{My Joburg} Emmarentia Dam

I spoke about our "mission" over here to have a picnic in as many parks as we could.

Today I am showing you the beauty of Emmarentia Dam in the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens.

View from the ground

Dating back to 1866 when the area was owned by a single family - the dam was built by some farmers after the South African war.
He named the dam after his wife - Emmarentia.

There are 7 various gardens here; The Herb Garden, the Hedge Garden, the Succulent Garden, the Shakespeare Garden, the Rose Garden, the Chapel Garden and the Arboretum (a collection composed exclusively of trees)

 

Beauty in Nature

Tiago and I were supporting Tharien after her 1st big Mountain Race. We set up camp and took some photos, ate delicious picnic food - all while Tharien was cycling her butt off.

When she joined us, we toasted to her success with a glass of bubbly and some Tiramisu dessert.

Relaxing under the tree

The Blossoms were in full bloom and despite 3 different weddings taking place on the day, we found our spot to be fairly private.

 

Full Bloom

I highly recommend spending a lazy summer afternoon under the shade of the trees and enjoying the beauty of the gardens.

The rose bushes (of which there are said to be 4500) are said to be spectacular, so we will of course be returning to view them for ourselves.

Do you have any favourite picnic spots?