On our last morning in McGregor we woke up to an entirely different scene…
Gone were the golden hues we enjoyed on our walk into town the previous morning, replaced by a mist so thick you could barely see more than 5m down the road. The air was so thick, cold and damp that you could almost taste it!
Not to be deterred, my son decided to run into town anyway… the freedom of a safe small town is something all kids need to enjoy occassionally and he relished the idea that we would let him have a head start and allow him to head off into town all on his own.
Our first stop was breakfast at Temenos. We joined the two other families on the back patio overlooking their gorgeous gardens…. but not before we’d warmed up next the fire! Fortunately there were blankets on each chair and delicious food to warm us up…
After breakfast we were invited to enjoy a tour of the Temenos Retreat gardens – usually a quiet, private sanctuary for those looking to escape the noise of life and a great place to find peace & solitude. We made sure to give the kids strict instructions to keep their natural noisy selves in check – and they did try – for about 5 seconds! The excitement of discovering little garden paths, secret statues and interesting places of worship was too much for most of them.
Temenos Sanctuary proved a great place to introduce my kids to the concept of different religions and they were especially interested in the meditation room. As a Christian family it can be easy to focus on our truth, but I think it is important to tell kids about what other’s believe and invite their questions – whether I am able to answer them or not is another story!
And of course a big hit was the maze… usually a quiet, contemplative walk that someone takes while pondering a deep and meaningful question they need an answer to, the kids thought of it as a great playground and raced wildly around the path to it’s center and back again!
After all the running around it was time for something a bit more sedate and we walked down the road to discover an unexpected venue in the village…
Wahnfried house was built as a private home with various Zanzibar inspired decor aspects such as the gorgeous wooden doors.
In recent years it has been converted into a venue suitable for music concerts, movie screenings and various other communiy focused entertainment events such as dance classes. To find out what upcoming events are on offer drop the owners, Michael and Freddie, an email or phone them on 072 601 1616.
Read more about our weekend in McGregor here:
Bonnievale
Meandering in McGregor
More to McGregor
Or come back next week to read my posts about Eseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary and Van Loveren Wine Estate.
Images: Kathryn Rossiter
Disclosure: 1 – McGregor Accommodation courtesy of McGregor Country Getaways