The eastern Free State is one of my favourite destinations in South Africa. I love the backdrop of the Maluti Mountains and the shimmer of silver birch in the distance.
In Autumn the poplars turn a glorious gold, but I’d never visited in winter until recently. I was prepared for it to be freezing. Residents of Rosendal boasted of temperatures of -12° the night before I arrived. Fortunately the weather was taking an upward spike, although it was well below zero the first few nights of my visit. I was also worried that the landscape would be so dry and dusty that I wouldn’t find anything to take photos of, but I shouldn’t have, a destination so lovely. It was still gorgeous despite the dryness and an added bonus of the crisp weather was insanely blue skies.
