The day I went to Grotto Bay started off like most of my Saturdays, inasmuch as I migrated straight to Seattle in Constantia for a grande cappuccino and a ginger biscuit! This ritual keeps me sane. I use the time to write in my notebook and work out plans and let ideas awaken. I know it probably sounds like I am some sort of crazy person, but I thoroughly enjoy watching people going about their busy little lives and making up stories about them in my head. Sometimes on paper too. I have a list of places to visit and have noted the days in my diary, but being the type of person I am, I do not always stick to the "schedule" - like the Saturday I went to Grotto Bay. That particular day I decided to "kidnap" my youngest sister to take her with me for the adventure. She doesn't get to go anywhere other than into the garden (she is a keen gardener and herbalist), so I stopped off, told her we are going for a drive, and that was it. Kidnapped!! Grotto Bay is a little settlement along the west coast of the Western Cape. I simply LOVE driving along the west coast road (R27). It took us longer to get there than Google maps stated (happens to me all the time!) and my sister talked the WHOLE way there! I kid you not. Refreshing .... it was a change from me talking to myself. Finally we arrived and I pulled over to get this shot. The road towards the beach was not tarred and to say it was a bumpy ride is an understatement. I drove along at a crawl and finally got to a kind of parking area. Thankfully, we pulled into a makeshift parking bay. Now was time for our "adventure" to see what the area boasted! We strolled along a pathway to our left, stepping over stones and little bushes until we could go no further. In front of us was a beautiful rocky "beach" where the sea foam played. My sister walked over the rocks and investigated for shells to take home as keepsakes while I took some pictures. It is absolutely awful of me to say so, but I dragged her away because we still needed to investigate the other side of the "bay" and by this time the need for a cup of coffee and the bathroom was beginning to become a little too much to the forefront of our minds. Along the right hand lane we meandered among the sand, rocks and little bushes and watched a dung beetle trying to turn itself over onto its feet. Of course, it had no success so my sister rescued it and then it promptly turned itself over again! Well, you cannot say she didn't try to help. We got very excited when we saw a building ahead of us but sadly it was closed up. Looking to the right we could see the actual reserve with whitewashed houses (and no doubt, kettles and bathrooms). You can see them if you have a look at this shot I took of the heart-shaped beach. And that, my friends, is Grotto Bay! No shops, robots, restaurants, but plenty of rocks, sand, sea and bushes. The best way to experience it - rent a cottage for a holiday.
We hopped into the car for our return journey to Plumstead, Cape Town and I promised to take my sister for another adventure some time in the future. We were very relieved to reach The Farmyard Farmstall in Melkbosstrand and we pulled over to relax for a short while before they closed. Until next time, thanks so much for sharing this adventure with me.
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