Cape Town City Tour

As we left dinner tonight, the winding road back to Cape Cadogan allowed us stunning views of Cape Town beaming in a radiant glow of electric light nestled against the base of the mountains and curling along the sea. We had a great introduction to this beautiful city today. As we enjoyed a splendid breakfast in the hotel this morning, we were met by our guide, Doug, and driver, Graham, who engaged us in pleasant conversation until we were all ready to depart for the first activity of the day: a drive into part of Table Mountain National Park.

We stopped to lookout over the “city bowl” – so named because it is surrounded in a semi-circle by Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, and the great Atlantic stretching almost endlessly to the west. We continued a little further and came to Signal Hill, which is a jumping off point for hikes to Lion’s Head and from which we could see amazing views of Table Bay and Robben Island – where Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for 15 of his 27 year sentence. Signal Hill is named for the noon day gun which fires every day at 12 PM but originally was fired to signal to farmers to load their wagons full of produce and bring them to the harbor because ships had arrived! Doug regaled us with the history of Cape Town, beginning in the 1400’s with Portuguese sailors in search of a spice route to the east, to the first Dutch settlers and the wars between the Dutch farmers, Boers (which means farmers), and the British. The lesson continued to cover modern topics such as Apartheid and embargos against Africa which began in the 1970s and caused South Africa to be isolated until the mid-1990s when Apartheid was ended and black people were given the right to vote. Since I grew up and went to school during Apartheid while America’s sanctions against South Africa were in place, I don’t remember learning much, if anything, about South Africa or its political struggles while in school. Doug’s knowledge of South African history was truly amazing. I couldn’t have been more impressed by not only his lesson, but also his genuine passion for sharing this information and his good natured way of communicating with everyone in the group. I also was awed by the respect most South African’s have for Nelson Mandela and am interested in reading his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, which was recommended by Doug and Carmin alike.

Upon leaving Signal Hill, we headed into the city center, passing colorful Malay houses where the Muslim people were brought as slaves. We began a tour of the city where noteworthy sites were pointed out. My favorite part was when we got to get out at Green Market Square and do a little shopping. African crafts of all kind were available for purchase in this open-air market, very similar to a flea market or Mercado (being as I am from San Antonio, this is very much what it reminded me of). There were beaded wire animals, carved masks, paintings, statues of animals made of wood or stone, bags, clothing and more. We were here for a brief 20 minutes, but it was fantastic and Carmin was wonderful, leading me around and helping me understand the currency and negotiate fair prices for souvenirs.

We stopped for lunch at a quay side restaurant on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront. At Carmin’s suggestion I ordered a delicious calamari steak (blackened). I had no idea calamari steaks even existed, but I am glad I do now as it was very good.

After lunch we headed to the Two Oceans Aquarium which is featured in our family trip to Cape Town: South Africa Family Adventure Safari. I am not a fan of zoos or aquariums, so I was not looking forward to this activity and sort of hoped we’d be through the aquarium quickly. However, not long after we’d entered, I found myself interested in the sea creatures – giant rock lobsters, frightening translucent jelly fish, and fun, educational touching pools. The girl that worked at one of the touching pools explained to us the different kinds of life in the tank and encouraged Carmin and I to touch two different starfish, explaining one was an herbivore and one was a carnivore! I never would have thought a starfish would be carnivorous, though I suppose I never really thought about a starfish eating! I also felt the tendrils of a pretty purple sea anemone which, after my finger lingered too long, gave a barely noticeable poke which is its mechanism of killing and trapping prey!

We came to an atrium that housed the first African penguins I have seen! There was a lady feeding them and Rock Hopper penguins as well. They were adorable! Dennis spent a while photographing their antics. I am really looking forward to the personal encounter we’ll have with them when we kayak out to one of their colonies on Friday.

We had a mere hour of downtime at the hotel before we were off again, this time to dinner. We ate a variety of seafood at Codfather. The ordering process was truly unique. You can grab your own sushi from a rotating bar or order oysters as an appetizer. For the main course, you select from a variety of fresh fish and prawns which are displayed beneath glass and the flavor and texture of each type are explained to you by the waiter. They are then cooked and then served at your table with a variety of sauces and accompaniments. This dinner was fun, tasty, and a great way to end our introductory day in Cape Town.

Tomorrow the morning starts bright and early with a hike on the 3,300 foot Table Mountain. I am looking forward to getting out and really stretching my legs.