When the free burgher (citizen) Abraham Gabemma set off from Jan
van Riebeeck’s fledgling Cape colony one morning in 1675 to
search for new meat resources, the sight of the granite outcrop
gleaming after a rainstorm prompted him to name it
‘Peerleberg’, Pearl Mountain.
Paarl is the third oldest European Settlement in South Africa.
Today it is home to a very culturally diverse community, the
product of its unique history. The view of the surrounding
winelands from the top of either Paarl or Bretagne Rock (the two
main outcrops) is well worth the walk up.
Any visit to Paarl simply has to begin at the much-maligned Taal
Monument, the controversial memorial to the Afrikaans language.
When it was erected in 1975, critics are said to have joked that
monuments were usually erected to the dead! Nonetheless it has
become an important cultural monument for many Afrikaners, and is
one of the defining features of Paarl. See www.taalmonument.co.za for more info.
Directions:
Take the number 55 off ramp off the N1 onto Main Road, Paarl.
Take a left into Main Road. Turn left into Jan Philips Drive
(opposite the KWV headquarters). You can also get to Jan Philips
Drive directly from the Taal Monument just below the amphitheatre)
and the boom at S33 43.965 E18 56.556. Entrance fee required, but
while you are there go to at least two other caches in the area.
Turn left at S33 43.970 E18 56.289 and then drive to Christmas Camp
(Krismiskamp) at S33 44.915 E18 55.796. This camp site, along with
Oukraal were THE picnic spots for Paarlites in the good old days
(apparently since the mid 1800's).
Original Content:
- Logbook + Pencil + ReadMe
- Multi Tool
- Pen & Pencil Set
- Sony CD-R
- Beyblade Attack Spinner
- GeoCaching.com Lanyard
- Auto Scan FM Receiver
- Fred (TBHTM0)
& Lisa (TBDECC)
- a short-lived TB couple!
