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Company's Garden

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    • TravelerVirgin Cruise
      Day 17

      Day 1 on Sea to South Africa

      April 11 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

      Spent all morning organising Shore Things for next leg Cape Town to Barcelona. Afternoon of trivia. Only players for Pop Quiz. Easy win. Early night for Tracey to get over flu. Heading into a storm. Could be a wild night.Read more

    • TravelerScott & Rob World Cruise 2024
      Day 93

      Cape Town, South Africa Apr 10th

      April 10 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

      Today we landed in Cape Town, South Africa. Our excursion today is to see as much as we can since we'll only have one day here.
      We left for an hour and a half drive through the city and all the hotels, down town and shopping areas. There is a mountain range called the Table Top Mountains that is a horse shoe shaped range that shields the bay. We headed out to the Cape Peninsula and Cape Point. The Cape of Good Hope is the southwestern most point in the African continent.
      We drove along the Atlantic seaboard to Camps bay and then toward Hout Bay. The drive is called the Chapman's Peak Drive because it winds high in mountain range overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and miles of beaches and granite rock shores below. The water is very blue.
      We saw Baboons along the way. They are pesky, dig in the trash bins and are actually very strong and dangerous if you try to get close to them. We saw them from the bus, so that worked out OK.
      Our first stop was the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where we stopped for pictures and visited the lighthouse. To get up to the lighthouse we rode a funicular (vey steep train) to the top of the Cape Point cliff where the lighthouse was built to warn ships. There were great views of the lighthouse, cliffs, rocky seashore and blue water below.
      Our next stop was the Boulders Beach African penguin colony. They are blue penguins native to Africa. Who knew??? We walked along the boardwalk and had up close views of all the penguins. They didn't seem to care at all that we were around.
      We then had a scenic drive along the Boyes Drive road to Kalk Bay, Mutzenberg and False Bay. The landscape was more hilly and scattered with iron and granite boulders. It looked a lot like Big Bend Park in Texas and very different from the coastal mountain areas we passed through along the way out..
      Our last stop was the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden for a walking tour with our guide. It has over 4,500 species of indigenous plants. It was nice to get out into nature today with all the sun, cool weather and fresh air. A nice change from the filtered, air conditioned air in the ship.
      Then back to the ship to prepare for leaving. We were the last tour to arrive back since we had the longest tour of them all.      Read more

    • TravelerAfrican Spirit
      Day 2

      Wine tasting day

      January 11 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Magical weather, magical day. Bonga picks us up after a delicious breakfast looking at Table Mountain. The trip is perfect, loving the South African scenery and the wines at Fairview are surprisingly delicious with a cheese tasting that compliments the experience. We are pinching ourselves a bit. This is incredible. Max and I love the Voigner wine but all of them are such good value. An idyllic setting for wine tasting really recommend!
      Lunch is delicious in a beautiful winery by the tram line. Prawns, trout, salad and more wine - perfect. Max and Ian are great company and we discuss how we all met our partners and fill in any gaps. Off to the breathtaking view from the mountains. Wine and chocolate pairing at another idyllic setting followed by a short walk through Stellenbosch and the excursion draws to an end. We all agree that it’s one of our best excursion days. We are tired but have a nice time chatting over dinner in the hotel over more drinks. To the ship tomorrow- what a perfect day!      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 3

      A Windy Weekend

      January 28, 2023 in South Africa

      Originally the plan was to hike up Table Mountain today. But unfortunately the weather turned for the worse, with horizontal rain and super strong winds of 70+km/h, with the frequent gusts often exceeding these speeds.

      So instead, we made it a relaxed morning and decided to try to get some work done instead so we are more flexible during the weekdays. We got quite literally blown away when we decided to walk back to our place.

      In the evening, Arlett and I tried out an Ethiopian restaurant that did not disappoint. Great food 😋      Read more

    • TravelerFebruary 2023
      Day 24

      Blackouts & Barbed Wire

      February 24, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

      Why is South Africa so crime ridden? For starters, the unemployment rate varies from 25 to 44% throughout the country. Many people are desperate.

      Everywhere we go, houses and apartment complexes are ringed with electric fences, barbed wire, and security plaques warning of an “armed response.”

      Although SA sells electricity to seven other African nations, they don’t have enough electricity to meet their own needs, and despite the abundance of sun and wind, they remain dependent on coal and Russian oil rather than gain energy independence by embracing solar and wind power on a large scale.

      As one guide put it, “South African people do not have the government that we deserve. They tell us it is too expensive to shift to green energy, but really it’s because certain politicians line their pockets at the expense of citizens. It is a very corrupt system.”

      SA’s energy situation translates as rolling blackouts for its citizens. Today, for instance, our guide informed us that electricity would be cut from noon until 2pm, 6pm until 10pm, and again from midnight until 6am.

      The electricity outages vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and from day to day. The exact schedule can be found on an app.

      Shopkeepers find this frustrating, of course, especially the ones who can’t afford generators or solar panels. They lose a lot of business, obviously, and,”When the power is off, it makes them ripe for criminals.”

      A hairdresser told our friend that she hates living here now because of how bad the crime has gotten. Even some of our tour guides quietly told us that while they love their country, they would move away if they could.

      Even though America is far from perfect, it certainly makes me aware of how lucky I am to live in the USA. Travel is a good eye opener.      Read more

    • Südafrika
      1
      Day 2

      Ankunft Kapstadt

      March 23, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      Nach der Ankunft um 7 das Auto geholt und nach Kapstadt zum Frühstück gefahren.
      Die Unterkunft konnten wir dann mittags beziehen, und ein kleiner Nachbar wollte nur langsam über die Straße.
      Abends musste dann erstmal das gute südafrikanische Fleisch getestet werden. Immer noch so gut wie damals 👌🏼😀      Read more

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    • Overlanding Through Africa
      Day 30

      Historic walking tour of Cape Town

      June 5, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      After our boat trip, we were both cold and in need of a coffee. However, there was a bus just about to leave, so we decided to get on it and grab a coffee when we got to Long Street. It only takes about 10 minutes from the waterfront to the centre of town, so we didn’t have long to wait to get warm! We went to the café which is a part of the City Sightseeing office, and had coffee and pastries. Both were very welcome!

      We then had a bit of time to kill before our free historic walking tour of Cape Town. While we were waiting, I got a message from Timo, who has been staying at Never@Home in Kloof Street since the tour ended on Saturday. He knows that we are booked in there from next weekend and wanted to warn us that it was a real ‘party place’ with a DJ playing loud music from 3pm to midnight every day! He said there are no quiet areas in the whole place. We decided to ask if we can switch our booking and stay at Green Point for the whole time we’re in Cape Town.

      Our walking tour started promptly at 1pm. Our guide was Sheldon, a native of the Woodstock neighbourhood of Cape Town. He was incredibly knowledgeable and wanted to impart all of the facts he had to hand in the limited time he had available. The result was that he spoke really quickly and wasn’t always easy to understand! Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the tour and will retrace our steps at some point before we leave the city to visit all of the places on the route that Sheldon recommended! Some of the highlights were:

      • St. George’s Cathedral, where Desmond Tutu is buried
      • A trendy food market in an old newspaper printing office
      • Pure white squirrels in the Company Gardens!
      • City Hall with its statue of Nelson Mandela
      • The library where Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 21st birthday
      • District Six and its museum
      • Charley’s Bakery
      • Truth Coffee
      • A piece of the Berlin Wall
      • Maria’s Kitchen – we need to go back for a Gatsby!
      • The Race Classification Board
      • The damaged Houses of Parliament

      After the walk, we tipped Sheldon appropriately, unlike most of the others who gave him 50 rand (about £2.50!). It was clearly stated that he doesn’t earn except if we tip him. For us, we had a very enjoyable two hours and were more than happy to pay for it.      Read more

    • Overlanding Through Africa
      Day 37

      St. George's Cathedral

      June 12, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      I had a sleepless night due to the heavy rain and the storm raging outside. Mark slept like a log! 😊
      Despite an iffy weather forecast, we headed out after breakfast to walk to the centre of downtown Cape Town. It only takes about 30 minutes, and we managed to get there in the dry. Once there, we retraced the steps we took with Sheldon last Monday as we wanted to take more photos and go into some of the places he’d recommended.

      Our first stop was at St George’s Cathedral, where Desmond Tutu served as archbishop from 1986 to 1996. His ashes are interred in front of the high altar. We were hoping to see the memorial stone, but that area of the cathedral is out of bounds to visitors.

      St George's Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in southern Africa. The original St George's Church was built in the style of St Pancras Church in London, featuring six stone pillars whose places are marked today by oak trees on the cathedral steps. It opened at Christmas 1834 and was made a cathedral in 1847 in anticipation of the arrival of the first Anglican Bishop in Africa, Robert Gray. However, he didn't like it. LBoth Bishop Gray and his successor William West Jones wanted a grander cathedral, but neither lived to see it built.

      The current building was designed by the famous architect Herbert Baker. The foundation stone was laid in 1901 by the future King George V, but construction did not begin until 1906. The main part of the cathedral was completed in 1936, the Lady Chapel was finished in 1963, and the Bell Tower was added as recently as 1978. The cathedral remains a work-in-progress, with plans to add a Chapter House.

      The cathedral is in the gothic style and is a classic cruciform building, with a courtyard garden, which includes a labyrinth. There is some stunning stained glass within the building, as well as plaques to commemorate visits by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1995, and the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in 2011. We were following in illustrious footsteps!      Read more

    • Overlanding Through Africa
      Day 37

      Company's Garden

      June 12, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      From the Cathedral, we revisited the Company’s Garden, the oldest garden in South Africa. It was first created as a refreshment station for the trade route that rounded the tip of Africa between Europe and the east. Ships sent by the Dutch East India Company would stop by after months at sea and stock up on fresh produce grown in the garden, hence ‘The Company's Garden’. Master gardener Hendrik Boom prepared the first ground for sowing on 29 April 1652. The settlers sowed different kinds of seeds and kept detailed records each day. Through trial and error, they managed to compile a calendar which they used for the sowing and harvesting throughout the year. At first they grew salad herbs, peas, large beans, radish, beet, spinach, wheat, cabbage, asparagus, and turnips among others. They caught fish, trapped wild animals and traded with the Khoisan people for cattle and sheep in exchange for copper and tobacco. By 1653, the garden allowed the settlers to become self-sustainable throughout the year. By 1658, nearly every garden plant of Europe and India was already cultivated in the garden, though potatoes and maize were not yet introduced.

      Before 1680, the Company's Garden was mainly used to produce vegetables, but then Simon van der Stel redesigned the ground with the aim of beautifying the garden. Later, the garden was made famous by writers of various nationalities, who extolled its virtues, claiming that visitors who had seen the most celebrated gardens of Europe and India were agreed that nowhere else in the world had such a great variety of trees, shrubs, vegetables, and flowers in one place.

      Today, the garden is home to various statues and memorials, including ones of Cecil John Rhodes, Field Marshal General Jan Christian Smuts, and Major General Sir Henry Timson Lukin. It is also where you will find a surprisingly large number of pure white squirrels! The much more common grey squirrel, which is indigenous to North America, was introduced to Cape Town by Cecil John Rhodes at the beginning of the 20th century. In the past century or so, a mutation of albino squirrels has emerged. We were really surprised when we saw the first one and rushed to take photos of it. By the time we’d seen 30 or 40 of them, we quickly became blasé about them 😊.      Read more

    • TravelerZuiderlijk Afrika
      Day 26

      Dag 26 laatste dag Kaapstad

      October 27, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Vandaag is de laatste dag van dit prachtige avontuur. S ochtends pak ik wat extra tijd om rustig me klaar te maken. We hebben geen programma maar met ene paar mensen wel een paar leuke dingen bedacht om te doen vandaag.
      Ik pak mn koffer voor de laatste keer in, alles moet erin voor de vliegreis vanavond.
      We vertrekken rond 11en met een groepje de binnenstad in. We gaan naar een museum er zijn er verschillende bij elkaar van het Iziko; we kiezen voor het natuur historisch museum ( er is er ook een met een kunst collectie en een over slavernij. We willen ze allemaal wel doen maar hebben maar beperkt tijd).
      Het museum is prachtig en zeer groot, het doet denken aan een zeer uitgebreid Naturalis maar dan groter. Het bevat 4 verdiepingen. We zien heel veel ( opgezette) dieren en skelleten. Ook veel dieren die we eerder gedurende de reis van iets verder hebben gezien zien we nu van heel dichtbij waardoor het formaat nog indrukwekkender is.
      Ook zijn er fossielen en muren mer wandschilderingen. Het is echt een prachtig museum.
      Nadat we hier hebben rondgelopen looen we wat door het vlakbij gelegen park wat ook prachtig is. Kaapstad is echt een prachtige stad. We drinken koffie en kopen wat souvenirs bij een heel leuk zaakje met allemaal lokale lekkernijen en spulletjes. Dan pakken we de taxi naar de wijk Waterfront waar we met twee andere reisgenoten hebben afgeproken voor de lunch. We luchen bij een superleuke zaak met lekkere tapas en sluiten af met een Dom Pedro gewoon omdat het kan. De ober lijkt op Lionell Richie in zijn toptijd en pakt alle witte vrouwen zoals wij helemaal in. De hele stad is deze dagen in de ban van het WK rugby. De Springbokken ( het Zuid Afrikaanse team) heeft zich in de finale geplaatst. Morgen is de beslissende strijd en overal kleurt het donkergroen met geel en zie je er reclame van. De middag blijven we hier in het Waterfront. Ik ga met een klein groepje ook nog in het reuzenrad ( niet zo groot als die in Londen maar op zich wel leuk) om het uitzicht over de stad te zien.
      Daarna hebben we nog even tijd om te shoppen. We gaan nog een paar winkels in en ik koop allemaal onmisbare dingen waar ik echt niet zonder kan (:p) en dan is het tegen het einde van de middag tijd om terug te gaan naar het hotel. Ruim op tijd verzamelen we in de lobby en dan worden we naar het vliegveld gebracht. We hangen rond in de tax free en drinken nog maar wat bier. Dan gaan we rond 23.00 het vliegtuig in terug naar Nederland....      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Company's Garden

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