Friday
Dear Elsie
Today is Good Friday & it was the day we arrived in a very grey & misty Walvis Bay.
We needed to get our passports stamped. While all the Europe, UK & US passengers had to pay R1200 for a visa, we were greeted with big smiles and a warm welcome by the Namibian passport control. “We are brothers and sisters” they said. I don’t think there are any SA passengers on for the whole 120 night World Cruise. We have just got on for the last of it. Today when I was walking down a corridor, a couple passed me, greeting as they went. As they went past, I heard the lady say, ‘have you seen her before?’ Her husband said, ‘no’. We are new faces. Most have been onboard for more than 100 days. Friendships and clicks have been forged, so the whole dynamic is slightly different that it would have been if everyone had boarded in Cape Town. It doesn’t make too much difference to us – it’s just something I have noticed.
So, we walked off the ship in the morning and went to Swakopmund in the afternoon. Our morning walk took us to the Walvis Bay beach and one of the buildings that has always got Mike’s attention. It’s known as The Raft and is just off shore on stilts in the water.
Close up…
We went in to have a closer look.
No one could tell us how old it is but the waitress said she served someone the other day who had visited it in 1981.
While out we had the opportunity to get some photos of the ship from the harbour & we could see our cabin.
It’s the second cabin up from the red life boat in the corner.
Despite having been to Walvis a couple of times, we had never been to Swakopmund. 
It’s about 30 minutes drive from Walvis past miles of sand…
There are lots of old buildings…
Mingled with new which are designed to fit in with the old.
We went to the museum which was very interesting. One of the things that caught my attention was a working clock which came from Germany and was made in 1880. The curator said it gets wound up once a week. So this was the time we were in Swakopmund Museum on Good Friday, 18th April 2025.
We got back to the port just after 5.30pm and went to our cabin to freshen up for dinner. Another delish meal followed.
Now we are in bed and watching Pride & Prejudice.
A good port day. Now we have something like 10 ship days before we get to the Canary Islands. We do have a stop at Dakar, but we are not getting off. I think I may be stretched to find new things to write about. We will see!
Micah 7:19
He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂