We took a family friend to Hermanus while we were staying in the Hemel and Aarde;
it really should be on all tourists' agendas
It is such a great place to visit and if you are lucky, as we were,
you might spot some whales breaching and flapping their tails in the air
After a short walk in the town, we headed for the sea front. It was a little blowy, but the fresh sea air is such a tonic
Where to have lunch?
We have our favourite places and this time it was to Bientang's Cave
which does really good seafood, and is just above the rocks, close to the sea
On the menu was something which can be a risk, as it is sometimes made from yesterday's left overs
This Seafood Potjie was as fresh as a daisy, in a superbly rich, creamy tomato, saffron and Pernod tasting sauce,
with prawns peeled and whole, mussels, tender calamari and good pieces of fresh fish
Served with rice and a wedge of lemon, it persuaded Dutch guests at the next table to order it
and they enjoyed it as much as we did
A large portion of fresh hake in batter served with crisp chips, lemon and a dipping sauce was also much enjoyed
The Hamburger topped with bacon was also perfect for someone not wanting to eat fish or seafood
You can also do some bird watching from your table, there are many seabirds on the rocks
We delighted in watching these Black Oystercatchers
John managed to catch one feeding its chick hidden in the rocks
The splash in the water as a huge whale lands just after breaching
Then it was time to venture over into the hills to spend two nights in our favourite cottage in the Hemel en Aarde
The road from Hermanus is not open, as it was nearly washed away in the huge October storms
so we travelled on the very well-graded dirt road from Karwyderskraal
The view from Newton Johnson wine estate shows the route the road takes
Luckily, the flood did not reach the cottage we stay in and the views are always so relaxing and rewarding
The cottage has three double bedrooms and three bathrooms,
a large living room, kitchen, internal wood-burning stove and externa1 braai and shower and a dipping pool
You too can book it on AirBnB
We could see the damage on the mountains caused by the storm which caused so many washaways or moraines
There was a downpour of more than 300ml in less than one hour
Sunshine flowers in the garden
We went for a walk around the property and saw the damage caused by the flood
The river had overflowed and taken out the ponds on the grounds, which now have to be remade
Taking with it most of the water and half the land
All the waterlilies and waterblomme are stranded on the mud
We hope that the spring will start running again and the river can be put back within its banks
Such destruction in just less than an hour
Happy moments over the weekend had us watching the exciting final of the Rugby World Cup
and seeing our South African Springboks win the Webb Ellis trophy
and the joy on the faces of the players and our President, although we are not sure why he was there...
All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right
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