Meet me at the Company Gardens

In the centre of Cape Town, between the skyscrapers of the city and the ramparts of Table Mountain, lies a magnificent park. Its origins date from the 1650s, when the seafaring Dutch decided to start a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope, a stopping point for sailing ships on their way to the Far East. Scurvy was a common disease among those early mariners and although Vitamin C had not yet been identified, a diet that included fresh fruit and vegetables was known to be helpful. So the task of the first Governor of the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck, was to establish a "Company's Garden" to grow fresh produce.

Today, we can still see the outline of some of the early, successful plantings while wandering among the roses and the towering trees against the dramatic backdrop of Table Mountain. But the Company Gardens have now become a drawcard that goes further: they are home to several important cultural and political landmarks. The Houses of Parliament and the State President's residence, Tuynhuys, are at the lower end, while the South African Museum, Art Gallery and National Library can also be found on the site, along with St George's Cathedral. History and horticulture combine while ambling along Government Avenue, a beautiful tree-lined walkway that leads through the centre and is a National Monument in itself. Whenever I visit the Gardens, I can't help reflecting that, quite aside from its original purpose, this must have been the most beautiful vegetable patch in the world...

In my novel, The Girl from Simon's Bay, Louise Ahrendts and David Horrocks meet in the Company Gardens, away from prying eyes.
He was waiting for me on a bench beneath the line of trees that flanked the main walk through the Gardens.
'Thank you', he said, glancing down at my suitcase. 'Thank you'.
I found myself flushing.
'Shall we go?'