Viva La Franschhoek

We stayed in and explored graceful little Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands this weekend. “Franschhoek” is Afrikaans for “French corner” and refers to the historic settlement of French Huguenots who fled Roman Catholic persecution in Europe in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  Not so oddly enough by the way there is no Catholic Church in Franschhoek. There is a Roman Catholic Mass held once a month in the Methodist Church and last Sunday was not the day. So we had to go all the way to Paarl to fulfill our weekly duty on Sunday morning! I guess old grievances die hard. 

But quite honestly I admit it was not a great time for my people. Martin Luther had just nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenburg Church door protesting the Catholic Church thereby starting the Protestant Reformation wave through Germany, France, Switzerland, Britain, Holland and Scandinavia. John Calvin, a Frenchman, led the charge in Geneva and thus began the great religious wars in Europe. We visited the Huguenot Museum and Monument in town which gave the period’s history in great detail. There was even a copy of the three historic documents which provided the backbone for the turmoil in France. 

In 1598 the Edict of Nantes issued by Le Vert Galant King Henri IV proclaimed tolerance for the Protestant religions thereby "ending" the Wars of Religion in France. Louis IV’s Edict of Fountainebleau reversed or revoked Henri’s truly Christian vision in 1685 and then finally the 1787 Edict of Versailles issued by Louis XVI reinstated religious tolerance in France. But by that time, the damage had been done. Thousands of Protestants had fled France for other more tolerant parts of Europe, for the further flung shores of America and South Africa, or remained in France where they had been slaughtered. 

Franschhoek is a testament to the spirit of the French Huguenot. It is a beautiful little town with graceful architectural gems, provincial hospitality and fabulous food! Like Charleston, South Carolina, another originally French Huguenot settlement, Franschhoek’s building style takes a type of local architecture and gives it a French flair. In the case of Charleston, it is the American Colonial and Southern Gothic architectures. In the case of Franschhoek, it is the Dutch Cape Vernacular. So charming! 

We stopped in at a lovely antique store called The Old Corkscrew which had a wall of unique and mostly antique corkscrews which we happen to collect. Vince tends towards the unique mechanical variations. I tend towards the cute!

doxie corkscrew

Vince fell in love with a champagne corkscrew which includes a spigot which can be closed to retain the pressure inside the bottle after corking.

I chose a doxie corkscrew in honor of Lou & Serge!

The afternoon weather forecast called for clouds and rain so instead of our original plan to drive to the De Hoop Nature Reserve on the coast for some hiking, we instead were able to snag a lunch reservation at La Petite Ferme. Aah, the advantages of winter travel! We couldn’t touch a reservation there in the summer without serious advance planning.

La Petite Ferme is a winery and a guest house as well as a renowned restaurant and we had a bottle of their delicious Merlot with lunch. One of the finest restaurants in the Cape region, it is the recipient of numerous awards from Wine magazines, newspapers such as the UK Guardian and travel lifestyle magazines such as Conde Nast. 

I literally could not decide which dessert I preferred out of the many offerings so I had three! A guava infused malva pudding, an Amarula and chocolate mousse and a banana and meringue sandwich.  And I'd do it again!

 

Afterwards we walked off lunch touring the splendid 1685 Boschendal estate nearby. A beautiful example of Cape Vernacular architecture, Boschendal’s Manor House provided a majestic and fairly intact 18^th century interior.  

The sun came in and out all day with some soft drizzle followed by some magnificent arcs-en-ciel. I didn't mind the drizzle because I had not seen rain in Joburg since January! The humidity felt great.

It was a magical day!