From Oudtshoorn to Hermanus - with a detour to the 'Midwest'

Yesterday we left Oudtshoorn towards Hermanus around 10:00 a.m. Our host Gert recommended a longer route through the mountainous landscape and mentioned places we should pass through.

Our first stop was just 500 meters behind our chalet ;-) There were countless ostriches in the pasture. We got out and approached them. They were very curious and came close to the phone with their heads when I took pictures of them. However, we noticed that they looked quite plucked!

The journey continued through the Karoo. At the beginning, I was totally impressed by the landscape and the mountains. It was simply beautiful to see farms on both sides. I said to Daniela, isn't this a super beautiful landscape! After about 1.5 hours of driving, there were only mountains and dry semi-deserts. This lasted for another 1.5 hours. Now I didn't want to see the mountains anymore and I said to Daniela, wow, I find this really annoying now! Daniela replied, how - I thought you liked the mountains! Well, no, that was too boring for me. Then suddenly the navigation system said, turn right after two km, and we thought, what could possibly be there after two km on the right. We drove through the umpteenth pass and there was actually a town behind the mountain. Finally, there is still some life in this area!

Unfortunately, the cafes and some restaurants in the small town were closed, so we entered our next stop into the navigation system. After about an hour's drive, we reached the next town 'Swellendam'. It was already bigger and we drove into the town and wondered where all the people were. There were occasionally individual people on the sidewalk, but otherwise it was deserted. However, we discovered a restaurant with some life! We went there and it was really cool. A parrot was sitting outside on its huge cage, half a pig was being grilled over an open fire, and a cool guy was playing live music. Yeah, here the party was happening. Daniela said, this is how she imagines a 'detour' to the Midwest of the USA...

Inside, the pub was designed in a rock style. Black walls decorated with great paintings - it looked really awesome. By the way, our food was also delicious.

After about an hour, we continued. When we left the town, there were still mountains not far away, but the landscape had completely changed. Now we had more than an hour of grain fields on both sides. We agreed that we had never seen such large fields anywhere. I know fields from the Lower Rhine, but definitely not like these. It was gigantic, and there were many straw bales on them. If I had to count them, I would still be counting.

Then finally a small town came where you can watch whales. We found a great spot in the bay and what can I say. It was simply indescribable. Countless whales, including orcas, could be seen and heard in the bay. It was pure goosebumps. In this bay, the females among other things give birth to their babies and stay there for a while. It was amazing. Then some whales jumped several times in a row and threw themselves sideways onto the water. My mouth dropped open again. Being able to experience this so closely and live was WORLD for us!!!!!! We didn't want to leave at all, but we still had to check into our accommodation in Hermanus. So we waved goodbye to the whales.

From the bed of our accommodation, I can see and hear the sea - it's super beautiful here. Yesterday evening we took a walk on the beach and watched the sun say goodbye.

Best regards, Anke & Daniela