Walking in Windhoek

  Windhoek, Khomas, Namibia
November 19, 2013Miraculously I slept through the night, despite Bill's coughing episodes. We watched a movie in bed then headed down to the buffet. They had the usual variety - omelette station, fresh fruit, cheese, cured meat, scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, pastries, toast and a selection of spreads. We had a very filling breakfast, then headed out on our walking tour of the city.

Windhoek is pretty impressive. There is lots of activity in shops, cafes and restaurants in the core area. It is pretty much like any other modern middle-class city. (welll at least the spots we went to...)

The tour began and ended at our hotel, so it worked out very well Windhoek's Train Station. Our first stop was to see a monument that marked where the remains of elephant bones were found in the 1950's. We then headed down a courtyard with many shops and restaurants. We were supposed to see a display of 31 of the original 77 Gibeon meteorites, but it looked like 2 were missing. At the end of the courtyard was Post Street Mall. It looked like a decent place to shop, more upscale, so we may be back later to restock if our luggage remains elusive.

As we continued the tour we passed by the Public Library, the Courthouse, and a bronze statue of a Kudu. We took some time to visit the Trans Namib Transport Museum which was located at the Windhoek Railway Station which opened in 1912. The entry fee was $1 Canadian for the two of us, so I guess it was worth it. Bill was really pleased that someone had kept the collection of things dating back to the inception of the railway station And the Museum.

We continued on and walked past the former German Gymnasium which is now the SADC Tribunal, Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre, the official residence of the Namibian President, Christuskirche, Tintenpalast (Palace of Ink), Alte Fest (Old Fort), and Schweringsburg Castle (now home to the Italian Ambassador).

We climbed a long steep hill in the mid-day heat to visit the Botanical Gardens. We rested on a bench inside and had a snack and some water. I enjoyed watching the small white butterflies and the tiny black birds flitting around the tree beside us. We started walking down the path, but since it is dry season, all of the plants have been removed or look dead. So, we turned around and headed to Heinitzburg Castle, now a hotel, for some beer and lunch.

The hotel has a lovely patio that overlooks the city Nice Little City. We were not very hungry, so we split a club sandwich and fries for lunch. It was a great spot to rest.

We finished our tour with a visit to the Namibia Crafts Centre in the Old Breweries Building. The centre had many different vendors on the three floors. Most items were very reasonably priced. We purchased some Christmas ornaments, a springbok necklace, a cotton pillow cover, a springbok pillow cover, and a bracelet with red beads.

At a store down the street from our hotel I bought a scarf, I think I have officially bought more here than I did on our entire last trip to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa!

We checked back at the hotel and our luggage had not arrived yet. So, I purchased some necessities from the grocery store and went back to the room to have a shower. We were just about to leave for dinner when our bags arrived. We grabbed out our toiletries and clean clothes. What an awesome feeling to have our things back and to have fresh clothes! I can thank Air France for our sunnburns today, but otherwise, we have survived!

We walked to The Gourmet for dinner. I ordered a Milawi Shanty, but I found it a bit too sweet, so I ordered a regular Rock Shanty after dinner. Bill had the ostrich filet and I had lamb curry stew. They were both good and extremely filling. We relaxed and enjoyed sitting out on the patio next to a fountain by candle light while it cooled down for the evening.
Pictures & VideosLunch overlooking Windhoek