Although we didn’t go away for this Easter Weekend (plus, Chantelle worked on the two public holidays), the girls and I certainly did get up to a lot of fun activities, one of which was a family outing to the V&A Waterfront in order to go gemstone mining at the legendary Scratch Patch!
Both Chantelle and I remember going there at least once as a child, and so it was with great excitement that we took Jessica and Emily there, confident that Jess would love digging around in all the colourful stones!
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but after you enter the small Mineral World shop (accessed through the parking garage, no entrance fee), pick your container size that you want to take in with you (a good selection of sizes, ranging from cheap to pricey), you enter a tiny wonderland that is the perfect little place for kids to start hunting in.
Shaped like a little cavern with natural light streaming in above you, both girls immediately got stuck into the task of hunting out the best, most colourful gemstones, and before long both mommy and daddy were sitting sprawled on the floor, picking out the shiniest of the lot with them!
Although we didn’t get to it (because Jess and Emily are still to young), there is even an artificial cave mini-golf experience tacked on – which looks like it could be a good treat for the kids as well.
Anyway, after much time was spent scratching around like chickens, we emerged, Jessica triumphantly clutching her bag full of beautiful gemstones!
Of course, you can’t just go to the V&A Waterfront and not stroll around the Waterfront, so that is exactly what we did. It’s the first time we’ve walked through the new Watershed shopping area and I have to say, I was suitably impressed. So fresh and modern, definitely the upgrade that particular area needed!
For lunch we swung into the Shoreline Cafe in the Two Oceans Aquarium, where some delicious fish and chips were had whilst Jessica ran wild in the kid’s play area, while dessert for the day was of course the ever so expensive but always delicious ice cream from Haagen-Dasz (Chantelle insisted!).
With one last play at the slides around the amphitheater done and dusted, it was time to pack up and head back home to Gordon’s Bay, satisfied with an awesome day out!
Related Link: http://www.scratchpatch.co.za/