Day 6 - Swakopmund

From the heart of the Namib desert we are heading towards the Atlantic coast today. We make a first stop in Solitaire to pump gas at the country's oldest gas station.

Solitaire is also famous for its amazing apple pie. Of course, we can’t resist, so we take a piece to take away.

Just after Solitaire we cross the Tropic of Capricorn.

Today's drive takes us about 300 km through a variety of landscapes. From the white sands of the desert, the landscape changes to rocky formations. Beautiful eroded canyons remind us of the extreme circumstances here.

In the grassy steppe we encounter a number of animals. A broad-eyed eagle is checking us out with his eagle eye.

A grazing oryx is standing in the meadow.

  

On the way we encounter a number of so-called tubetrees. These get beautiful flowers but are mostly used by the Bushmen. The large straight branches are cleaned by  them and used as holders to keep their arrows as they hunt.

On a beautiful patch of pine trees, the steppe returns to desert. A lonely car in the distance leaves behind a sandy cloud.

Just before arrival at the coast line, the sand dunes start again. The railroad runs just before the dunes and an oncoming train makes for a fairytale spectacle. We arrive in Swakopmund, one of the largest holiday resorts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a popular destination for the inhabitants of the capital Windhoek. Swakopmund was founded by the Germans at the time. The colonial character of the city has been well preserved.

We take a walk in the inner city up to the ocean front. The ocean is extremely violent, which is normal for this time of the year. The southwest wind causes high waves to hit the pier.

By the way, did you know that daughter Shiloh of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt was born here in Swakopmund? The Pitts have or had a spacious holiday home here. Their love for Namibia is widely known. I Wonder who gets the villa in their divorce settlement.

Our hotel is located facing the sand dunes. From our terrace we have a beautiful view.

In the moonlight, we dream of tomorrow.