Goeie Dag Byoodefel Cape Town
Cape Town from the top of the Table Mountain
“Visit Cape Town and history is never far from your grasp. It lingers in the air, a scent on the breeze, an explanation of circumstance that shaped the Rainbow People. “ - Tahir Shah
South Africa is not just black or white it consists of a lot of other communities like Indian, Malay, Chinese who were all brought here as slaves giving birth to a term first used by Desmond Tutu and later by Nelson Mandela ~ “A Rainbow Nation”. Cape Town is the oldest and second most populous city in South Africa, definitely a rainbow city with it’s beauty, culture and dark roots.
One thing that was impressed on us even as we landed at the airport was how dangerous the city was for tourists. The streets are dangerous after dark and there are cases of mugging and robberies of careless tourists. On one evening six of us decided to grab dinner at a restaurant around the block from our hotel. The concierge was a bit uncomfortable that we chose to walk even though it was less than a 2 minute walk. Clearly we came to no harm or else you would not be reading this post.
A great evening experience we enjoyed, The “Daily Music Show'“ is more than a normal evening of South African dance and music, it is an immersion into the culture in a very moving and compelling way as the performers relate poems, tell stories and sing songs about what it means to be “colored” in South Africa.
Unfortunately a visit to Robben’s island requires advance planning and booking which we neglected to do so we were out of luck to walk in Mr. Mandela’s footsteps but we did get to visit the balcony from which Mr. Mandela made his first speech after 27 years of imprisonment.
The history and culture of Cape Town is rich the symbols of slavery, apartheid and freedom. Our morning started with a visit to The Slave Lodge, built in the late 1600s where 100,000 or more slaves were housed, bought and sold. Today it serves as a museum which examines the practices of slavery across the world with a focus on South Africa. The “rainbow” population of Cape Town is a result of it’s historic origins that were born here.
The colorful homes in Bo Kaap are a part of the areas history of displacement and discrimination during the apartheid when those labelled “Indian” and “colored” were moved here. Today it servers primarily to house those of Malay and Muslim origin.
Arch for Arch commemorates the life and work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was the first black African clergyman to hold the bishopric of Johannesburg and then Cape Town. An anti-apartheid and human rights activist he sought to fuse black theology with African theology and preach a message of non violence.
The famous balcony from which Nelson Mandela delivered his first speech after his freedom from imprisonment.
“Each of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world" - Nelson Mandela
Victoria and Albert waterfront is a trendy spot with hotels, restaurants and live music in the evenings. We came here during the day to check out the ferries to Robben’s island but alas no tickets were to be had. However we did enjoy an evening here eating, drinking, strolling and listening to the music.
The Table Mountain has a profound impact on the climate and vegetation of the surrounding area housing 20% of the flora for Africa when it occupies only 0.5% of total land in Africa.
If you are a hiking you can certainly hike up to the summit but we took the cable car. We were lucky that the high winds on the day of the visit died down just enough for to be able to summit and come back down. We were definitely at the right place at the right time that day.
The views from the top are incredible, it would have definitely been pretty disappointing to come all this way and not make it to the top so we sent our thanks to the wind gods.
Beautiful beaches and ocean views dominate the Peninsular drive from Cape Town to the cape of Good Hope. I personally felt like I was transported back home to California and was driving along the Pacific Coast Highway. Thankfully the Dutch names and a few pinches reminded me that I truly was in a different continent half way around the world. Perhaps it was the lunch stop where we ate exotic food and I bought hand carved giraffes for my grandson.
The Lighthouse at Cape Point helping ships stay safe as they round the African continent. There is a funicular that brings you to this point from the parking lot but if you have an abundance of energy you can climb up and enjoy the views of the ocean and cape point.
I have been fortunate enough to round “brooding” Cape Horn at the tip of South America and while I have not rounded Cape Of Good Hope also known as the cape of storms I have had the privilege to visit this southern tip of Africa at where the Indian and Atlantic oceans come together. Technically the actual point is Cape Agulhas but let’s not quibble here at the brilliant marketing ploy that all the history and geography books have attested to.
What an incredible way to celebrate my birthday standing at the tip of the African continent on this bright sunny day nary a storm in sight. Little did I know about the biggest storm heading our way that would bring the entire world to a grinding halt a scant six months later.
PPPPenguins? Buuuuuut I thought they lived in cold climes. I am sure that I saw them on my Cape Horn Odyssey. How did they get here to South Africa? This is boulder beach and it is indeed populated by cape penguins.
We came to the city cutting across the interior which allowed us to make a stop at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. I believe this is one place where I might have enjoyed myself in the gift shop even more than the garden going crazy over some of the one of kind scented candles, soaps and lotions.
With it’s Mediterranean climate and fertile land, the region around Stellenbosch became a wine lover’s paradise. As early as the 1650s the original Dutch settlers were cultivating grapes but it wasn’t until French Huguenot settlers moved into this valley that it became known for it’s wines. Clearly a trip to the Cape region would be incomplete without a stop in Stellenbosch and tasting some of the wonderful wines produced it this region.
We did several wine tastings that day but sipping wine in the outdoors with flowers blooming and under shady trees was a beautiful experience.
We started our morning here at this beautiful winery with it’s cheese and wine pairings. God Bless! our tour director who also bought us freshly baked breads to try. Not only was the wine tasting so very cost effective but the wines especially the whites were superb.
We were surprised at how cheap the wine was especially converted to American dollars and took full advantage of the quality and price to taste with our dinners every opportunity we had.