At 10h45 on 24 September 2025, a group of 15 members and friends, with two younger children, met at the foyer of the Taalmonument against the Paarl Mountain, to meet our friendly guide. After a brief introduction on the history of Afrikaans, celebrating the first century of recognition as an official language of the country, as well as some background on the architect, Jan van Wijk, the inspiration for the design, the building process and materials. The group was led up the steps where the significance of the structures and elements were explained. During this relaxed walkabout, attendees could browse around and take photographs. The group was also let to the garden and green space surrounding the monument and the huge, impressive rocks in the environment which complement the structure of the monument.
After the walkabout, most of the attendees went for coffee at Knus, a lovely place with outside and inside seating and a playground for the children.
It was a morning well spent with some networking and engagement with members and friends on top of the valuable information gathered during the guided walk.
