Brrrrrrreakfast


Wilderness, 16th of August 2018 – We leave Prince Albert, but first we have a wonderful breakfast in the elegant glasshouse of Dennehof. The sun is shining and tries to kill the morning chill, in the glasshouse there is a small heater. Fine white table linen, nice cutlery and a great selection of hot breakfast. The waitress is very friendly and speaks with a guttural ‘r’. ‘Arrrre you rrrready for brrrrreakfast?’ The soufflé is wonderful and so are the pancakes. Next to the glasshouse weaverbirds bring their nests to perfection, flying on and off and chirping extremely loud. We pay, cross the gate and drive towards the Garden Route. Almost at the coast, the sun makes way for rain clouds and soon the windscreen wipers are on maximum speed. Forced by the elements we immediately go to our hotel, the Dune Guest Lodge. It stands on a spit of dune between the Ocean and the Touwsrivier. ‘Some day it will be swallowed by the ocean, but those fools keep on building’, someone tells us later on. We get an ocean view and relax on the wooden deck of our room. Just like in Agulhas, the ocean impresses us with its power. The sound of the breaking waves is earsplitting and although we lie next to each other, I cannot hear what Karin says. After a tea, we walk down the stairs right onto the beach. The sun is back and we compare this beach to our North Sea. Back in the guest lodge, the host has lit the open fire and we have a port in the spacious living room. On a sidetable there are carafes with different sorts of port, something common in South African guesthouses and hotels. We walk down the ‘Duin’ and have dinner in Salinas Beach restaurant, recommended by our host, a 2m tall Brit on flip-flops. The seafood is not great but the Sauvignon makes it taste better. We return to the lodge, have another port and admire the art in the room. In the sofa next to us, a depressed looking Swiss couple talk in a whispering voice. We think they have a marriage crisis, go to our room and hit the sack.

Prince Albert weaver bird proud of his home (FDC)


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