Smithfield

From Lady Grey we drive to Smithfield, a small village along one of the main North-South roads. Main, but it still is a two lanes only road through a stunning landscape. Smithfield became a goal on its own because Nick and Zandre moved there recently, to take over the general store & takeaways of Nick’s uncle. With the house come two sweet boerboels, Meisiekind and Seunkie (girl child and son). Maud's not so secret wish is to add a boerboel or two to our menagerie...


It is one of the two first stores of the village with an old house attached, so renovations are in full progress. Meanwhile business continues, 7 days a week! It's one of the typically old-fashioned general stores you'll find along the road while travelling through rural South Africa. I can't catch the atmosphere in words, like I can't capture the enchantment of South Africa outside the big cities and tourist regions in words.
It is such a pity most tourists only see Kruger Park, Cape Town, the Garden Route, the wine estates, and maybe Joburg & Tshwane. That way they skip the incredible beauty and the astounding friendliness of this fascinating country and people. And they never notice Afrikaans is not just the language of a handful of white farmers. We've travelled through over half of South Africa by now, and in most regions Afrikaans or slow Dutch is far more useful than English. Afrikaans is the native language of almost 90 percent of the 'so called coloureds' for instance. Many people speak Afrikaans and one or more African language(s), but hardly any English.


Sunday afternoon Nick and Zandre free themselves for a braai with Nick's family. There is delicious skaap and chicken sausaties, salads, braai bread, and for dessert tannie Elsa's melktert and pudding. And of course Klippies & Coke. Whoever comes for dinner with us in Leiden this Dutch summer will get 'boerekos'!
Note Nick's blonde niece; she is competing in the World Championship Youth Karate! Al in one we have a fabulous mellow Sunday afternoon, the perfect preparation for the last part of this RSA-expedition.