Western Cape?s unexpected jewel ? Paarl

Posted by maryparker on March 11th, 2013

The picturesque town of Paarl is an unexpected Jewel, situated only 40 minutes outside the great Cape Town. Paarl offers a historical culture and charm, rich with architectural heritage, breath taking views and some of the best wine routes.

Paarl is a multi-cultured town, with the people of Paarl being the offspring of the Khoisan, African and Eastern slaves, French, Dutch, Italian prisoners, Xhosa migrants and Jewish immigrants.Paarl initially belonged to the KhoiKhoi and San people. The magnificent San rock art can still be seen at tourist attractions such asWemmershoek and Bainskloof.

Paarl Mountain was known as the Tortoise Mountain by the KhoiKhoi and is where the Afrikaans Language Monument was built back in 1975. The monument acknowledges the influence of a variety of languages that had an impact on the development of the language we know today as Afrikaans.  The Monument is a big tourist attraction in the Paarl area, and is alsoknown for its exotic gardens and Volksmond Coffee Shop.

The monument is said to be the ideal venue for hosting events such as weddings, film shoots, commercial shoots and even the regular Sunday pick-nick lunches.Paarl Rock also has a place in the interesting history of Paarl. One of several ship cannons, which wereused to signal the arrival of ships in the Table Harbour, is still there for tourists to view. It is said that on a good clear day one can see the famous Table Mountain.

Main Street Paarl is now a collection of restored Cape Dutch and Victorian buildings,the 11km long street was once the wagon route people took to the north. Strooidak Church, the oldest Dutch Reformed Church, the Paarl Museum and the U-shaped Dutch house based in the Main Street are places that need to be seen when visiting this historic town.

In our modern day living, a town like Paarl offers guests a magnificent country side, tranquil guest houses, camping and back packing and various accommodation options. The Paarl wine route offers the wine lover a unique opportunity to explore the Cape Winelands. Ranging from local wine producers to the international wine companies, Paarl produces a range of quality wines too.

Paarl is a very interesting town,with activities that are sure to entertain everyone, some of the things to do while in Paarl would be to experience a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards, take a Carriage Ride around Rhebokskloof Estate, Play or watch Polo at Val de Vie or Red Hot Glass which isone of the very few Venetian-style glass blowing studio's in South Africa.

Paarl also has two outstanding golfing facilities, which are close to the Paarl valley and Boshenmeer.

As a premier tourist attraction, Paarl proves to be a very interesting town and does not disappoint the visitor looking for a relaxed break.

Paarl has a lot to offer and is conveniently situated close to the surrounding towns such as Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Wellington, Tulbagh, andWorcester. Itis also close to Somerset West, Strand and Gordons Bay.

Most people go on the same vacation each and every year and this is because some countries enjoy a greater popularity and are promoted more than others. South Africa is one of the countries that you should consider for your next vacation and its towns, including Paarl and Wellington are truly unique.

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maryparker

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maryparker
Joined: November 17th, 2011
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