Right after having left the bus, we can smell them. One moment later we can hear them: thousand of seals, which inhabit the beach of Cape Cross.
It’s not by chance that they’re living here. Sydney explains:” Almost the whole coast of Namibia is very flat” Only at Walvis Bay and at the Cape Cross there’s a spit of land looming into the sea. That is why fishes are close to the coast and provide the seals with food.

Even before seeing the seals we recognize some black-backed jackal. Similarly they don’t live here by chance. As there are no natural enemies like the orcas, the seals can breed freely. To prevent overpopulation, many baby seals are killed every, before their carcasses are removed by the jackals. Their bustle is testified by the bones, lying around at the beach.

Walking over a gangplank to the lookout, we’re really impressed.
We’ve never expected to see so many seals lying in the sun.  Sydney remarks “Today there are only few seals.” On glance to the sea confirms this.  On the surface of the sea we discover countless black points. Beside the strong wind from the south, they’re the reason why it doesn’t smell as horrible as we had read at home. The smell just reminds you of storage of fertilizer.

By the way, the first European to discover Cape Cross was a Portuguese. In 1486 he built the first cross as an honour for his king. People say, that later in time they couldn’t find the place of the cross anymore.  However in 1892, after the region had become the German part of South Africa, Captain Becker found the cross while searching for a better harbour than Swakopmund. He sent the cross to Berlin. Today it is in a museum in Berlin.

The two crosses, standing at the Cape Cross, should remind of the Portuguese, who had entered South Africa as the first Europeans, as well as it should remind of the Germans, who had discovered the Portuguese cross again.

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