Big City Cape Town

We finally got to fly in a normal sized plane as we made our way from Botswana to Cape Town South Africa. We were now entering the big city. The Table Mountain fog, cooler air, interesting architecture, focus on good food and proximity to wine country reminded me of San Francisco.
After seeing real elephants, it was fun to be greeted by an elephant made of beads and wire. This is a traditional craft in SA that has been modernized. The elephant represents a local liquor, Amarula, which tastes like amaretto.

Huge beaded Amarula elephant

Our hotel was across the street from the bustling Cape Town port and was  built around the original city well and the holding cells for prisoners en route to Robben Island 300 years ago. We could see, and did go to, Robben Island in the near distance.

The Victoria and Albert (V&A) waterfront was like a modern, high end, San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf. There were marinas for locals and businesses, large docks for container ships, tour boats, fishing boats; a wide variety of restaurants that included some of the best in the city, bars, galleries, jewelry stores and nice souvenir shops, clothing stores and even a huge ferris wheel.  Because crime is so bad in South Africa, this location hires their own security guards. It seems that the locals don't trust the local police.

When we ventured to the waterfront, we found all kinds of entertainment including, always fun, South African singers.

local singers/dancers. Think Paul Simon's Graceland

city fog on Table Mountain

We planned our Saturday around a visit to Woodstock area of the city. It used to be a factory district and included a biscuit mill.  This area is now all about food, drink and galleries. Saturdays host the Neighborgoods Market where local vendors set up booths to sell their unique foods and drinks. The Turk and I were in food heaven!  Food representing regions across the globe was at our calling. Each booth hosted by someone from a different country, truly representing the population of Cape Town.  Needless to say, we ate our way through Saturday.

All that is right about hummus

proteas are the national flower

these are actually huge pieces - all sold out within 2 hours

this bread also sold out in 2 hours 

paella was popular. 3 big trays cooking at a time

Its all about the avocado!

mushroom skewers - we enjoyed these

vendor making the dish for her customer

entertainment the whole time

specialized gin & tonics

ostrich shwarma anyone?

Just walking around the waterfront and the factory district we always found interesting things.

Table Mountain in rare no-fog view

more entertainment at the port

 The city at night was beautiful, as long as you were at the port. Elsewhere, it was a bit sketchy.  We went out one evening to explore restaurants down what we understood would be a busy street. Apparently no so busy on a Sunday evening. 

While we had wonderful tapas at a Spanish restaurant, the other places were closed and the street was quiet. We walked down areas that I knew were busy in the day, but they were boarded up.  We walked over to Long Street which reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It was a bit quiet, but at least there were people walking in and out of bars.  

We tried a brewery that had an extensive and informative menu. But by that time, the Turk was tired. So we called our hotel cab to pick us up and bring us home. The driver was a bit surprised that we were walking around that area. We were happy to get back to our safe haven!

Turk outgrowls the lion

meeting the local animals

I found it interesting the number of topknots worn by men in Cape Town.!

One evening we walked over to Cape Grace Hotel at the waterfront to go into the basement - Bascule Whisky Bar.  Here we had the devoted attention of two bar tenders ready to help us taste and select a whisky to our liking. What a fun late night thing to do. 

clock tower-original port captains office from 1882

circus people on left, tribe people on right

clock tower with moving bridge. Bridge moves 180 degrees to let boats through

V&A waterfront ferris wheel at sunset

Near our hotel was Nobel Park with bronze statues of the 4 Nobel Peace Prize laureates from South Africa: Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former State President F.W. de Klerk and former President Nelson Mandela. In total, there are 11 Nobel Prize recipients from South Africa.

Our city tour from Hop On Hop Off Bus, taking us to Table Mountain and back to our hotel.

Silo hotel with top floor bar - most popular!

1896 house in city

Old...

And new

Dutch style home near Woodstock

Table Mountain on a clear day

easy way up

Table Mountain towers over Cape Town and, with surrounding mountains with names like Lions Head and Twelve Apostles, help to define Cape Town.  Our goal was to hike up Table one morning, but when we realized the temperature was soaring to over 100 degrees, we decided on the cable car. Little did we know that we had 2 1/2 hour wait, in the sun, to ride up! But once on top, the weather was cooler, very clear, and stunning. I could have spent the day hiking and looking.  The reason for the long wait? It is not typical to have such a clear day, and since it was Sunday, EVERYONE decided to go to Table Mountain. 

part of the walking trail up the mountain-we didnt do!

Lions Head,  and Robben Island in the distance

view of Cape Town from top

What's a dassie?

THESE are dassies!

more wildlife at Table Mountain

surprisingly rough terrain at top

lots of wild flowers due to fog moisture, tho Cape Town was in 5 year drought

Turk at the top

View from Table Mountain

entrance gate

For me and the Turk, a trip to Robben Island was important, so we hopped a ferry from the waterfront and headed to the island. This island has been a prison island for hundreds of years. Today, it is most famous internationally as one of the prisons the housed Nelson Mandela from 1964 to 1982. Our tour of the actual prison was given by a former political inmate. His perspective was interesting. He was incarcerated at the age of 19 and stayed in the prison several years before all of the prisoners were released with the start of apartheid.  This prison is credited with forming Mandela's views and educating him, ultimately in preparation of his leadership.

Today, there is a community of workers and families who live on the island. The school recently closed, so the children take the ferry to Cape Town each day to go to school.

view of Table Mountain over Cape Town. Reminds me of looking at San Francisco from Alcatraz

Many penguins on the island

Entrance to one of the prison buildings

South Africa has many languages: English because of the British occupation, Africans from the Dutch occupation,  but also many tribal languages.

Group prison room

Before Apartheid, only English and Afrikaner were recognized. Afterwards, five tribal languages were added to the official languages of the country, making it 7 official languages.

Anyone going to school, below university, must wear a uniform. And they must pay for that uniform. Poor families struggle to meet this expense. Without a uniform, a child may not attend school.

Our guide

Nelson Mandela's cell

Prison walls

cemetery for lepers