| The Southern suburbs of Cape Town are made up of | | | | artifacts. The whole house is a reflection of her |
| formerly 'whites-only' neighbourhoods and are | | | | fascination with the exotic. |
| bordered by the east side of Table Mountain, the | | | | Rondebosch: Kipling was Here |
| Cape Flats, and False Bay. This area has most of the | | | | South of Rosebank is Rondebosch, home of the |
| suburban attractions of Cape Town, as well as the | | | | University of Cape Town. The university's 19th century |
| best shopping and cinemas. In the summer, it's a good | | | | buildings are stately and garlanded in greenery. Of |
| place to escape the city heat and you can visit the | | | | interest to students of literature and history is a small |
| Tokai Forest, which offers shelter not only from the | | | | house called Woolsack that is on the campus grounds. |
| summer sun, but also from the gusting southeaster | | | | Built in 1900, this cottage was, for several years, the |
| winds. | | | | winter retreat of renowned British writer Rudyard |
| Bohemian Hub | | | | Kipling. He allegedly wrote his famous poem "If" here. |
| The oldest of the suburbs is Woodstock, which still has | | | | Rondebosch is also the site of an iconic Cape Town |
| some fine old Victorian buildings and the suburb called | | | | landmark, the Rhodes Memorial. This replica of a Doric |
| Observatory is considered to be the city's bohemian | | | | Greek temple honours South African statesman Cecil |
| hub. Because of its proximity to the University of Cape | | | | John Rhodes. It was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, |
| Town, it has a large student population. Its narrow | | | | and was unveiled in 1912. From the Rhodes Monument, |
| Victorian streets are lined with the residences of | | | | visitors have a sweeping view of the southern suburbs |
| young professionals, artists, and hippie-culture hold-outs | | | | of Cape Town. The oak and pine woods around it are |
| and there are some great cafes and bars here, along | | | | home to a few fallow deer and refreshments are |
| with antiques emporiums. Here, too, is the Groote | | | | available at a pleasant tea garden. |
| Schuur Hospital, where the world's first heart transplant | | | | Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens |
| was performed in 1967. | | | | Five kilometers south of Rondebosch are the |
| Irma Stern: Pioneer Artist | | | | Kirstenbosch National Gardens. After the V&A |
| The Irma Stern Museum on Cecil Road in Rosebank | | | | Waterfront and the cable car ride up Table Mountain, |
| was the home of one of South Africa's pioneering | | | | this is the most popular tourist attraction in the city. |
| artists for 38 years until her death in 1966. Stern is | | | | Created by Cecil Rhodes in 1895, it is the oldest and |
| remembered for bringing modern European ideas to | | | | largest botanical garden in South Africa and in 2004 it |
| art in South Africa. She used expressionist distortion in | | | | was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There |
| her intensely sensuous paintings, and is considered by | | | | are over 22,000 indigenous plants, as well as a |
| South African art historians to be a giant of her | | | | research unit and a library. The gardens are truly |
| generation. Her former home is now one of the best | | | | magnificent; in the summer, open air concerts are held |
| art museums in Cape Town. It is worth visiting not only | | | | every Sunday evening creating a perfect opportunity |
| for its collection of Stern's work, but also for her own | | | | for a picnic. |
| collection of Iberian, African, Oriental and ancient | | | | |