#(hot take: agate is ugly)

[chickenooodlehope]

zodiac sign game 🪐

choose your zodiac sign from the post linked above for the this/that game for your sign! i copied t @yoongisbengaliwife and em @jinbestboy and included my big three but you definitely don’t have to! also @blueandtaes remember when i couldn’t find this?? it’s because i’m stoopid and never posted it jajdksa

☀️Capricorn: Grey or Brown. Jet or Garnet. Poppy or Pansy. Sage or Wintergreen. Cello or Viola. Antique collecting or Genealogy. Pottery or Jewelry Making. Bears or Bats. The smell of Cedar or Pine. Woodworking or Metalworking. Hellebore or Hollyhock. Enhanced senses or Magical Runes. Kissing in the rain or Cuddling by a fireplace. Michael Kors or Kate Spade. Shape-shifting or Biological Manipulation. People Watching or Exploring an abandoned building. Scorpio or Pisces.

🌙 Pisces: Aquamarine or Amethyst. Sea Green or Ocean Blue. Tulips or Carnations. Turmeric or Willow Herb. Surfing or Water Skiing. Ocean or River. Poetry or Painting. Dolphins or Whales. Pineapple or Watermelon. Telekinesis or Reality Warping/Illusion powers. Zinfandel or Spiked punches/lemonades. Starfish or Seashells. Healing Crystals or Dreamcatchers. Psychic powers or Water bending/manipulation. Coneflower or Iris. Lighthouse or Watermill. Baby’s breath or Waterlily. Taurus or Capricorn.

🔺Gemini: Yellow or Light Blue. Tourmaline or Agate. Lavender or Lily-of-the-valley. Parsley or Fennel. Licorice or Lemon. Chess or Puzzle games sorry kinda hate both. Black or White tea. Twitter or Snapchat. Butterflies or Small Birds. Riesling or Jagermeister. Flute or Clarinet. Magic words or Enchanted books. Walnuts or Hazelnuts. Blogging (is this not tumblr dot com?) or Private Journaling. Having a pen pal or Joining a club. Trickster-like powers/short-term illusions or Ability to manipulate electricity/technology. Aries or Leo.

tagging lovelies @fakelovedotmp3 @bibillyhillsbaby @ccypher3 ​ @rosebowl @vantehobi @artsyjoons @stardustyoongi @lovetrivia @floraljimin 💕💕(pretty sure everyone has done this already LOL but if not 👀)

[1fort-2fort-redfort-blufort]

your conumdrums of philosophy

an impractical problem

i wrote a thing for my good good friend @theoldaeroplane <3

He doesn’t let her catch him staring, because he knows her manner would change if she did, and like the duality of wave and particle, April is at her most breathtaking in an outwardly unobserved state of paradox.

He knows she considers herself ugly. She says so often and casually, stakes the ownership of the opinion as though it’s an incontrovertible fact; as though she’s proud of it—and perhaps she’s had to learn to be. He knows better than to try and tell her otherwise, because however truly he might mean it, it’s not something that can be said and believed, and she’d just roll her eyes and scoff at him, all hellfire derision. Even now, even after all they’ve been through and all they’ve become to one another, there are still things she wouldn’t take for his God’s honest truth.

And even if Dell wouldn’t hold it against her, it would hurt at least a little bit, to be so sincere and yet so summarily shot down. So he keeps it to himself, and stares, instead.

Ruinous scars mar her face, carve down her neck. She wears the t-shirt she wore to bed, and the rest of her is similarly damaged, mottled patches of distorted skin detracting from the places where her arms are toned and muscular, scars rippling pale against the darkness of her skin like the banding of agates in clear river water. Dell remembers wading barefoot in the creek that ran through the woods out back of his family’s property, and plucking water-polished gems from the creekbed, squirreling them away in a shoebox beneath his bed. He wonders if she’d think they were as beautiful as he ever did. He wonders if the shoebox is still somewhere in that old house.

She stands at the counter, her back to him, and spoons sugar into a mug of black coffee, the same glossy dark shade as her hair. He’d never say so—it’ll sound hideously old-fashioned, even from him, with a lifelong Texan’s excuse for somewhat backasswards notions—but he loves her hair long. Not because it’s more feminine, but because it’s just more of her for him to touch and caress and appreciate. Cropped short, it had always been coarse and roughly cut, sheared as close as was practical. It passes her shoulders now, straight and rich and black as coal, glossy and thick and sometimes she lets him brush it for her, grousing when he snags on a tangle, until he works it out delicately with blunt, careful fingertips. He knows she likes this, just as much as he likes to watch her hair in the moment it falls from the knot she twists it into at the back of her head, at the end of a long day.

The shape of her body is something he wants to know by heart, to learn with every sense he has available. As she turns from the counter with her coffee in one hand and a bowl heaped with her latest choice of sugary dayglo cereal, he drops his gaze to fix on the newspaper he isn’t really reading, and other sense memories come rushing in to take sight’s place. Dell doesn’t often regret the loss of his left hand, but these days it’s one less he has to touch her with, and that notion doesn’t sit as well as it once did. The privilege of touching April is one few people share, and one Dell knows her well enough to cherish. So there’s a reverence there, whenever she allows his hands to pass over her body, to smooth along the ripples of her scares or tangle in the darkness of her hair. To squeeze her flesh and feel the warmth of her skin against his—Dell was blond before he was bald, fair the way the rest of his family is, and if his bare arms manage to catch a sunburn in the summer, the skin hidden away beneath his workshirts remains fishbelly pale year round. And cold, compared to her. It shouldn’t be a surprise that April runs hot, that her skin always feels like she’s just come in from the summer sun herself, unburnt, because she burns from within.

Her voice is as rough as the rest of her, low and raspy and unpolished. Nothing about her speech has gentled, but sometimes it softens, slightly, when she talks to him. In the quiet darkness of either of their bedrooms, the ones that used to belong to either of them separately, but belong to both of them together now, she’ll drop her voice to a whisper that he almost has to strain to hear, but it’s worth the effort to catch the sorts of things she says, after dark or before dawn.

The taste of her is salt and sweat, the smell is smoke and metal. She’s out in her own workshop as often as he’s in his, her work the art to go with his science, acts of creation in the latter part of her life, perhaps to make up for all the destruction in the former. April wants to work with anything that bends to the heat of whatever fire she’s bent to her will. In the years he’s gotten to watch her work, he’s watched her take ceramic to the kiln, torches to iron, glass into a blazing furnace. What comes out is always clumsy, at first, as she learns her craft, but by the end has taken on a beauty he hasn’t a hope in hell of quantifying, but remains fascinated by. April’s art collects in April’s house, and Dell can and has wandered through it for hours in her absence. The definition of his own aesthetic sense begins and ends with “I don’t know art, but I know what I like”.

And if that’s what’s true—then for as much as he loves April, she must therefore be more beautiful than anything philosophy might label art. That’s just the simple, logical truth of it. And whatever April might say about it, Dell smiles to himself at the notion of a problem, simply, logically solved.

[jodybouchard9]

8 Puzzles You Can Do While Staying at Home—That Also Double as Delightful Decor

Gerasimov174/Getty Images

Lockdown restrictions may be lifting across much of the country, but many states are still encouraging residents to stay at home whenever possible—which means that puzzles and games are still one of the best ways to keep busy.

But rather than fill your living room with one more fugly (fun, but ugly) puzzle, we thought it’d be better to give you a few that actually look good—and that you can repurpose afterward into some delightful wall art.

So if your days are still dragging by and you’re looking for something fun to switch them up, check out one of these eight puzzles that will double as delightful decor.

1. La Henri Catisse

Mudpuppy Henri Catisse puzzle from Amazon

Amazon

This Mudpuppy Henri Catisse puzzle from Amazon isn’t quite as French as it sounds, but it sure is cute. Featuring a lounging pink cat on a colorful modern background, this 100-piece, 12-by-12-inch puzzle is an easy hour-or-less project you can complete with the whole family.

Not feeling el gato rosado? Check out its sister puzzle, the Frida Catlo, which is similarly priced at just $15.

2. Agate geode

Agate Puzzle No. 100 from Nervous System

Nervous System

Geode designs are hot this season, which is one of the reasons we love this Agate Puzzle No. 100 from Nervous System. The other reason? Coming in at only 8 inches in diameter, this round little gem is actually still pretty challenging—especially for a 180-piece puzzle. Made from thin birch plywood and cut in a “dense, maze-like” pattern, there’s much more to this $65 geode puzzle than meets the eye.

3. White Heaven (or hell)

Adeeing 1,000-piece mini jigsaw puzzle in White Heaven

Amazon

Depending on your definition of heaven, this Adeeing 1,000-piece mini jigsaw puzzle in White Heaven ($23 from Amazon) might just be it. (This is the insanely challenging 1,000-piece, all-white puzzle that people have been talking about for months.)

And while it might seem weird to hang an all-white puzzle on the wall, rest assured it can be colored to your liking once—or shall we say if—you ever end up finishing it.

4. Birds ‘n’ bees

Michelle Morin hummingbirds wooden jigsaw puzzle from Artifact Puzzles

Artifact Puzzles

Simply put, this Michelle Morin hummingbirds wooden jigsaw puzzle ($77 from Artifact Puzzles) is a work of art—full stop. And it isn’t just the whimsy of these pastel-painted hummingbirds we’re talking about; it’s also the fact that each individual puzzle piece has been laser cut into tiny birds and bees.

Would this 287-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle make for a great gift? Absolutely. But it would also look pretty damn good on your wall.

5. Tropical greenery

Monstera tropical leaf jigsaw puzzle from Zazzle

Zazzle

We’re all dreaming about exotic destinations right now, which is why it helps to have a bit of fresh greenery around. And if you’re not the houseplant-keeping type, no worries. This 252-piece Monstera tropical leaf jigsaw puzzle ($20 from Zazzle) will look great in your living room—no watering required.

6. Colors of Venice

1,000-piece colorful Venice jigsaw puzzle from Amazon

Amazon

And speaking of the vacation we didn’t get to take this year, this 1,000-piece colorful Venice jigsaw puzzle ($20 from Amazon) is perfect for any armchair traveler. Filled with the brightly colored houses of Venice, just completing this 20-by-27-inch puzzle will lift your spirits out of quarantine, and it makes for a great bit of colorful wall art once done.

7. Sunny flowers

“Twelve Sunflowers” puzzle from Puzzle Warehouse

Puzzle Warehouse

We’re all in need of a bit more sunshine, which is why this 1,000-piece “Twelve Sunflowers” puzzle ($18 from Puzzle Warehouse) inspired by Van Gogh’s famous painting is such a great one to work on while staying at home. Showcasing the details of one sunflower from the famous painting, this is a challenging puzzle with a big payoff, bringing all those sunshine vibes back into your place.

8. Puzzles are for lovers

Ridley’s Games gin lover’s 500-piece puzzle

Walmart

Gin lovers, that is. If the whole staying-at-home thing has you feeling like you need a stiff drink more than anything else, this Ridley’s Games gin lover’s 500-piece jigsaw puzzle ($22 from Walmart) cuts straight to the chase. Besides reminding you of all the cocktails you’ll order once bars reopen, it’ll also look great next to your home bar.

How to hang a puzzle

Once your puzzle is completed, it’s time to hang that baby up. In order to make it sturdy enough to hang, you’ll want to start by investing in some puzzle adhesive.

With that done, take the time to measure your puzzle and order a frame for it. A word to the wise: Don’t just use the box measurements. Puzzles can vary from product to product, so it’s better to just measure it yourself.

Keep in mind that some puzzles (like the wooden ones listed here) are thicker than your standard cardboard puzzle. For this, consider getting a heavy-weight frame that can better support it.

Looking for more details on adorning your walls with a finished puzzle project? Check out this tutorial from Puzzle Warehouse.

The post 8 Puzzles You Can Do While Staying at Home—That Also Double as Delightful Decor appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

[pirate-autobot]

The Experiment: Ch. 4

Sometimes when you clean up, you find some things you have forgotten, and suffer the consequences of forgetting.

The Captain Underpants gem au is by @angerydj

Nine months came, and nine months left. The infant gems were finally “born”. The experiment can properly begin.

And a new chaos began in its wake.

Despite Citrine and all of the other scientist gems providing everyone with the necessary information for caring for the infants, nobody was prepared. Especially when they were crying.

With all the noise in the colony, Red Agate was thankful he had a place just outside.

Another unfortunate side effect of the experiment was that Citrine was constantly bragging about her raising of her orange peridot. That was something Red Agate especially hated about the experiment. At least now he wasn’t the only one.

But with the birth of the infant gems, it meant Red Agate actually had to start getting to work on the school.

Him and the other teachers at long last entered the building. And set out to clean everything up. The day started out simple enough.

The building used to be a hospital of sorts where gems could tend to whatever cracks in their gems and damages to their forms that were too much to handle. The outdated equipment was salvaged, upgraded, and relocated. Walls had to be knocked down to make a few classrooms bigger.

Lining the walls were lockers made for the gems to store extra supplies they may need. A lone peridot was programming all of them each with a unique code for the gem that it would belong to.

Red Agate stopped at one door. It had a hand scanner above a small console. Either put in the access code, or put your hand up. He put his left hand on the scanner. Nothing happened. He took it off and wiped the old pad clean and repeated the process. Nothing happened. He growled and kicked the door a few times before someone cleared their throat behind him. A bismuth. Red Agate watched the gem walk towards him, put her hand on the pad, and the door unlocked and slid open. Red Agate grumbled as he entered the room.

It was an office of sorts. Everything needed to be dusted, but everything he would need was already there. 

There was something familiar about the room. Red Agate was certain he had never been to Earth before. But after the time he had spent there already, he was not sure anymore. He walked to the large window taking up the far wall. It gave him a view of the courtyard in the center of the school. He imagined watching the young gems running around.

He imagined gem soldiers in their spots.

“Look at them down there.” Said Onyx, “Pathetic. I know you can sort them out.”

“Yes sir.” Red Agate said. He noticed an agate like him. His gem was in a similar shape in the the same spot as his. But he was different. He smiled and greeted every gem he passed by.

He was different...

“Do we need to make it bigger?”

“Huh?” Red Agate asked

“The room. Do we need to make it bigger?” The bismuth asked

“Don’t touch this room.” Red Agate snapped “It’ll be my office.”

“Sure thing.” The bismuth said, realizing she wasn’t needed.

Onyx. Red Agate remembered Onyx. The gem was his superior. One of the toughest gems ever made.

He told him to keep gems in line. And he did. But then, there was another Red Agate. He was like him, but different. He wore a cape...

Another...

Red Agate shook his head, hoping to clear his mind. It worked for the time being. He joined the other gems walking through the hall. A couple peridots were handling the wires and tech around the school, two bismuths were knocking down walls and building new ones. Red Agate made his way downstairs and found a large space with tables and in the far corner was Blue Agate. 

He felt his spots glow as his face heated up.

She was hauling giant canisters into a space in the far corner of the room. When she started struggling Red Agate ran to her rescue. 

“Uh hey! Hi!” He said as she dropped the canister in its rightful spot.

“Oh! Hi there. You’re the red agate from the ship, right?” Blue Agate asked

“Ye-yeah, eh ah. Um, I was wondering do, uh, do you need any help?” He asked

“I think I’ve got a handle on this.” Blue Agate walked in the back. “But... if you want... I know I could use help with-oh.” When she came back with a drum under each arm. Red Agate was gone.

He was panting just outside of the room. Stars, she was beautiful. How was he going to talk to her? How? HOW?!

He groaned as he walked away from the school and out of the colony. The entire way. He stopped before the spot of fusion.

They were breaking the law, whoever fused here. He growled and stomped over to the dusty ground. No gems needed to get any big ideas. He made to kick away the and, but found himself stopping.

No... please....

“You are not real!” He yelled to the ceiling. “Whoever you are, or were, or whatever, I am the agate in charge!” 

Whatever voice he heard didn’t talk back. Good! He showed it! Whatever the voice was, it was giving him a headache. His hands heated up and he ground his teeth together. He continue doing his walk and groan out to the beach. His groaning stopped when he finally made it to the coral reef. Perhaps this would brighten up his day.

He had read a few of the human books on ichthyology. He looked at all the fish.

“Damselfish,” he said noticing one, “Yellow tang. Oh, a seahorse.” He knelt down and noticed an ugly fish on the ocean floor. He struggled with the name, but remembered it eventually.

“Toadfish.” He said, giving the bottomdweller a poke. It opened its mouth and let out a sound. It was like a cross between a hum and a whistle, but it was LOUD. 

Red Agate stood up and covered his ears, ready to stomp the fish. A high pitched squeal made him look up. Dolphins. A pod of them. They swam gracefully above him. Occasionally they dipped down to get a fish snack.

Interesting creatures.

Having calmed down, he returned to the land. He looked back at the water. At his reflection. He cracked a smile.

What?

He chased the retreating water to get a better look. He opened his mouth. He ran over them with his tongue. He knew he had sharp teeth, but they weren’t that sharp before!

He retreated back to the colony, to the gem hospital. It wasn’t ready yet. So he went to the science district. Hopefully a gem(not Citrine) would have a reason for why this happened to him.

“Fascinating,” the tanzanite said, for the seventh time. Red Agate sighed with his mouth open, taping his fingers on the table he sat on. “Really. It’s just... fascinating.”

“I get it! I’m fascinating! But why!” Red Agate yelled, jumping off the table.

“... I don’t know.” Tanzanite said bluntly

“Have you tried changing forms to make them change back?” Another voice cut in.

Across the lab, a hunk of machinery was being carried by a short watermelon tourmaline. His gem looked like a magenta green spike in place of his right eye. A monocle in a similar shape and shade covered his left eye.

“You think I would not have tried that first?” Red Agate asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Ha! You’re an agate! Sometimes I’m not sure how smart you guys are!” Said the tourmaline, dropping his tech to approach the two gems.

“Hey! Hey,” Tanzanite held her hands up, standing in between. “Calm down, the both of you. P, don’t you have something better to do? Anywhere else?” The tourmaline crossed his arms. He scoffed and finally left.

“P?” Red Agate asked, taking a seat on the table again.

“An unfortunate designation caused him to reduce it to P.” Tanzanite explained with a sigh. “Now. If your form is not giving you any trouble, other than your teeth, then we need to go to the core of the problem.” Tanzanite pulled up a chair and stared at the unshapely gem. “I have never seen a gem like that before. A very strange shape.” She looked up at Red Agate, expecting some kind of explanation. Begrudgingly, she finally got it.

“It was an accident. I can’t remember anything before it.” He said, looking away.

“Are you sure about that?” Tanzanite questioned, tapping the gem.

“I get flashes of... something. Memories, hallucinations, something, but nothing makes sense.” Red Agate added quickly, waving his left hand to swat hers away.

“Do you remember... any gems?” Tanzanite asked

“I’m not doing this.” Red Agate said, sliding off the table.

“So, I would take that as a no? Or do you remember, but it was bad memories?” Tanzanite called after him. Red Agate froze at the door.  His shoulders slumped with a sigh. This was going to be painful. As if the day couldn’t get any worse.

“Don’t tell anyone about this. Or I’ll shatter you with my bare hands.” Red Agate growled.

“Got it.” Came Tanzanites fearful response

“An onyx.” He said. “Not just any onyx. He was my leader. Taught me everything I know for teaching gems everything they know. There were training gems, and one stood out. I also remember a peridot when I woke up. I remember Citrine when she...” he paused

He was on the ground. Mechanics were sparking. She knelt by him.

Everything hurt. His gem hurt. Something was missing. Everything felt hot. Too hot.

“They appear stable.” She said

What was missing? It was important.

I’m here! I’m here!

I... I can’t...

I’m right here!!!

“Sneedly. That clumping clod!” Red Agate yelled

“Eat everything up.” Citrine said, holding a spoon in front of her peridots mouth. He opened up to eat it all. “I know how much you like your supplements, but I have had to hold back. Just to make sure the other infant gems catch up.”

“CITRIIIIINE!” Came a bellow that shook her home.

Citrine sighed and stood. 

“Pearl? Please be ready in case I need you.” She said

Citrine stood in front of her door. She adjusted her visor and waited. Stomping footsteps slowly made their way here. The door was pulled out of its jamb. A hot fist was wrapped around Citrines neck. She felt her feet lift off the ground.

“You have some explaining to do, bub.” Red Agate growled

“It seems I do. Before that,” Citrine started, pushing something into Red Agates gut. He looked down at the inactive destabilizer in her hands. “You might want to cool down first.” Citrine was put down on the floor, but his hand was still wrapped around her neck.

“What am I to you? Am I just another experiment?!” Red Agate asked. “Answer me!” Citrine stared up at him. Unafraid and unyielding.

“Yes.” She said, her voice steady. “It was an experiment and a punishment for you. I was part of it, but not the leader.”

“What did you do to me?!” Red Agate asked, his voice laced with desperation. His eyes burned, his fists burned, everything burned. And he wanted Citrine to do the same. Everything felt hotter than fire and he wanted the gem in front of him to melt in it. But her firm expression slowly morphed into one of confusion.

“You... don’t know. You don’t remember.” She said, “Fascinating.”

“Say fascinating one more time!” Red Agate yelled

“Let go of Citrine.” Came anothers voice. Red Agate looked to his right. An orange tinted pearl pushed another inactive destabilizer into his side.

“A Pearl? You don’t deserve him.” Red Agate said, finally letting go.

“He is brilliant and helpful. More than I can say about you.” Citrine commented. Pearl moved to her side, taking her hand.

“Pearl, listen to me. Do as I say.” Citrine said, despite not looking away from Red Agate. She stepped closer and activated the destabilizer.

“I would advise against this.” Pearl commented

“Pearl.” She said, “I need you to take my gem and bubble it. Do not release me until Red Agate returns to apologize for his actions. That should give you more than enough time to figure things out for yourself.” 

She turned the destabilizer around and jammed it into her own chest. The yellow grid lines climbed up and around her body. She didn’t scream, but instead looked into Red Agates eyes.

In a puff of smoke, her gem fell to the ground. Pearl scooped it up into a bubble. It was then the volcano, full of pent up fire and anger, finally exploded.

[ianfaulkner1-blog]

​By Roxanne Reid , Namibia, is wedged between the Namib Desert and the icy Atlantic Ocean, a colourful hamlet in a windswept landscape. To get there you must drive 340km from Keetmanshoop along a single straight road that takes you through forbidden diamond territory. When you crest the last dune, the town appears out of a barren landscape like a mirage, as misplaced as any tiny German hamlet could be.

As you enter town on the B4, you’ll pass naked whitish-grey sand dunes on the outskirts then a whole lot of dark, volcanic rock. It’s bleak enough to be the aftermath of a radioactive bomb blast. Not for those rich red sand dunes that make Sossusvlei so photogenic. And it always seems to be furnace hot here, or with a ferocious wind pumping off the sea and careening down the streets, kicking up dust and sending litter skittering. I have to confess that isn’t one of my favourite places in Namibia, but it’s definitely worth a trip if you’ve never been before – especially if you take in the ghost town of Kolmanskop and the wild horses of the Namib at Aus along the way.

Look for the wild horses near Aus, about halfway between Keetmanshoop and

was founded in 1883 by German trader Adolf Lüderitz. Its early days were all about trading, fishing and harvesting bird guano from the rocks. Then in 1908 diamonds were discovered nearby at Kolmanskop (see ‘things to do’ below) so business in boomed and its German population doubled between 1908 and 1910. This was the golden age for buildings and ‘diamond palaces’ in . Later, after the boom went bust, returned to being a dozy little town of fishing boats and wind and dust. If it has any appeal at all, it’s that little has changed since the early 20th century. Things to do in Kolmanskop ghost town

Kolmanskop ghost town

The main attraction in the area is to visit Kolmanskop ghost town 10km to the east. Kolmanskop was a bustling diamond town in the early 1900s. But in 1927 better finds were discovered elsewhere, the town declined and most families moved away by the 1930s, the last stragglers in the 1950s. Kolmanskop started to lose the battle against the encroaching desert sand. You can read all about it in my blog post Kolmanskop: why to visit Namibia’s ghost town. If it weren’t for this fabulously atmospheric and photogenic place, which exerts a hypnotic pull, I’d probably not have visited more than once.

Desert sand is slowly reclaiming abandoned buildings at Kolmanskop

​Early 20th century architecture Explore ’s early 20th century Germanic architecture. The town is a strange mixture of lovely, well-restored German-style buildings from the diamond-rush days of the early 1900s, some old, sad and very bedraggled buildings from the same period, and quite a lot of ugly, scruffy buildings with no style at all. The old power station looks like something from a bombed town, derelict, windows broken.

Goerke House

The four-level Goerke House is a rather imposing ‘diamond palace’. It was built into the rock in 1910 for German diamond mine inspector Hans Goerke. Later used as a magistrate’s residence and declared a national monument in 1975, it’s now owned by Namdeb Diamond Corporation and used as a guesthouse for visiting VIPs. It’s open for guided tours between 14:00 and 16:00 on weekdays and from 16:00 to 17:00 on weekends. I believe the sumptuous Art Nouveau interior is worth seeing, but in three visits to I haven’t managed to get inside.

Felsenkirche, or the church on a rock

Next door to Goerke House, an austere skinny church looms against the skyline. This is the Evangelical Lutheran Church – best known as the Felsenkirche (church on a rock) because of its position on the granite outcrop called Diamantberg. Although it has Victorian Gothic influences, its Germanic roots are clear from the stained-glass panel above the altar, which Kaiser Wilhelm II donated. The church was finished in 1912 when just over 1000 Germans were living in . Now a national monument, it’s only open for an hour before sunset each day, but it’s worth visiting the site for its view over and the bay beyond.

Old buildings along a dusty street

​Take a walk along Bismark Street to look at some of the other early 20th century German colonial buildings, like the station building which is still in its original state, the Deutsche Africa Bank building, and the Krabbenhöft & Lampe building which today houses self-catering apartments you can rent. Look out for Woermann Haus and Rudikerhaus on Main Road near the Waterfront.

Another old building showing German colonial influence

Shark Island Nowadays, Shark Island is a campsite that gives views back towards the town and out to sea. You’ll need to pay a small entrance fee to visit the site even if you’re not camping there. A lone monument to local leader Cornelius Fredericks who died here hints at its dark history as a ‘death island’. (The names of Germans who died are etched into a much bigger wall.) ​

Monument to local leader Cornelius Fredericks at Shark Island

​Back in the early 20th century, the German empire used Shark Island as a concentration camp during the Herero and Nama wars of 1904-1908. Some 3000 men, women and children died here in unspeakable conditions. Chances are that when you visit, you’ll experience the icy winds that blow full force across the little peninsula – and that was only one of their problems. Forced labour, too little food, uncontrolled spread of disease, beatings and even rape were some of the others. Small wonder that only about 20% of those who arrived ever left.

Shark Island campsite

Fishing and sailing has one of the best harbours on Namibia’s inhospitable coastline, so the fishing industry adds a rugged, salty flavour to the town. It’s not surprising, then, that fishing and sailing charters are popular activities, for instance to Halifax Island to see African penguins. Charters leave from the Waterfront, where tourists enjoy the shops and restaurants. 

harbour

Diaz Point and wildlife Take a drive to Diaz Point – where Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Diaz planted a cross in 1488 – for a chance to see seals, penguins, flamingos and dolphins, and listen to the thundering of the ocean. 

African penguins

Other things to do in include a drive to Agate Beach 8km north of town for a beach walk if you don’t mind being windswept; the Atlantic waters are too cold for comfortable swimming. Or join a tour into the Sperrgebiet National Park for a chance to see the 55m high Bogenfels rock arch that plunges straight into the sea. Note that you’re not allowed into the Sperrgebiet (forbidden diamond territory) on your own or without a special permit. As for restaurants, you won’t find fine dining but you will find a number of places offering satisfying plates of fresh seafood, steak and good Namibian beer. accommodation Although it’s a small town, there’s quite a choice when it comes to accommodation – from camping and self-catering to B&Bs and hotels. The Nest Hotel has great sea views, but comes at a price. For a cheaper alternative still with a sea view, try The Cormorant House. Alte Villa guesthouse is a smaller, more personal guesthouse for those who don’t like big hotels. See Afristay or Booking.com for rates and bookings.

The lighthouse next to Shark Island campsite

For camping, of course, there’s the campsite at Shark Island (or you can stay in rooms in the lighthouse next door). If you prefer not to stay in town and don’t mind driving 120km to visit Kolmanskop and for the day, I can recommend the rustic campsite (no power points) at Desert Horse Campsite at Klein Aus Vista, near where you may also see Namibia’s wild horses. That’s exactly what we did the last time we visited . Like it? Pin this image!

You may also enjoy Past and present collide in Namibia’s ghost town Visit the wild horses of Aus in Namibia Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za

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