Tuesday 24th April
Cape Town, situated on Table Bay on the Atlantic shore of the Cape Peninsula. Cape Town the second most populous city of South Africa remains the ‘Mother City’ for South Africans. The city surrounds the lively Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Its landmark Table Mountain has been a beacon to mariners for centuries and nearby is Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Just off the coast, in Table Bay, is Robben Island famous as the prison where Nelson Mandela was held.
Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language followed by Xhosa and then English.
This morning berthed in CapeTown, the perfect spot for great views over the city and of Table Mountain. Unfortunately just a bit cloudy, cloud base all the way down to the mid-floors of the local tower blocks! Also cooler and some rain around.
View of Table Mountain, we think!
Soon ashore to join our tour, a bit better organised today so no delays. Away through the town, lots of nice houses protected with barbed wire and electric fences. Many itinerant workers standing on corners waiting for work, these apparently used to be undereducated South Africans, but since improved local education they are now immigrants from outside South Africa. Also many “townships” to house them have sprung up around town, many very close to quite desirable properties.
A Township
Once out of town drove along the Atlantic Coast, around Cape Bay and on via Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Weather improving all the time, quite different this side of the mountains, looking good for at least this part of the trip. Spectacular road carved out of steep cliffs. Followed by a photo stop on the sea shore at the Cape of Good Hope.
Lots of seabirds around plus just one Eland up in the bush.
An Eland
Continued through the this part of the Table Mountain National Park to Cape Point. Here we took the Flying Dutchman funicular up the overview point. From the top just a few steps up to the lighthouse and a chance to see two oceans meeting.
Looking Back toward the Cape of Good Hope
Looking out over Cape Point
Some Local Colour
Back down for lunch at the Two Oceans restaurant. Very nice restaurant with excellent views. The view mainly out over False Bay, named because in the days of sail ships clearing the point which made them believe they had rounded the Horn, but they hadn’t, the ships would then get trapped in the bay by the Southerly winds, and there are lots of rocks for the unwary.
Back on the coach and off again.
Baboons
Passing several troops of Baboons in the park and then Ostrich farms just outside the park, continued to Boulder Beach and it’s African Penguin colony (they used to be Jackass Penguins but they didn’t like the name so they got it changed). Lots of very sweet little Penguins with offspring all the way from eggs to fluffy chicks bigger than their parents, what a wonderful beach to live on, very fine silver sand, clear turquoise sea and really nice decorative boulders, a great spot.
Apart from a very quick shower here as we arrived, the day has turned out very warm and sunny.
On again to circle round False Bay through lots of nice little suburbs, like Simon’s Town and Fish Hoek, many very popular with retired Cape Towners looking to get away from the city.
Driving back towards Cape Town we moved back into the poor weather, much cloudier and wetter. Luckily the next stop was at the winery for our wine tasting experience. Five splashes of local wine to keep us going.
Back into town to check if the weather had improved allowing us to reach at least the lower cable car station, unfortunately it had not and we had to abort this visit. Instead went to visit Signal Hill, another overview spot. Misty views as we were driving up the road. Followed this with a short walk down in the hopes views outside the coach might be better than through the windows. However, cloud thickening and rain starting, so could’t see anything, so soon abandoned the trip and back on the coach to return to the ship.
View Down over Cape Town from Signal Hill
Overnight in CapeTown, but a wet evening prevented any ideas of getting into town, so a dinner in the Lido and a hope for better tomorrow
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