We were all excited about seeing the sea! Before kids Surfing and Scuba diving were more regular activities but as a family we still love the seaside. Building sandcastle, windy walks, rock pooling, surfing small waves, etc.

As we approach the Namibian coast we play our usual “who can spot the sea first” game. Middle man won, “The Sea!” he correctly shouts after a couple of false claims. To be fair the mirages caused by the heat of desert on the large sand expanses did look like water in the distance.

After days of no wind and blistering heat we were grateful the cool breeze at Cape Cross Seal reserve. The problem was it bought a awful smell! We could smell the seals well before we saw them. Despite the stink the boys ran up to see the seals which covered the beach. There were tiny pups, feeding mothers and massive males squashed onto the peninsular, a mass of grey along the coast line. Middle man loved the puppies “Can we keep one?”… “No they stink” was my reply. Like that was the only issue with having a seal as a pet on an African road trip! Lego boy was highly amused that the picnic area was also covered in seals, they were on and under the tables and benches as if waiting for lunch to be served. Baby Blue was enjoying the breeze up on daddies shoulders.

We went back to the car to escape the smell. When putting Baby blue in his car seat I noticed the smell seemed to have impregnated his skin and hair! A long shower was going to be needed later.

Driving into Swakopmund felt like entering a German holiday resort. There were traffic lights, tree lined roads and order. Very un-African, Husband and I were unsure if we liked it. Never the less the clean ordered streets were a refreshing change. We spent the afternoon wandering and playing on a park near the beach. At the campsite I performed an emergency repair on the tent so that the sea breeze wouldn’t rip it further.

Husband loves his sea food and with Zambia having no coast and unreliable frozen food deliveries we had not eaten fish since arriving in October. So that evening we headed to the tug restaurant for a meal. It was very posh and if we had the luxury of babysitters it would have been nice place for a kid free date but with tablets at the ready we approached the waiter and asked for a table. His face said it all, they were busy and we didn’t have a reservation. The waiter went to see what he could do. He came back a few minutes later and to our relief had found us a table due to a cancellation! It was an amazing table to… with floor to ceiling views over the ocean.

To start I ordered Camembert! I know, I know! We were here for fish! But I hadn’t had it since leaving the UK too! Boys had squid rings and Husband scallops. For mains I ordered fish kebabs and husband some strange fish of the day I hadn’t heard of. The wait wasn’t too long… the boys played happily on their tablets while I feed Baby Blue. He fell to sleep so we made a makeshift bed on the floor next to our table.

 

The starters were delicious and the mains were OK. Anyone who knows me knows I love chocolate and cake and all things pudding-ey. So we splashed out and ordered ice cream sundaes for the boys and chocolate fudge cake for me! Pure heaven!

Stepping out from the restaurant were assaulted by the Atlantic wind, it was freezing! It reminded me of leaving our favorite fish pub The Sloop in Devon on a winter days (although probably about 15 degrees warmer).

The beast struggled to start as it wasn’t used to the cold, luckily husband knew to double heat the glow plugs before it flooded the engine. For a moment we were faced with sleeping in the car, an exciting prospect for the boys who wanted to sleep on the beach! We drove home and huddled against the cold knowing the morning brought the promise of warmth and Sand boarding at Dune 7.