We really, really enjoyed our time in this beautiful city. It has over 3 million people but it doesn't seem that big, perhaps because the small mountains break it up into multiple parts. We usually don't spend a lot of time in big cities........get in, see the unique sights it has to offer, then get out........but Cape Town has so much to do, both in and around the city, that it captured our attention and spirit for more than a week. We would highly recommend it as a destination.
One of the first things we did was to visit nearby Stellenbosch where there are 152 wineries producing good quality wines with great hillside views of the surrounding area. Admiring the scenery, especially at the Ernie Els vineyard where we had a patio lunch, only allowed us enough time to visit 5 wineries but we plan to return to the area if we have time at the end of our trip. That evening we were invited for drinks with our friendly hosts on their upstairs deck overlooking Cape Town and the harbour. We were joined a little later by a German couple also staying there and it turned into a late night session with an unplanned but delicious roti and potato curry dinner prepared quickly by our hostess Angela while Faizel stayed busy re-filling our wine glasses all evening. Learning about some of the struggles they faced prior to the abolition of apartheid made it even more special.
During the next two days we visited Robben Island which was used as a former leper colony and from 1961-1991 as a prison for political opponents of apartheid, including Nelson Mandela who spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars there. The tour was given by a former prisoner who spent 7 years there but has put his angry past behind him and moved forward. After that we returned to the harbour and walked around the V and A waterfront where there are many nice shops and restaurants along with several markets. Pocahontas become enamoured with an African drum (djembe), a mahogany goblet shaped device with a rope-tuned goat skin on top. She will be happy to entertain you all with it when we arrive home (good thing my hearing isn't what it used to be as she practices in our room in advance of her debut performance). The next day we hiked up to the top of Table Mountain, a very wide and flat mountain, 1085 metres above sea level, that looks like a table-top from below. The hike up the Platteslip Gorge had a steep and relentless gradient (700 metre elevation gain over 3 km's) but was not technically challenging, just lots of rock stairs to climb. Unfortunately the morning blue sky turned into a cloud table cloth on our way up so the panoramic views that we anticipated disappeared before the top but we did get some good exercise and found 3 geocaches along the way.
Another day we drove up the West Coast, the less-travelled shoreline, to see some of the sights there. At West Coast National Park we came across a tortoise street party and had to be careful dodging around the participants. We had a short beach walk with an even shorter entry and exit from the chilly Atlantic Ocean where the water temperature was under 15C. Then we arrived at St. Helena Bay, 516 years after Vasco da Gama first landed on his way to finding a new route to India for Portugal. Nearby Velddrif had hundreds of flamingos on the edge of a lagoon. Yesterday was a rainy day so we relaxed in our room and did most of the planning for our Garden Route trip which is up next. Today we walked around the downtown area visiting some of their grand old buildings and thru the lovely (Dutch East India) Company Gardens. Along the way we stopped at the Green Market Square and negotiated a win / win price for a pair of African masks to bring home with us. We finished the day with a drive up to the top of Signal Hill which has gorgeous views of the city below from all sides.
Tomorrow morning we will begin our journey along the Garden Route which runs along the coast, east of Cape Town. Small fish (sardines and anchovies for lunch) and more whales are hopefully on the horizon.
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| Cape Town - our cottage for the week. Table Mountain behind us and the city below. |
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| Stellenbosch wine region - Ernie Els winery. View from our table over lunch |
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| V&A Waterfront - restaurants, shops and markets |
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| Platteklip Gorge - hiking up Table Mountain into the clouds |
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| The best organized geocache that I ever come across - near the Cable Car Upper Station |
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| West Coast National Park - checking out the chilly Atlantic Ocean |
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| Cape Town - City Hall |
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| View from Signal Hill - white elephant Stadium |
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| Cape Town - central business district. Oil rig in upper left corner brought in for refurbishing |
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