As it’s Victoria’s last day she gets to decide whether to stay in Hermanus or go into Cape Town before going to the airport. She opts for Cape Town and after a relatively hearty breakfast we head out on the coast road. It’s over 70 miles of wiggly waggly roads and could take some time.
It’s a lovely day but as we drive, it turns very hazy, almost like a sea mist is coming in. We keep a sharp look out for whales as we go although we don’t expect to see any as they are normally here in numbers from June to November so we are a bit late for most species.
We arrive in Cape Town around 1 pm and just miss a parking spot in our usual place although a kind parking attendant lifts the barrier and lets us part in the secure parking area belonging to the Grace Hotel at the V & A Waterfront. We wander along the dock and knock on Wild Tigris to see if anyone is home and disturb Sean, all on his own while Sophia is back in Sweden.
We have our last meal together sitting outside the Alfred Hotel, looking at Table Mountain in the distance, almost obscured in the haze, so different from the last time we were here.
While Mike goes back to the car, Victoria and I make a mad dash to Woolworths, the SA equivalent to Marks and Spencer, to buy some more biltong for her to take back home. We all love it. On our way through the wonderful Alfred Mall, I am glad I am on a tight time schedule as I could do amazing damage with my credit card if I had more time!! There are some wonderful shops.
Biltong in her possession, we drive out to the airport and take Victoria into the terminal. She’s fine until she seems me crying then she starts and together we turn into two little red-eyed, drippy-nosed creatures. I know I’ll see her in a few months time, but I will never get used to saying goodbye.
We watch her go through security and wave until she disappears from view then it’s back to the car and off of the N2 again to do the 480 odd kilometres back to Knysna.
As we go through the outskirts of Cape Town and through the townships, the air is strange and there is a slight smell of burning although we can see no sign of anything. The haze is thick for a while, gradually thinning out as we leave ‘civilization’ behind. It’s a long, long drive. I’m miserable and Mike has a headache. We stop for ice cream and a Red Bull for Mike, which eventually clears the headache up and gives him the burst of energy he needs for the journey. There are some long sections of road works which hold us up adding time to an already long journey.
About two thirds of the way back, clouds start to form and the wind picks up. As the light starts to fade, the colours across the landscape are beautiful.
By the time we reach Knysna, it is about 9 pm and the journey has taken almost 6 hours, quite a bit longer than when we went to collect her.
Ann and Terry are out visiting friends when we get in, and not long after I have unpacked and made a cup of tea, we are both tucked up in bed, although I get up when they come in and sit and chat for a while.
I miss Victoria already.
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