Swakopmund is the next city on our itinerary and it turns out to be a delightful place. Here are a few random facts about the area:

• It’s the fourth largest city in Namibia.
• It feels like a European village due to past colonial ties with Germany. That country’s presence is strongly felt here in the language, architecture, and lineage of its residents.
• It’s located on the ocean and also right next to massive sand dunes, making for a spectacular natural setting.
• Adventure is a major tourism draw here — skydiving, quad biking, and sand boarding are the most popular activities.
• In an effort to avoid intense media scrutiny, Angelina Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh here in 2006.

And now for the photo highlights…

Can you spot the German influence already? If it weren’t for the sand dunes a few miles away, it’d be easy to forget we’re in Africa.

Most of our group is skydiving this afternoon. Those of us staying on the ground hit the beach in search of lunch.

Hey there, big guy.

From L to R below, that’s Lisa (New Zealand), Rob (New Zealand), Sofie (Germany), Alice (UK), Janine (Germany), Maurice (Germany), and Carly (Australia but living in the UK).

How gorgeous is this beach? It stretches endlessly in either direction.

This is one of two restaurants right on the beach:

But we eat at Tug Restaurant, located on the upper deck of this photo:

This ocean view is outrageously beautiful.

And the food is fabulous! Most of us order fresh seafood and yummy cocktails. I get a latte that hits the spot.

We polish off lunch with a scoop of ice cream at Ice & Spice.

Later that evening we meet up with our skydiving tour mates to hear tales of their high altitude adventures. Since the hostel has organized their excursion, they happily screen each skydiving video on the TV in the bar for our whole group to enjoy before dinner.

That night (and the next night), we eat at Napolitana, a grill and pizzeria that quickly becomes a favorite of ours. The food is plentiful, cheap, and delicious. So is the wine. Sold!

The next morning some of us grab coffee at a nearby cafe. I have to take a moment to point out Liz from Melbourne, a woman on our tour who looks remarkably similar to my longtime friend Natalia — that’s Natalia on the left, and Liz on the right in the photo below. But it goes beyond physical resemblance; they have a similar personality and sense of humor. When I talk to Liz I feel like I know her really well, even though it’s because she reminds me of Natalia. And it’s like there’s a chapter of my friendship with Natalia — the Africa chapter — that she was sort of there for but not really? Like 50 years from now I’ll say to Natalia, “Remember camping under the stars in Namibia?” and she’ll think I’ve lost it. But it’s the first time I’ve met someone who so eerily reminds me of someone else! Has this ever happened to anyone else?

There’s a knock-off Starbucks here and I’m okay with that. It’s called Stadtmitte Cafe.

The interior decor is fun. I can’t say I love their food, but the coffee is decent.

Later that afternoon I spot Slowtown Coffee Roasters and wish I’d known about it earlier in the day. Looks like a great spot.

The main shopping area of Swakopmund is full of cute boutiques and bookstores and cafes. It’s really lovely to walk around.

I pop my head in this bookstore just before it closes for the day:

I pass by a sushi restaurant and pop in for a very late lunch while editing photos.

Our group meets for dinner at Napolitana (again) and it’s just as good the second time. I resist the urge to order another pizza and get chicken instead. And two glasses of red wine that hit me really quickly. I remember siting next to Lisa from New Zealand and we have a blast chatting and laughing, and the rest of the meal is a blur! Good food, good wine, good people…

I’ve intentionally glossed over the afternoon — I went quad biking on sand dunes and had a BLAST. Full recap coming tomorrow!

I visited Namibia on a 12-day tour from Windhoek to Cape Town with Acacia Africa. They discounted my tour in exchange for blogging and photography; opinions are my own.