I overheard a conversation once where someone was talking on the phone to one of his mates and he said
He asks "Have you been to Gouda" and the person answers "yes" he asks "Did you go to the Hotel?"
His friend says "No" he says " Well then my friend you weren't in Gouda, because the Gouda Hotel is Gouda"
My name is Maureen Van Der Walt, and we are in Gouda.
People always ask how do you spell this Gouda
because it's Gouda (with a gutral G) not Gouda ( with a guh)
So when I explain the spelling I say "think on Gouda, cheese"
Gouda only has one street that is tarred, and that's the Main Street, and this is where everything happens.
There's the Hotel with its bottle store, the butchery, and the garage, and two or three small corner shops, but this is Gouda.
So basically that is all there is, but it is situated in a good location.
It's near on, it's just an hours drive from Cape Town, and it sits on a route that someone once commented on
"I don't go anywhere unless I can pass through Gouda"
Gouda got its name ..
There were Aunts from Holland, that were in South Africa who came to Gouda, there's a Gouda in Holland, and they named the place Gouda here as well.
Then there's a second story that I've heard, that Gouda means "Buck" , an antelope. An antelope in the KhoiSan language is a "gouda" . They call it a buck.
And that's where the word "gouda" comes from. It was there gouda, the buck in their language, the KhoiSan.
So these are the two stories, which one is the true story, I don't know. I know there is a Gouda in Holland and I know it has to do with old Aunty's that came here on holiday
but that's about all I know about where the name comes from.
The hotel was built in 1875
From what I understand it was to do with all the auctioneers that arrived by train, it's a Station Hotel.
So the auctioneers arrived and then went to the auction kraals
Gouda is still well know for its auctions, every week there is an auction
It was known as the best Station Hotels for years
So basically this is why Gouda is here, it is to do with the auctions
And all the farmers, and the Fathers and Grandfathers came here after the auction
They would come and sit in the bar to end their day
and the children played outside as in those days they were not allowed into the bar, so they played in the streets..
and they say sometimes they were so tired and hungry, the sun had dropped, and then they'd have to come and knock softly on the door and ask
Dad, Grandpa, Dad can we please go home for a change. So they come here now and they are big, old men and they will tell me
do you know how I would have to play up and down this street while Dad and Grandpa sat in this bar
and told loads of lies and stories, so everyone has their own story. This is where you find them, in this bar.
As someone who also loves the music industry and is a singer songwriter
this place makes me think of David Kramer and the Royal Hotel
It's got the same feeling, you come from the Cities and you arrive in the Country
If you want to know anything, no matter what, whoever wants to know something they call the hotel and ask
Who is there, I almost want to say you're the local information centre as well, you must know everything
but the warmth you can't remove from countrylife and these hotels atmosphere
is all you'll want to know. You'll want to make it part of your life, you'll want to drive, relax and experience it, because this is history