Bleary-eyed and still half-asleep, Natalie and I dragged ourselves out of the house at 6:30am on Saturday morning. We joined a group of other volunteers on an outing to Hermanus, a seaside town about a 90-minute drive south of Cape Town. The scenery on the drive down was enough to rouse our slumped forms and encourage us to peer out the window - waves crashing along the coastline, the mountains lit up by the sunrise and mist rolling off the top of the Table Mountain Range (known as "the Tablecloth"). We also enjoyed a steep ascent that allowed us views over Cape Town as we left it behind.
Once at Hermanus, we promptly acquired food and wine and then staked out a picnic/whale-watching spot on the cliffs.
Josie
View over the sea (no whales in this shot!)
From our vantage point we were able to view the Southern Right Whales that Hermanus is famous for; indeed, the purpose of our journey was to attend the Hermanus Whale Festival, an enviro-festival to welcome the whales to Hermanus and showcase local food, crafts and entertainment.
After ooh-ing and aah-ing for three solid hours over the whales, we wandered through many of the stalls and exhibits at the festival.
We had to get a photo with this guy (or rather, with his hair)
Despite the gloomy weather, there was an atmosphere of warmth to the whole place, probably created by various acts like these guys:
Make sure you watch the video with the volume on!
Sunday
The clouds had not disappeared by Sunday, but Natalie and I decided to head out nonetheless. We set aside the morning and walked to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (located one suburb over, and about a 50-minute walk). The walk into the Garden was amazing in itself. Our route took us through Wynberg Park, and I felt like I had landed in the Beverley Hills of Cape Town. Picture mansions at the top of long driveways, high walls and a surplus of luxury European cars...we even spotted the Norwegian Consulate (I imagine the area is largely populated by rich ex-pats).
Once at Kirstenbosch, we refuelled with waffles and ice cream and then hit a few of the trails.
Ah, breakfast of champions!
The Gardens span 36 hectares, so we didn't manage to cover all of it, but we got a decent chunk in the few hours that we were there. We hiked up a fair way and got a great view over the city - and the sun even came out for a while!
"The most beautiful garden in Africa"
My writing will not do the beauty of the Gardens justice, so I have posted a few photos below:
The Conservatory of desert plants
Guinea Fowl in the gardens
At the mouth of the "Skeleton Gorge" trail
Natalie
Kirstenbosch is peppered with vibrant flowerbeds
After five hours of solid walking, we decided to call it a day. Particularly because it was Natalie's last night at Latifa's house - and we had decided to make dinner. This should have been a simple task, but was complicated by the fact that it was a Sunday (and Cape Town could give Perth a run for our title of "Sunday-Ghost-Town"). The local Woolworths was closed, so we gathered what ingredients we could at the corner store and then bused back up to Claremont to purchase such "luxury" items as balsamic vinegar and hazelnuts.
Cooking that evening was almost as good as being back home again and in the kitchen with my younger sister. We listened to French musicals and the Lion King soundtrack (also in French!) whilst I made dinner (garlic bread, salad and pasta) and Natalie prepared an apple tart for dessert.
Homemade garlic bread, garden salad, tagliatelle & napoletana sauce
Natalie's apple tart - c'est magnifique!
Alas, after our delicious meal, we discovered that all our walking had amounted to nothing!
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