small towns in the Western Cape, you see lots of houses that look like this. Oh and the bricks in front are because they are repairing the sidewalks all over town!

And finally, a shot down Kerk street to show just how "Africa" Stellenbosch is. As you can see, not very much. Up ahead, the next cafe on the right at the corner of Kerk and Andriga streets is Java, my favourite cafe of the moment. Andriga street runs right up into the heart of the university and it also has several amazing restaurants and shops. But after my walk in the Botanical Gardens plus the heart of the sun, a stop at Java was exactly what I needed!