Traveller SPRING 2022

in Africa!” I say and point at the
line of selfie-takers at the plaque
that reads: “You are now at the
southernmost tip of the continent
of Africa.” When I look over at Sam,
I witness the southernmost eye roll
in Africa, so I decide to retire the
routine.
HYMNS FOR THE AGES
We too take pictures at the plaque
and of the lighthouse before
heading back inland. Our next
destination is Greyton, 150 km
north. The R319 leads us back to
Bredasdorp before the R316 takes
us through Napier and onwards to
Caledon. From here it's a beautiful
half-hour drive to Greyton.
The town is not unknown to us.
In fact, you probably live under a
rock if you haven’t heard of this
popular rural retreat, especially
favoured by city folk from Cape
Town. We arrive late in the
afternoon and the curio shops and
art galleries are closed, but the
restaurants are overflowing onto
the sidewalks with patrons. We
join in and soon I understand the
appeal of the place: It’s vibey yet
relaxed; it’s secluded yet intimate,
and even though the population is
small, Greyton feels familial. If only
property prices were in my range,
I might consider moving here in
the future.
The next morning, we head for
Genadendal, about 5 km outside
of Greyton.
Its name means “Valley of
Grace”, and the village traces
its origin back to 1738 when the
German missionary Georg Schmidt
established a mission station here
on behalf of the Moravian Church.
For seven years, Schmidt built up a
community here, largely made up
of Khoi people, and his following
grew. When the Cape Dutch
Reformed Church found out he was
baptising followers (he was not an
ordained minister and therefore
not qualified) Schmidt was forced
to return to Europe.
For fifty years Genadendal stood
abandoned until new missionaries
arrived and revived the mission.
The settlement grew once again,
eventually becoming one of the
largest settlements in the Cape.
In its heyday, Genadendal had its
own library, school, forge, watermill
and plenty of vegetable gardens.
It’s Sunday morning, and the
church service is in full swing
when we arrive. The parking lot
is clogged with vehicles, the most
I’ve seen outside of a church in
many years.
I do the math and realise this
building, dating back to 1796, has
been a place of worship for 226
years. “There is something sublime
about that,” I say to Sam as we
go for a walk around the church
square to look at some of the
old buildings.
The church service is still going
when we get back. A preacher's
voice loudly spills out of the
windows followed by familiar
hymns, a period of silent prayer,
and more hymns. The same sounds
for more than two centuries. I smile
at this thought as we head back
to Cape Town, because a very old
place was suddenly new to me. And
that’s exactly what a good road trip
should feel like.
>
[In Struisbaai] families are swimming at the beach next to
the harbour, there are queues in front of the ice cream shop and
anglers try their luck from the rockier parts of the coastline.
27
credits here
WINTER 2020 | AA reisiger