After a recent name change, the town of Graaff-Reinet is now Robert Sobukwe Town. We stopped in the not so busy streets, only to find out that there about 4 or 5 incredible coffee shops almost everyone in the same street.

It was a long drive, and we were a bit too early for our book in time. So, what else to do in the small town of Robert Sobukwe Town than to drink copious amounts of coffee and look at art?

Every town in South Africa has something going for it. Some have wine, some beer, some art. But Robert Sobukwe Town has coffee! The old town is almost transformed into just one big coffee shop. I am overdramatizing it a bit, but it was really a great experience to see so many unique coffee shops close to each other.

So, come along and join me on this virtual journal of a small town in South Africa with some spectacular views.

Coffee Shop Number One

We sat down and ordered a coffee. The staff was friendly. The dry Summer Weather in the Karoo was coming down onto us. It was a good day for something cold, but obviously I grabbed a double espresso. My partner grabbed the perfect drink: Iced Coffee.

The coffeeshop almost felt out of place. It was modern within an old town and in an old building. I guess that is the new style, buying older buildings to only then add a new touchup. It worked, in many respects. But, as I will soon find out, the whole town was like this. Where you felt that it was old and in the middle of nowhere, I now felt at home in a strange oasis in the middle of the Karoo.

Coffee Shop Number Two

We sat for a while, but we could not make time go faster. So, we went to the second coffee shop, now looking for some food as well.

The coffee shop looked over the street. All of the older buildings were lined up, and we were sitting in one of them. There was loud music playing, younger people were crowding, buying most of the freshly baked pastries.

I grabbed another coffee, we picked up some of the last pastries, and we enjoyed the old building turned into something new.

The old house, with the hardwood floors looked beautiful in the harsh midday sun.

We enjoyed this stop as well. But I could already feel my body buzzing with the coffee.

Coffee Shop Number Three

As we were about to arrive at our stay for the night, my partner saw another coffee shop, but this one with a roaster. She wanted to buy her family some coffee, so we had to stop. It was almost closing time for them, but we managed to get in another coffee! We had to taste what we were about to buy...

Again the old house with the new interior... You see the trend.

The coffee was great, some of the best I had in awhile. The small shop was dedicated to the grandmother in the town baking biscuits and making her own coffee, or so I gathered.

Art Gallery

After booking in, and shaking a bit from all of the excess coffee, we went to the town's gallery. It was in the middle of town, and while there were quite a lot of people going about, we were the only ones in the gallery. It is such a shame that art is not what it used to be in our country.

We were like to lost souls walking through the gallery rooms. The sounds of the outside world were shut off, and we were alone in our thoughts.

The Church at the Centre of Town

I guess South Africa is not much different from the rest of Europe - colonialism and apartheid often replicated and mimicked the architecture and city planning of Europe. So, the church stood in the middle of the town, with all the roads basically leading to this building. It was a beautiful church, and even though Christianity in South Africa is seeing a decline like in the rest of the world, the building is looking like it is maintained. That is saying something...

Fine Dining in the Karoo

After the day of coffee and sightseeing, we were hungry and in need of some food. We stopped at what looked like a fine dining place, and were we in for a delight...

The place had great reviews, a small menu, and some great beers on tap. Sp we sat in for the evening, enjoying some of the local cuisine, and enjoying the breath of fresh air we could now take.

We were in the land of wild animals and karoo lamb. So we had to take some of both. We ordered a lamb burger and springbok carpaccio. I obviously had to have a beer, but my partner got herself some of the local rum three ways! Was that not some of the best tasting rum we had in awhile? Obviously, I loved the neat version...

Postscriptum

And that was the trip. Done and dusted! This was our third stop on our road trip and it was a stunning one. From the initial stress about so far away from home, we now could sense the adventure brewing in our bodies.

Either way, I hope you have a stunning journey through life.

For now, happy travels.

All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by that karoo lamb burger. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.

From Pretoria to Stellenbosch

📍First Stop: Bloemfontein
📍Second Stop: Brewpub in Bloemfontein
📍Third Stop: Gariep Dam