It was much nicer in Bloemfontein in the morning. The temperature was cooler, there was no wind or dust storms. The "view" in Franklin's View (the hotel name) made more sense now.
Loaded up the car and took off for Clarens. This was a straightforward 3h drive along major highways. We actually paid attention to the traffic reports on the radio as it was for the highways around Jo'burg.
Passed through Bethlehem on the way. I had looked into staying there when I was doing the planning but everything was already booked over Christmas. Haha.
We arrived in Clarens just after 11am. It was still early to check in so we parked our car and walked down the street for lunch.
It was unusually hot for Clarens, about 31C. None of the hotel rooms have a/c as that's never been an issue here. It was also very windy, and dusty due to the drought.
Clarens is a small town (pop. 800) that reminded us of Banff or other small resort places. The motorcycle guys we met in Barkly's Pass said Clarens is full of yuppies who drive up in their BMWs and sit on patios drinking their cappuccinos and craft beers. I resemble that remark!
We had lunch at Mosaic Pizza and tried a craft beer. Both were good, although I found the pizza too cheesy.
Walked back to the hotel and checked in. Then back out to the square and Main St (that's all there is to this town) to browse through the boutique stores. It was mostly kitschy generic stuff, of average quality, so the browsing didn't last long. Had a cappuccino at a little café.
About 3pm we called into the Clarens Brewery which was packed with tourists. We had a voucher for a free beer each. Tried the free samplers of nine beers, and made our choices. Unfortunately the keg was too fizzy for my choice so I had Heather's pick too.
It started raining and looked like it could downpour so moved inside. Just in time too, as the skies opened up and then everyone moved inside. We had a little hightable in the corner, overlooking the whole bar.
It was still raining when I finished my free beer so ordered another one. It briefly hailed marble-sized hail, nothing big enough to damage our car.
The skies cleared so we ventured home, showered, and then back out for dinner. Our hotel had recommended Gosto (which they also owned, but it did get good reviews on TripAdvisor and had great atmosphere when we stopped in earlier to check the menu and make a reservation).
The weather was perfect for outdoor seating (under a covered patio, in case of rain). I had the ribeye (first time I had seen this cut) and Heather had the lamb. Both were rather large portions. It went well with the red wine recommended by the waitstaff.
It started pouring rain towards the end of dinner, but after about 10 minutes it stopped long enough for us to walk home.
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