More animals...
May. 7th, 2009 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarahxAs my lovely husband is on a telecon for work (so much for being on holiday!), another wildlife-heavy update...
So. If I get around to it I'll food-blog the dinner at The Tasting Room, though it won't be up to the standards of the likes of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anw or stu_n as I failed to take notes and my memory slips as its alcoholic content increases. Suffice to say for now that it was mostly very good – eight courses plus a couple of bonuses – although it just didn't quite have the 'wow' factor of Heston Blumenthal's surprises, and seemed to be trying too hard. Photos on my Flickr page if I don't get around to proper blogging. On reflection, the meal at Reuben's the night before was better (and much cheaper!) – but we're very glad we did it.
Oh, and there were sheep on the lawn outside the restaurant ...
And on the way back to the room we were followed by the second hotel cat, a tabby tabby. Who proceeded to invite himself in and sit on T's lap (note his spectacularly good bad shirt – Stu, it's a Ted Baker sale special, 90% off, bargain!).
He's clearly a tart of a cat as one lap wasn't enough...
Next morning was remarkably sunny and hangover-free. A gratuitous shot of the hotel pool; our room's downstairs on the right. And very lovely it was too.
Our next stop was Hermanus on the Indian Ocean coast, where I'd booked us into a B&B overlooking the sea which appeared to have insane decor. We weren't disappointed. Deliberate OTT chintz – can't beat it, though you might not want to live with it!
The direct route was closed for roadworks so we had to head back to Stellenbosch, from where we followed the very pretty coast road. And were seduced by a sign towards a place called Betty's Bay saying 'Penguins this way!'. Turns out it's home to the second of the two mainland colonies of African penguins. More gratuitous penguin shots inevitable...
Penguins!
Snogging penguins!
It wasn't just penguins, though – we met our first rock hyrax, or dassie to its friends.
Rather less cuddly – a lizard...
And on the way back to the car – Penguin! In a hidey-hole!
Hermanus itself at this time of year – out of the summer season and before the whales come to town – is rather like an upmarket British seaside resort (think Broadstairs not Blackpool) in mid-winter. It's pretty quiet, though it's still plenty warm enough to go wandering along the cliff paths admiring the sea and the mountains. If not the whales.
And T managed to get his feet wet sticking his paws in the Indian Ocean for the first time this morning.
The cliff path was swarming with dassies. There's plenty of meat on them – wonder what they're like to eat?!!
Mind you, if they live on food foraged out of rubbish bins, maybe that's not so appealing!
And now I'm waiting for T to finish his telecon. There appears to be some sort of bikini-encrusted photo-shoot going on on the cliffs opposite the hotel. Must be freezing; while it's not that cold, it's not exactly bikini weather!
So. If I get around to it I'll food-blog the dinner at The Tasting Room, though it won't be up to the standards of the likes of
anw or stu_n as I failed to take notes and my memory slips as its alcoholic content increases. Suffice to say for now that it was mostly very good – eight courses plus a couple of bonuses – although it just didn't quite have the 'wow' factor of Heston Blumenthal's surprises, and seemed to be trying too hard. Photos on my Flickr page if I don't get around to proper blogging. On reflection, the meal at Reuben's the night before was better (and much cheaper!) – but we're very glad we did it. Oh, and there were sheep on the lawn outside the restaurant ...
And on the way back to the room we were followed by the second hotel cat, a tabby tabby. Who proceeded to invite himself in and sit on T's lap (note his spectacularly good bad shirt – Stu, it's a Ted Baker sale special, 90% off, bargain!).
He's clearly a tart of a cat as one lap wasn't enough...
Next morning was remarkably sunny and hangover-free. A gratuitous shot of the hotel pool; our room's downstairs on the right. And very lovely it was too.
Our next stop was Hermanus on the Indian Ocean coast, where I'd booked us into a B&B overlooking the sea which appeared to have insane decor. We weren't disappointed. Deliberate OTT chintz – can't beat it, though you might not want to live with it!
The direct route was closed for roadworks so we had to head back to Stellenbosch, from where we followed the very pretty coast road. And were seduced by a sign towards a place called Betty's Bay saying 'Penguins this way!'. Turns out it's home to the second of the two mainland colonies of African penguins. More gratuitous penguin shots inevitable...
Penguins!
Snogging penguins!
It wasn't just penguins, though – we met our first rock hyrax, or dassie to its friends.
Rather less cuddly – a lizard...
And on the way back to the car – Penguin! In a hidey-hole!
Hermanus itself at this time of year – out of the summer season and before the whales come to town – is rather like an upmarket British seaside resort (think Broadstairs not Blackpool) in mid-winter. It's pretty quiet, though it's still plenty warm enough to go wandering along the cliff paths admiring the sea and the mountains. If not the whales.
And T managed to get his feet wet sticking his paws in the Indian Ocean for the first time this morning.
The cliff path was swarming with dassies. There's plenty of meat on them – wonder what they're like to eat?!!
Mind you, if they live on food foraged out of rubbish bins, maybe that's not so appealing!
And now I'm waiting for T to finish his telecon. There appears to be some sort of bikini-encrusted photo-shoot going on on the cliffs opposite the hotel. Must be freezing; while it's not that cold, it's not exactly bikini weather!
