LOVLEY LUDERITZ, NAMIBIA

Situated between the sands of the Namib Desert and the surf of the South Atlantic, Luderitz retains a Bavarian flavor from Namibia’s days as German South-West Africa.  Remarkably, the town has changed little since Germany departed in 1915.  Stunning Art Nouveau buildings, seemingly relocated from Europe, lend a surreal feel to a simple stroll as the aromas of kreppel pastries waft from a bakery and the Gothic-style Felsenkirche, or Rock Church, looks on from atop Diamond Hill.  The LUDERITZ Museum helps to make sense of this remarkable dual canvas of Europe and Africa. 

That’s what the Viking Daily had to say about this quaint town.  I say, “Charming, Quaint, Stunning, Remarkable, Clean, Quiet, Interesting and Story Book Like!”  This was a short port stop and the first time a Viking ship has stopped here.  We docked at 9 am and departed at 5 pm.  We decide to skip the included tours and check out the town on our own.  The town is VERY small and our personal tour lasted only about an hour.  It was a Sunday and no one was around.  It felt like a ghost town. I mentioned this to a shop owner that was open and he said that the inhabitants of this town take weekend time off VERY SERIOUSLY!  He was from Johannesburg and moved to Luderitz several years ago with his wife and children to enjoy a quiet life.  He loves it here.  He has a small gift shop full of African handmade art, and lives in the rest of the house.  This shop was the only business we found open and as fate would have it, the address was #7!  I finally have a photo of a #7 doorway in Africa!

This town is situated in the desert and of course is very sandy.  The desert meets the ocean here, so the ocean provides pretty views and the ocean breezes provides comfortable temperatures.  There are few paved streets and many sandy/dirt roads.  We also noticed that a lot of the homes were having work done and many seemed empty.  Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday, but, honestly it made us wonder where everyone was.  

If I could lift this whole town and move it to the United States, I would do that and I would live there!  I am drawn to charming, quaint houses and architecture and Luderitz, Namibia was everything I would imagine a story book town to be.

Enjoy the photos……

Lots of cool doors in Luderitz.  Actually saw two #7 addresses, although one was a gate.  That counts!