South Africa
Robben Island

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    • Day 11–15

      Cape Town, South Africa (week2)

      October 18, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

      Our second week in Cape Town we started to feel a bit more like locals. Ken joined the gym for a week and the coffee barista even asked if we wanted “the usual” – success!

      We took two trips to the world-famous Table Mountain: first the boys hiked up (wind delay on the gondola) and the second trip we rode the rotating gondola vertically up 2,500 ft. It’s a very unique and prominent landmark overlooking the city that we highly recommend.

      Our apartment was located on a popular promenade that rents bicycles, so on two occasions we rented bikes and rode to Camps Bay (about 5k). The boys ran back to Sea Point (uphill in the heat!).
      Everett was missing kids so we visited an indoor trampoline park. We thought, it will be great to have him meet some South African kids and maybe even make some friends that live in SA. We head to the park and guess who is the first kid he meets? Rainier, as in Mount Rainier. He is from Seattle. Can you believe it, the very first group of kids he met on the trip thus far… and his Dad even grew up few blocks away from us in Queen Anne…Crazy! We figured we would never see them again though. Three days later we lined up at the Robben Island tour (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) and who was in front of us in line? The same family! Needless to say, the kids were all happy and it made for a more enjoyable day. The actual tour included a ferry to/from the island, bus tour, and most importantly, a tour of Mandela’s cell by a former prisoner. Getting a first-hand tour from an immediate eyewitness made us realize just how recently apartheid existed.

      At the end of the week Carryn took us to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where we learned about the Cape Floral Kingdom and their unique Fynbos shrubland. After we stopped for ice cream and wine at Groot Constantia winery. That night, Ken and Carryn watched the South Africa vs England rugby world cup semi-finals – the city was on fire after a last-minute comeback. Ken knew nothing about rugby but he’s now on the bandwagon.

      Cape Town had endless, amazing food choices but we spent most our time at Mojo’s Market, Kauai and Bootleggers. We did try a few local dishes – cape malay cuisine, salmon rose sushi, and Sparletta cream soda (its green!).

      We loved you Cape Town, but it’s time to move on and venture up the coast!
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    • Day 15

      Robben Island

      January 8, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

      Der zweitletzte Tag in Kapstadt soll dem verstorbenen Präsidenten und Freiheitskämpfer Nelson Mandela gelten. Bevor Nelson Mandela Präsident wurde, verbrachte er als politischer Gefangener 27 Jahre im Gefängnis. 18 Jahre davon auf Robben Island. Das Gefängnis befindet sich auf einer Insel ca. 7 km von Cape Town entfernt und wird heutzutage nur noch zu Informationszwecken (Museum) genutzt und so aufrechterhalten.
      Die Inseltour muss über eine Organisation gebucht werden und ist nur mit dem Boot erreichbar. Die Überfahrt war von gutem Wellengang begleitet. Dort angekommen wird man von einem Guide in Empfang genommen. Die gesamte Tour dauerte 3 ½ Stunden, was für die Kids doch sehr lange war. Die Geschichte Mandelas berührt und das vor Ort besuchte Gefängnis bedrückte sehr. Insbesondere die Zellen der Insassen war beklemmend. Möbel gab es keine. Alle schliefen auf dem Boden. Wenn ich daran denke, dass ich manchmal schon bei einer «schlechten» Matratze Rückenschmerzen habe. Die Tour wurde teilweise von einem ehemaligen Gefangenen geführt. Das Martyrium während der Gefängniszeit muss furchtbar gewesen sein. Psychische wie physische Misshandlungen waren keine Seltenheit. Es war dann auch irgendwie befreiend wieder den Rückweg anzutreten.
      Die Wellen waren noch höher und der doch relativ kurze Weg zurück schien unendlich. Ennis war schlecht und wir durften ausnahmsweise hinten nach draussen sitzen gehen.
      Nathalie
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    • Day 4

      Op Robbeneiland

      November 6, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Op Robbeneiland kregen we eerst een tour per bus. Helaas was hier weinig mogelijkheid voor fotograferen. Reden langs de kust, gevangennissen, kerk en locale huisjes en kregen uitleg van een gids.
      Hierna werden we afgezet bij een gevangenis en kregen buiten het persoonlijke verhaal van een ex- politiek gevangene (zie foto)
      Hij heeft 12 jaar vastgezeten.
      Heeft daar ook Nelson Mandela ontmoet. Op het eiland heeft geen enkel iemand ooit daar zelfmoord gepleegd. Dit mede door de positieve mindset van de gevangene, ondanks de erbarmelijke omstandigheden.
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    • Day 171

      Robben Island

      March 4, 2020 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      After a few days spent surfing in Muizenberg, we head Robben Island for our final South African excursion. This was the notorious prison island used to hold political prisoners during the Apartheid era. We had learned about the struggle in Joburg, and it is hard to forget about the terrible past that still shapes present-day South African society.

      The tour is a little strange though. The tour guide seems more interested in describing modern day life on the island (the museum staff must live here) than the history. This isn't helped by the fact that a large French tour group opted to come on the English-speaking tour rather than fork out more for a private French-speaking one. This means that everything, no matter how boring or inane, has to be repeated in French, and it takes ages. There's a sense of growing discontent in the tour bus, which comes to a head when we head inside the prison. We meet our second guide, who was actually a prisoner here during apartheid. At the gates of the prison, the French tour leader asks if she can translate everything for her group. One of the English-speaking tourists pipes up- "If you have to translate everything, we won't have time to get around!". There's a murmur of agreement in discontent. The tour leader responds by invoking the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who wished for peace between nations. It seems a little ham-fisted to conflate Mandela's struggle with a tour leader's mission to save money on the trip, but hey-ho.

      Sure enough, though, we have to rush through the prison, and get about half as much information as we would otherwise. When we pass one prison cell, the guide points out that this was where Mandela was imprisoned. Cue a rush to the door of the cell, everyone armed with cameras. There's a big scrum, and despite being next to the door when the guide made the announcement, we find ourselves at the back of the crowd, unable to get a picture of what- to be honest- is just the same as any other cell in the prison.

      On the ferry back to Cape Town, Chris spots what he thinks is a shark, but he can't be sure. We'll count it.
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    • Day 35

      Maximum security prison, Robben Island

      June 10, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      When we reached the maximum security prison, we left the bus and were taken on a walking tour by a former inmate who was incarcerated in 1986 following his participation in student protests against apartheid. It was very sobering to hear his stories of the treatment they received and to see the conditions in which they lived. We were particularly moved to see the tiny cell where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison. One bright moment was to see the apple tree and the grapevine still thriving in the yard where Mandela planted them many years ago.

      After our tour, we returned to the mainland by boat. We got there too late to look around the exhibition at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, so we will have to go back another day. We headed back to the hotel, stopping on the way to have a Chinese meal for dinner. It was very good!
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    • Day 35

      Robben Island

      June 10, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Our boat trip was due to leave at 1pm, so we were there early to ensure we got a seat on the upper deck. In the event, we were late leaving as we needed oil! However, we spent the time admiring the view of Cape Town (it has to be one of the most attractive cities in the world!) and watching seals frolicking in the water. Once we got going, it was a pleasant 30-minute cruise in the sunshine across to Robben Island.

      As we approached, we were struck by how lovely the island looked with its freshly-painted houses (homes to 300 Robben Island Museum staff members and their families), a couple of churches, lots of kelp forests, and the blue waters gently lapping against the rocks on the shoreline. There was little to prepare us for the island’s notorious history.

      Robben Island, meaning ‘seal island’ in Dutch, is a South African National Heritage Site, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located at the entrance to Table Bay, 11 kilometres from Cape Town, the island was discovered by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 and later used by Portuguese, Dutch, and English navigators as a refuelling station. Since the end of the seventeenth century, Robben Island has been used as a prison, mainly to incarcerate political prisoners. It was also used as a leper colony and animal quarantine station. During the second world war, the island was fortified as part of Cape Town’s defences.

      In 1961, the South African government began using Robben Island as a prison once more, both for convicted common criminals and political activists. The maximum security prison for political prisoners closed in 1991. The medium security prison for criminal prisoners was closed five years later.

      Today, Robben Island operates as a living museum and wildlife conservation area. There is a colony of African penguins on the island, but we didn’t see any of them. The only wildlife we saw was a leopard tortoise, which I had to ask some young boys not to touch!

      When we landed on the island, its purpose as a prison was immediately obvious with high concrete walls and barbed wire much in evidence. We were transferred to buses and taken on a 45-minute tour of the island. Our guide on the bus was very informative, although we struggled to hear him at times due to several annoying Indian tourists behind us who wouldn’t stop talking! He pointed out the churches and the island’s graveyard, which includes a lepers’ section. He also showed us the former prison governor’s house, which now serves as a conference centre. We stopped to see the view of Table Mountain from the island and used the facilities which are in a building built as a pub for prison warders! We also paused to look at the lime quarry, where prisoners were subject to hard labour, resulting in many of them suffering sight loss due to a combination of lime dust and bright sunshine. Our final stop before visiting the prison was to see the house where Robert Sobukwe, founder and first president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), was kept in solitary confinement for six years.
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    • Day 5

      Robben Island - Stellenbosch

      December 10, 2022 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      Tag 4 stand zunächst im Zeichen der Bildung. Gestärkt in unserem Place to go Cushty ging es zur V&A Waterfront, wo wir das Auto in einem Parkhaus für 7h und unglaubliche 1,38€ Parkgebühr abgestellt haben. Mit dem Schiff ging es dann ca 40 min auf die Robben Island, die Gefängnis Insel, auf der auch Nelson Mandela 26 Jahre gefangen war. Dort angekommen wurden wir zum Bus eskortiert, in dem uns ein Tourguides begrüßt und die Rundfahrt mit der Geschichte der Insel begleitet hat. Beim zweiten Teil der Tour konnten wir dann das Gefängnis betreten. Die Tour wurde von einem ehemaligen politischen Häftling geführt, der 18 Jahre auf Robben Island gefangen war und uns einiges über den Alltag der Gefangenen erzählt hat. Über Gemeinschaftsräume, den Gefängnishof etc. ging es dann noch an Nelson Mandela‘s Zelle vorbei. Anschließend ging es mit 1h Verspätung mit dem Boot wieder nach Kapstadt. Nach kurzem Schlendern durch die Mall haben wir uns dann zu unserer nächsten Station aufgemacht, Südafrikas berühmte Weinregion Stellenbosch.

      Nach ca. 30 min auf der Autobahn ging es dann mitten in die Weinberge, begleitet von einem majestätischen Blick auf das Jonkershoek National Reserve. Über enge und unbefestigte Erdstraßen, umringt von wunderschönen Bäumen und Pflanzen wurden wir dann zu unserer Unterkunft geleitet. Der Ausblick auf die Weinregion mit den Bergen im Hintergrund ist unschlagbar.

      Zum Dinner ging’s dann nochmal nach Stellenbosch rein, bevor wir den Abend dann mit viel Müdigkeit im Gepäck sehr früh beendet haben.
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    • Day 4

      Robben Island

      June 10, 2010 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

      http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

      Well, as if yesterday wasnt awesome enough, today was another inspiring and breathtaking day.
      It started off with an early trip to Robben Island via a ferry from the Waterfront.
      Seems the prices of cabs in this town are totally random... my trip to the Waterfront cost more than it did to travel double the distance to the city centre yesterday... odd.
      In any case, the ferry ride was great. The trip provided some fantastic views of Cape Town. It was icy up on top of the ferry, but worth it for the views.
      Robben Island itself was well worth the journey. We boarded buses for a guided tour of the Island. The tour guide was fantastic, providing a comprehensive account of the history, facts and significance of the island as a leper colony, barracks, and finally prison. The tour of the prison block itself was really powerful, especially as the tour guide for that part was himself, an ex-political prison who did 6 years there.

      I also met a couple of nice guys from India on this tour, one a Holland supporter, and one supporting Paraguay (understandable, given India wont be at the world cup any time soon).
      Subsequent to Robben Island I'd planned to accompany Matt and Dave to a winery, but it fell through.

      Plan B turned out to be a trip up table mountain with VJ and CJ.
      Table Mountain was incredible... we went up at 2pm and came down after sunset, just before 6. I could have spent even more time up there. The views from every angle are breathtaking. You could just take a photo at random, and it would be a stunner.
      Additionally awesome were these little mouse-mole critters I found up there... who werent shy on posing.
      After hours of walks on the mountain top, and some dinner and drinks with amazing views, we eventually headed down.
      I think to myself, after the last couple of days, how can things continue to be this exciting and enjoyable. Then I remind myself... the World Cup starts tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    • Day 93

      Robben island - Le Cap -

      November 15, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Robbeniland, l'Alcatraz d'Afrique du Sud: prison située sur une île (île des phoques si on traduit du hollandais) dans laquelle entre autres Nelson Mandela a passé 27 ans de sa vie. A sa sortie, il avait 71 ans et est devenu un symbole de liberté et de paix pour son pays.

      On y va en bateau et une bonne demi-heure plus tard, on débarque sur cette île chargée d'histoire. On y visite les différents endroits comme la carrière dans laquelle travaillaient les prisonniers, les bâtiments où certains prisonniers étaient en isolement complet (dont Nelson Mandela au début), la prison principale, les cellules, la cour...C'est un ancien prisonnier politique (1984-1990) qui nous fait la visite!!! En tout, c'est une visite (avec aller -retour) de 3,5 heures!

      Pour plus de détails et d'informations: RDV sur https://www.myatlas.com/ConfettiEnVoyage/afriqu…
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    • Day 21

      Robben Island

      November 27, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Mit meiner Mitbewohnerin und Ellemijn ging es dann an die Warerfront um von dort auf nach Robben Island zu fahren! Mit der Fähre führen wir auf die Insel und wurden dort von Bussen empfangen. Wir hatten dann eine geführte Tour durch das Gefängnis und haben uns danach noch die Insel geguckt und auf der wohnen tatsächlich Menschen! Auf der Rückfahrt wurde ich leider ein bisschen seekrank aber ich hab's überlebt 😂 abends sind wir dann noch essen gegangen. Ein letztes Bobotei...Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Robben Island, Robbeneiland, جزيرة روبن, Ynys Robben, Insulo Robben, Isla Robben, Robben Uhartea, جزیره روبن, Robbeneilân, Illa Robben, Otok Robben, רובן איילנד, रोबेन द्वीप, Robben-sziget, Pulau Robben, Robben-eyja, ロベン島, რობენი, 로벤 섬, Robena, റോബൻ ദ്വീപ്, रोब्बेन टापु, Ilha Robben, Роббенэйланд, ராபன் தீவு, เกาะโรบเบิน, Роббенайланд, Đảo Robben, Robben island, Erékùṣù Robben, 羅本島

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