Hello! I left Johannesburg on a bright and chilly Saturday morning and landed in a slightly warmer Windhoek at 1pm. Wilberforce, one of the UNFPA drivers met me with a wide, friendly smile and drove me 40km into town. The scenery was amazing, rugged hills rising out of grassland interspersed with acacia trees. Driving along a seemingly endless road flanked by red earth and troops of baboons under a wide, bright blew sky made me feel at home in real Africa.
Soon we entered the city and still I felt a sense of space and calmness. Not much traffic on the roads. I checked into the Hotel Pension Uhland on Uhland Street in Klein Windhoek (small windy corner) for a couple of nights. It's a friendly family run place. After chilling out a bit, I decided to eat in and enjoyed home made pumpkin soup and hot rolls. My heater didn't work in my room so I borrowed a couple of extra blankets as the night temperature plummeted dramatically.
Sunday dawned bright and early and after a huge buffet breakfast I set out to explore the city centre. I wandered along Robert Mugabe Avenue up to the German Christus Church, quite a prominent landmark then turned into Fidel Castro Street and ambled down the hill past a street souvenir market where Himba women were setting out there wares and singing and clapping.
I strolled up and down Independence Avenue a few times orienting myself to where the shops, banks and post office were as well as a few interesting landmarks to remember to explore at a later date. By lunchtime I decided to stop at the Balalaika restaurant, near the Zoopark to enjoy freshly baked hot croissants, apple and celery juice followed by a nice, hot pot of tea underneath the spreading branches of a beautiful tree.
I gradually wended my way back to the guest house and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening, reading the last book in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. By then, some kind soul had managed to fix the heater in my room so I was toasty!
Soon we entered the city and still I felt a sense of space and calmness. Not much traffic on the roads. I checked into the Hotel Pension Uhland on Uhland Street in Klein Windhoek (small windy corner) for a couple of nights. It's a friendly family run place. After chilling out a bit, I decided to eat in and enjoyed home made pumpkin soup and hot rolls. My heater didn't work in my room so I borrowed a couple of extra blankets as the night temperature plummeted dramatically.
Sunday dawned bright and early and after a huge buffet breakfast I set out to explore the city centre. I wandered along Robert Mugabe Avenue up to the German Christus Church, quite a prominent landmark then turned into Fidel Castro Street and ambled down the hill past a street souvenir market where Himba women were setting out there wares and singing and clapping.
I strolled up and down Independence Avenue a few times orienting myself to where the shops, banks and post office were as well as a few interesting landmarks to remember to explore at a later date. By lunchtime I decided to stop at the Balalaika restaurant, near the Zoopark to enjoy freshly baked hot croissants, apple and celery juice followed by a nice, hot pot of tea underneath the spreading branches of a beautiful tree.
I gradually wended my way back to the guest house and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening, reading the last book in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. By then, some kind soul had managed to fix the heater in my room so I was toasty!
