Betwixt the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle and daily modern life, Irene farm offers an escape that is only around the corner.

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Their slogan reads: "Farm within the city". You can hear in the distance the cars driving and people going about their daily lives. Almost a stone's throw away, Irene farm offers its visitors sightings of wildlife and domesticated animals. While you sip on your overpriced milkshake, the chickens run between your feet, and on the fences, you can see the monkeys eyeing your drink. Just around the corner, you can hear the cows getting ready to be milked.

The farm, deli, and restaurant offer something for everyone, but most of all, it showcases how on a little property one can actually do so much. But suffering a similar fate like most other places, the dairy products are not their main attraction on the menu, besides the milkshakes of course!

That said, the place is a hidden gem, open to the public to visit or merely to sit next to the pond watching the ducks being ducks. Obviously @urban.scout sought out the baby cows and she immediately started to pet them. I eyed the beer they brewed on sight I presume, but alas, I drove so I could not drink anything.

But please join me as I take you on our journey in virtual format! It is for sure a beautiful place and I want to share it with you.

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The Setting

Situated in the city, one is treated to the most beautiful scenery. I would never have guessed we were in the city if someone merely dropped me at the farm. But the city is just around the corner. The old trees stand majestically and they used some of the old tractors as decoration.

In the distance, if you know the area, you know where the city is. But due to the trees, you cannot see it. But just behind the trees and the cows, in the photograph below, the busy city life continues:

It really soothes the soul and one can get "grounded" by standing bare feet in the grass listening to the animals and smelling them.

The Animals: Wild and Domesticated

I heard the children yelling, but not from fear but excitement. A monkey ran mere meters away from us. A whole family of monkeys gathered on the fence, eating whatever they managed to steal. They are extremely naughty, as most people in South Africa know. It was such a magical moment, juxtaposed with the domesticated animals.

Away from these naughty fellas, you can for a moment sit and watch the ducks being ducks. I even managed to see some of them fight!

Whilst you sit at the restaurant and slurp on your milkshake, the small chickens run between your feet looking for any morsel that fell to the ground.

But the main attraction is the cows. It is after all a cow farm. @urban.scout first thing to the baby cows. They are kept separately from the rest (farmers will tell me why because I do not know).

Just around the corner, the teen cows are kept. They are just as naughty as the monkeys, full of energy, and they still want to be pet, sticking their heads through the fence!

And then, if you are lucky enough, you can see the cows being milked. There are so many of them. Check the video below to see how many there are.

Drinking Milkshakes

Our main reason for the visit was their so-called "Milkshake Tasting". My girlfriend wanted to do it so badly and we got the opportunity to visit. But she was so disappointed with them. Overpriced and so small, they definitely catered to those people who just pay without noticing the amount. We thought that they would have been a bit bigger, but alas. They were pretty nonetheless.

I think this one was just chocolate sauce with a bar of KitKat chocolate.

And this one was fresh berries.

These are some of them you can order. They are not totally the same as the ones in the tasting, but somewhat similar.

Even with some disappointment, @urban.scout still enjoyed it!

The Deli

On the inside of the deli, there is this beautiful cart. I can imagine a couple of years ago this cart moving and selling fresh products on the side of the road. But I am not sure if this was ever used. It could have merely been a decorative piece.

Inside, there are some memorabilia of the years gone by. Think to yourself a world in which milk cost a couple of cents and you could buy a whole chicken for less than a dollar. One can never romanticize the past, but things like this make it seem like a totally different world!

We found these cute little milk holder cups for sale. Some of the milkshake condiments came in them as well.

Even though the menu did not totally showcase that it was a milk farm, their deli surely did this! Various milks, yogurts, cheeses, and so on!

Postscriptum, or Ending Off on a Sweet Note

And so our journey ended. @urban.scout got her fix of cuddling and petting the baby cows and we saw some beautiful animals, wild and domesticated. The setting and the place were just so beautiful. You really feel like you are on a farm even though the concrete jungle is just outside.

I hope you enjoyed the virtual journey with me to the farm in the middle of the city. Happy traveling and stay well.

All of the photographs (and video) are my own, taken with either my Nikon D300 or iPhone. The writings and musings are also my own. I was not paid anything to say any of the above. They are merely my subjective opinions.