Whale sightings in Hermanus and penguins in Betty's Bay

Today, we returned to the sea from the desert. I will be spending the next few nights in Cape Town and its surroundings, which means I had to travel about 400 kilometers back. After today's tour, I have already driven over 5000 kilometers in South Africa. I made stops today in Stellendam, Hermanus, and Betty's Bay. I drove through Stellendam based on the recommendation of my host. Stellendam is the third oldest city in South Africa, and this was evident from the houses. Amazing buildings from a bygone era were still in remarkably good condition. However, since there wasn't much else to see apart from a few architectural highlights, I decided not to stop for long and continued directly to the coast to Hermanus. This place is famous for its whale sightings, and many South Africans claim that it offers the best land-based whale watching in the world. In addition, there is a Whale Crier who blows a large horn whenever the largest mammals in the world are spotted, informing people on the water and on land about the whereabouts of the whales. As I got out of my car in the parking lot, I could already hear the horn blowing. I quickly grabbed my camera, my hat, and headed towards the cliffs. I was able to observe three Southern Right Whales turning and diving in the water. One of the whales even showed its tail fin and sprayed a lot of water around. It was truly impressive to see and observe this. After a short walk around Hermanus, I continued on to Betty's Bay, a penguin colony in South Africa. Upon arrival, I walked on a wooden boardwalk along the cliffs on the coast and observed many penguins. Penguins have always been my favorite animals since I was a child, seeing them on the TV show "Sandman" and at the zoo. They are just incredibly cute and a bit clumsy. It was a great pleasure for me to observe them in the wild today. I spent almost two hours in Betty's Bay enjoying the wildlife and the beautiful weather. This penguin colony is slightly smaller and less known in South Africa, so there were only a few other people there. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the famous Boulders Beach, where many penguins also live. After Betty's Bay, I continued towards Cape Town on a beautiful road. I must honestly admit that I have never driven on such a beautiful road through such an incredibly beautiful landscape. The ocean stretched to my left, and huge mountains rose to my right, truly a breathtaking sight. I made several stops along this route and marveled at the nature. Today, South Africa has definitely convinced me. The combination of wildlife, landscape, sea, mountains, and desert is unique and definitely a reason for me to come back someday. Tomorrow, I will also visit the Cape, which is located in front of Cape Town. Besides Boulders Beach, I also want to make a detour to the Cape of Good Hope. Once again, it means getting up as early as possible to hopefully have the luck of encountering fewer tourists there.