Mossel Bay, South Africa 5/25/24

June 25, 2024

Mossel Bay, South Africa

Mossel Bay is a harbor town on the Garden Route in South Africa's Western Cape Province. It was named due to the abundance of mussels. Our day started with a walk into town. It was about a 15-minute walk to the center square, almost all uphill! The morning started cool but heated up pretty quickly. We took our time to stroll around the town, as our tour did not start until the afternoon. We were there early, so not many shops open yet, but we did find a local crafts market and browsed there for a while. Charming little town. Back to ship to catch our tour.

Our tour started at Botanical Gardens, which hosts the Post Office Tree, and has been used as a mail collection point since the 1500s. We got postcards and mailed off to the grands.

From the gardens, we went to the Shell Museum, which was a huge collection of shells, many we had not seen before. Very small aquarium.

This is the Bartolomeu Dias Museum. He was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southern route was through the ocean. His discoveries effectively established the sea route between Europe and Asia.

On to our wine and mussels' pairings. These mussels were really very good, and Mickey was able to get the recipe from the owner. Something to try when we get home. Lovely wines and great company. Got Mickey's mom some sissy wine for her to enjoy!

Our last stop of the day was Cape St Blaize Lighthouse, set in the rugged coastline. We had a cocktail there, and only paid $6 for the two of them. Our guide said we got taken - should only have been about $2...yikes. I made it up halfway and Mickey headed to the top, of course. Watching the kids jumping off the pier into the water - kids are kids, no matter what country!