We take leave of J & C Beach House and continue back along the Garden Route to Swellendam, in the lee of the Langeberg mountains and the 3rd oldest town in S. Africa which was founded by a bigwig in the Dutch East India Company in 1745.
Some musings while John’s driving the 120 miles towards Swellendam…
We pass through the Karoo countryside, and start seeing livestock again – cows, sheep, ostriches – but, surprisingly, since we been offered bacon for every breakfast, no pigs. Must check next time in a supermarket where the bacon is from.
Another comment is about the roofing on properties here. Buildings are mostly brick, sometimes rendered, and the majority have terracotta colour roofs. However, there are quite a few green roofs and rather peculiarly, some blue roofs – both of which seem to be something like corrugated metal. The mixture can make for quite a colourful sight as you catch a bird’s eye view of a town. Then there are a few thatched properties, emulating the indigenous boma style dwellings. They’re really attractive and soften what otherwise might be a harsh roofing horizon.
Re car number plates (no we haven’t been playing ‘that’ game!). I haven’t yet worked out the formula, but most in this area start with ‘C’ – CA seems to be Cape Town, but there’s also CBS, CE, CG – no idea where they’re from. An interesting diversion from this is on ones that end with ‘WP’. This seems to indicate that you choose whatever number plate you like and we’ve seen ‘SUSIE’ (sorry to say, Susie, we were moving at the time and the photo came out blurred), ‘LOOT’, ‘SLAGGY1’, ‘KOFFIE’ (of the Traumerei coffee shop in Franschoek), ‘M UNITED’, ‘WIN 100’ but evidently some are company name. Takes personalised number plates to a different level. We’ve seen no foreign number plates, unsurprisingly, apart from a GB one on a Rolls Royce and that also had a diplomatic badge – so that explains where our foreign budget is spent!
Final musing – there are Aloe ferox (a relative of our Vera – but better according to the locals of course) plants all over the place, but this area seems to be where the juice of the plant is extracted and made into all the beauty and digestive products we are familiar with.
Aan de Oever B & B is a typical Dutch style bungalow – as are the majority of the residences here, on the banks of the river Koornlands which flooded its banks last November. Their swimming pool was swept away and the filtration system for their Koi carp pool demolished. They are in the middle of reparation works. One of the charming daughters shows us round.
We decide to book La Sosta for our meal tonight based on a recommendation by David Fenton and pull up outside to phone up (the place was shut). Just as I’m talking, John comments that someone is pulling out of their driveway and I notice he’s talking on his phone, so the 3 of us burst out laughing as we realise we’re only a few yards apart and supplement the phone conversation with gesticulations to confirm our booking.
It’s a charming town – very Dutch colonial and well-kept. A coffee and apple cake keeps us going while we wander round the fascinating museum of old trades and I hang my nose over goodies in the adjacent craft shops. Managed not to buy a springbok skin cushion (from quite a pushy 6’4” lady!), but at least I can say I stroked a springbok, even if it wasn’t alive and kicking.
Arrived at La Sosta and met our host in person – an expressive Italian from Milan. He was an optometrist and his wife worked in a bank and they decided to change direction and certainly seem to have made an excellent move. The food – antipasto meats/mozzarella-tomato and scottato (barely cooked) beef strips with a mini souffle, cubed potatoes and beans, finishing with a shared chocolate selection and ice cream – was delicious and charmingly served.
Raining as we left.