It is a humbling experience watching a child have their first experience of the beach, something that I as a Capetonian often take for granted. My cousin and her 13 month old son came down to Cape Town from Johannesburg for a visit.
The day they arrived was quite a typical summer’s day, hot with a bit of wind and we decided that it would be a great opportunity to go down to the beach, after all the little guy could have his first taste (literally) of the beach sand and see the sea.
We took a drive down to Bloubergstrand and parked in the parking lot near the Dolphin Beach Complex, which I might add is home to the Blowfish Restaurant which serves delicious sushi and seafood. The wind can be quite strong in this part of Cape Town and this makes it great for some, but unpleasant for others. It is clearly visible that the kite surfers find this area fantastic by the vast number of them you will find on almost any given day.
Nonetheless we braved the wind, wrapped some towels around us and proceeded along. The little guy was absolutely mesmerised by the beach sand and promptly sat down on it and poured it through his fingers almost immediately as his feet touched the sand.
Once we had moved him out of the way of all the foot traffic and found a spot to sit, he tasted the sand and looked quite pleased with himself. All the while fixing his eyes on the various, colourful canopies of the number of kite’s in the sky and around him on the beach.
We decided to walk him down to the sea so that he could stick his toes in the water. This little guy walked with no fear headed straight for the cold crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean while holding mom’s hand and almost pulling her forward. Squealing with delight as the end of the waves ran over his toes it was definitely a fun experience.
Next, we decided to head down the paved walkway for a stroll so that we were not in the way of the kite flyers who were flying large kites at the waters edge. We had a lovely view of Table Mountain and all the kite surfers who were performing a number of tricks in the water. To round off the afternoon we treated ourselves to a soft serve ice cream from the Milky Lane.
If you are wondering how to spend a lazy afternoon the I suggest making your way down to Bloubergstrand where you can find a sheltered spot and work on that summer tan, take a stroll along the beach or just find a quiet spot and watch the various activities happening on the beach and in the waves. This turned out to be such a special day and will be etched into my memory forever.
Why not go and make your own memories?
Useful Links:
- Bloubergstrand Attractions
- Bloubergstrand Accommodation
- Blaauwberg Attractions & Info
- Things to Do in Blaauwberg
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