I finished my work at OTB and departed Kaissiesbaai for Cape Town today. I took the scenic route via Cape Whale Coast so that I could make a stopover at Hermanus, a coastal town that overlooks Walker Bay. 
Hermanus was originally named Hermanuspietersfontein, after an itinerant teacher from the 1830s who grazed his sheep near a freshwater spring in what is now Westcliff. Fishermen from Hawston started to settle here more than 150 years ago, but the town gradually became known as a holiday resort and grew into the main coastal centre of Overberg. It now has a vibrant tour industry, boasts a large number of art galleries and restaurants, and is, amongst others, home to an annual Whale Festival in September. From about June to November, the area around the Old Harbour and Gearing’s Point offers excellent opportunities for watching whales, which often come to within metres of the rocks. The Cliff Path, which stretches more than 10km from the New Harbour to the mouth of the Klein River, affords another way of watching whales, as well as enjoying the fynbos, rocky cliffs and white beaches along the way. 
As I walked along Cliff Path, some unafraid dassies or Rock Hyrax came and stood in my path. They were feeding on tiny flowers found on the rocky formation of the cliff.
Then, I spotted a v-shaped spout about 30m from the edge of the cliff in the sea. It was a Southern Right Whale. With no dorsal fins, this mammal has twin blow-holes on its head, and hence, the v-shaped spout. It was swimming at Walker Bay. Then I spotted more and more Southern Right Whale. In total, there were 8 whales. And the closest one was just a few metres from the rocks at the shore. What a wonderful sighting!
Before sunset, I left Hermanus and headed straight for Cape Town. OktoberFest was on at Paulaner Brauhaus. I bought the Paulaner’s OktoberFest beer mug with “Cape Town” printed on it (since I could not get Hard Rock Café Cape Town’s souvenir anymore because it had closed down).
Hermanus was originally named Hermanuspietersfontein, after an itinerant teacher from the 1830s who grazed his sheep near a freshwater spring in what is now Westcliff. Fishermen from Hawston started to settle here more than 150 years ago, but the town gradually became known as a holiday resort and grew into the main coastal centre of Overberg. It now has a vibrant tour industry, boasts a large number of art galleries and restaurants, and is, amongst others, home to an annual Whale Festival in September. From about June to November, the area around the Old Harbour and Gearing’s Point offers excellent opportunities for watching whales, which often come to within metres of the rocks. The Cliff Path, which stretches more than 10km from the New Harbour to the mouth of the Klein River, affords another way of watching whales, as well as enjoying the fynbos, rocky cliffs and white beaches along the way. 
As I walked along Cliff Path, some unafraid dassies or Rock Hyrax came and stood in my path. They were feeding on tiny flowers found on the rocky formation of the cliff.
Then, I spotted a v-shaped spout about 30m from the edge of the cliff in the sea. It was a Southern Right Whale. With no dorsal fins, this mammal has twin blow-holes on its head, and hence, the v-shaped spout. It was swimming at Walker Bay. Then I spotted more and more Southern Right Whale. In total, there were 8 whales. And the closest one was just a few metres from the rocks at the shore. What a wonderful sighting!
Before sunset, I left Hermanus and headed straight for Cape Town. OktoberFest was on at Paulaner Brauhaus. I bought the Paulaner’s OktoberFest beer mug with “Cape Town” printed on it (since I could not get Hard Rock Café Cape Town’s souvenir anymore because it had closed down). 