Spring Flowers 2011 near Darling South Africa
The magnificent carpets of Spring Flowers 2011 that have exploded along the West Coast of South Africa are the best cure to “…restore one’s faith in all that is good” a friend, who had just returned from spending a weekend within the colorful splendour of this annual miracle, wrote to me yesterday, knowing that I would spend the day going up to the West Coast National Park via Darling.
It’s indeed a ‘cure’ we all need… one’s heart just opens wide and it’s like breathing again and getting over and beyond whatever undigestable if not unacceptable issues life might have been throwing at us over the past hectic months leading up to the 5th Night according to the Mayan Calendar, culminating in “Destruction” . Interesting isn’t it… as now we just started the 6th Day headed by “Flowering”.
Makes you think, doesn’t it…
Spring Flowers 2011 near Darling South Africa
It was the perfect day to visit the Spring Flowers 2011 near Darling South Africa – not a weekend… meaning less traffic… and the first beautiful sunshine day after quite a dark, rainy and stormy week including icecold winds at gale force causing heavy swells with waves up to 9 metres high… not really the time to go out! Besides,the so-called “Namaqua Daisies” and veld flowers don’t even bother to open without bright sunshine smiling at them!
Our trip up North took us past Malmesbury where we cut through to Darling. This romantic little village, where time seemed to have slowed down a few paces, a favourite hiding place for many Cape Townians looking for a gentler lifestyle, was a bouquet in itself. Flowers everywhere…
When stopping to ask for some directions to the Darling Renosterveld Reserve, the first person didn’t know as from the UK but said it was just to the left, then behind the school and into a gate that said “No Entrance”.
The second didn’t know as from New Zealand but said all we needed to do is walk and look everywhere…
The third, a vibrant elderly lady, just looked at me with a puzzled smile: “What do you mean where the flowers are? They are all over! Don’t ask me… I live here!”
Well, all that we had investigated already when touring Darling, but then we just decided to carry on towards Yzerfontain and the West Coast National Park. Then, after just a few kilometers, we saw the massive carpets stretching towards the left. I think it was the Tienie Versfeld Reserve along the R315.
We just stopped on the side of the road and started walking into the veld… The views were breathtaking – just as well when looking at the distant horizon as when observing what was right next to our feet when walking on the narrow veldweg, partially completed with woodden pole pathways across wet areas.
Whites, yellows, blues, pinks, oranges stretching as far as the eyes could reach – breathtaking… And hardly anyone around – and if then often on their knees, digital camera in hand to eternalize what cannot be expressed in any words nor photographs – it needs being there, seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, feeling and stretching one’s soul . . .
We put it off for so many years… don’t do that. Give yourself the gift of touching the essence of Life in all its beauty!
West Coast National Park South Africa
More in my next post on the spectacular West Coast National Park South Africa….
PS: All photos were taken on the fly with my NIKON Coolpix P90, cropped to size 800×600, without further post-editing.
