Bloemfontein is sort of the 'Cinderella city' of South Africa. It's stuck out there on the N1 between Cape Town and Johannesburg. It has no Table Mountain, no ocean, and no big-city vibe. And no rush hour traffic, no road rage and no urban sprawl. It's just a nice little city in the middle of the country. The name, Bloemfontein, means Spring of Flowers - a rather pretty name that it does actually live up to. The city is planted with thousands of rose bushes, which makes for a fabulously colourful roadside display. A small nature reserve, strangely enough called Naval Hill, right in the middle of the city carries the green theme a bit further.
The Orchid House is a must for lovers of this beautiful plant family, of which South Africa has numerous species, and the Free State Botanical Gardens, on the outskirts of the town, is a real delight. Covering 70ha, large areas have been left in a close to natural state, showing the indigenous vegetation of the area, and creating a habitat for small game. There are lovely walks, a lawn to relax on, a dam with a bird hide, a restaurant, an environmental education centre and an indigenous plants nursery. The more formal section of the garden includes a medicinal plants display and a garden highlighting water-conserving ways of gardening.
The atmosphere that one feels in Bloemfontein is one based on an appreciation of family values, where quality of life is of prime importance. There is little stress and less haste; the peaceful atmosphere, which is somehow almost tangible, can be felt in every street, on every pavement - all of which are noticeably clean and free of litter. What keeps the past so alive is the unobtrusive and almost natural inclusion of an impressive architectural and historical heritage into the very life of a modern, developing city - here the past becomes part of the present.
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