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"The
stresses and sounds of the city were getting to me," explains
Lucille Byrnes. Traffic snarl-ups, triggered burglar alarms and yapping
dogs were beginning to take their toll. "It was on a weekend
escape from the hustle and bustle that I found myself in utopia." |
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his pioneer voyage from Europe to the East, Vasco da Gama came
upon a bay, which he named St Helena (and the Berg River the
Santiago), having landed there on 7 November 1497. A monument
marking the event has been erected close to the main road at
Stompneusbaai. Local legend has it that one of his crewmen is
buried on the hillside, a victim of the scurvy scourge - or
perhaps a drunken brawl? Here old Portuguese coins and pieces
of porcelain have been uncovered. |
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"At
the westernmost point lies Britannia Bay - but more about
the naming further on. "My seaside cottage soon proved
too small for all the visitors who came to
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see the back-of-beyond that I had chosen to make my home,"
says Lucille. "After a weekend of chilling out, they
would wave goodbye and return to the city, their envy palatable.
"Plans were drawn up and included a B&B unit. "It
made sense to cater for the bed and breakfast concept which
enabled me to share my little corner of heaven with visitors
to this area."
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| Dolphin
B&B opened its doors in 1998 - the first establishment in
this area to do
so - and Lucille still finds pandering to her guests' needs
fun and fulfilling. "Dit is vir my 'n groot eer om gaste
van orals te bedien, om hulle te wys hoe pragtig is die area
waar ek tuis gemaak het," sê Lucille.
"My
guest base stretches from Junea in Alaska to the outbacks
of Australia and it is this interchange of cultural ways that
continues to stimulate and interest me." Now into her
eighth year of hosting visitors from all four corners of the
globe, Lucille is reaping the rewards of returning guests
- "I must be doing something right!"
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