Cape Town, South Africa

You would think we would be a little used to new experiences, but the sheer beauty and drama as we sailed into Cape Town made us feel as excited as ever. Knowing we had 3 full days here was thrilling! Our arrival was even punctuated by a beautiful double rainbow.
The first day was spent orienting ourselves to the layout of the city. There is a very convenient “hop on, hop off” double-decker bus that has numerous routes available. We visited a “slave lodge” that housed a horrific number of slaves and learned more about the horrors of the slave trade. The ship held an event that featured a high tea at a lovely restored hotel. There was a very unique trio that featured an electric cello and violin as well as a singer and a saxophonist - all women who stood in the center of the room in various poses while performing! Table mountain cleared and was out in it’s full glory(without it’s “tablecloth”) by late afternoon.
Day 2 started on the “hop on, hop off” bus and took us to the wine region near Cape Town. We stopped at the Eagle’s Nest winery for our Easter brunch of wine, cheese, baguette and various meats. It was a divine morning with sun, a slight breeze and 72 degrees. It could not have been a more beautiful day.
After touring till mid afternoon, we took a ferry to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held imprisoned for 18 years in shorts, short-sleeved shirt and no shoes - and it was cold and windy. I can’t imagine his experience in their winter. The most intriguing thing about the tour was that it was guided by a former prisoner - he was able to give a viewpoint that was very personal.
Dinner was at a restaurant that featured many local African dishes and music. Jeff enjoyed the most unusual things he could find on the menu such as fried worms (yes, they were segmented caterpillars that were squishy in the middle), warthog, springbok and ostrich carpaccio, and springbok stew. The rest of us stuck with the vegetarian/pasta options.
Day 3 was a trip to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day for our trip - sunny, warm and clear. We visited a penguin preserve and ended the day at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We could have spent a week there, but only had a short time before needing to get back to the ship. There are a multitude of plants that grow in South Africa, but 68% of them only grow in South Africa.
It was a truly unique place that it would be nice to spend some additional time in to learn more about what makes it tick.
The first photo is of Table Mountain with Cape Town in the foreground.
The second photo is the Cape of Good Hope.
The third photo is the dinner menu one night - hhmmmm.Read more