Wine fields along the mountains, Stellenbosch

After a funtastic day up and down table mountain I moved on to Stellenbosch on Sunday.
It is the oldest settlement in South Africa and historic buildings have been carefully restored to reflect on pioneer times.

Historic church, Stellenbosch

What surprised me most, was the fact of the oak trees. I haven’t seen any oak trees in South Africa on my travels so far.

Oak tree alley along streets in Stellenbosch

I don’t think they are a native species, but some impressive timber are lined throughout Stellenbosch.

City centre in Stellenbosch

Being a famous and plentiful wine region, my guess is that they were planted in early days to use the wood for wine barrels. I am not an expert, but I do know that oak is a preferred wood to use for barrels.

Historic buildings in Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch is also a University’s Metropole, there’s lots of young folk around.
I went out for a couple of beers with the friendly Malawi born backpackers manager. Even on a Tuesday night, pubs bars and restaurant are busy, quite a happening trendy town.

Misty morning over Stellenbosch and it’s wine fields