Today we woke up to breakfast at the hotel, and while I went for the more-common diner fare we were serenaded by a piano player in a tuxedo. Given, this hotel is pretty nice, but I think this is the first time I have ever experienced a classical music concert over eggs and bacon! Jen tried a sampling of quite a few different options, a soft white cheese she say she hasn’t had since Egypt, as well as a chocolate croissant. We finished breakfast just in time to head up to the hotel room, grab our cameras, and head out to a private tour of Cape Town.
A map of Cape Town, South Africa
We started the day by heading to the top of Table Mountain by cable car, and the pictures are amazing. Standing over 3000 feet above sea level, it doesn’t really sound that imposing to someone from Colorado, but bearing in mind that we were standing only a few hundred feet from sea level at the bottom of the cable car ride, and it gets very impressive very quickly. The views were astounding, the pictures remind me a lot of New Zealand in the Lord Of The Rings series, with some mixture of both modern architecture and the sea surrounding the plateau. Cape Town nestled at our feet, we took pictures from one sea to the other, took pictures of Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and even got some plant and animal pictures in there, too.
A picture of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain
From there, our tour guide Mogamat took us to a part of town given to the Malaysian slaves when they were released as reparation, and over time the residents have painted the buildings very vibrant colors. It’s an interesting part of town where you can buy “just about every spice”, according to Mogamat, and where the history and culture of Cape Town is very evident.
After this, we took a trip to the first Dutch stronghold in South Africa, and got a quick history lesson in what are referred to as the “Anglo Wars”, and the fighting techniques and weapons that were used. We also got a quick look at pottery, Dutch architecture, and how those who were accused of crime were sentenced. If you were found guilty, which was very likely… you pretty much hung from a hook in the same room with very few exceptions. It was an odd room and an odd tour, referred to as the “torture room”. The Dutch have come so far!
Our tour ended at a Diamond shop, which we walked through quickly before heading back to the hotel with visions of the water front dancing before us. Our tour guide said that everything was closed for the day because it was Sunday, and that on weekends everyone went to the waterfront. We decided… when in South Africa… and joined the crowd at Victoria Wharf.
Lunch was the first consideration, and we stopped at a restaurant along the water called Harbor House, and had an amazing meal that started with red wine and ceviche, and ended with chocolate truffle and mousse. I’ve had ceviche before, it was Jen’s first experience. There was a lot of cucumber, and exclaiming how we both agreed the octopus was amazing… and we hadn’t even had that much wine yet! I had a seafood pasta, and was not at all disappointed. Mussels, prawn, octopus, and various fish all tossed in an alfredo sauce and cooked to perfection. It was one of the best meals of my life. I’m going to have to look up the name of the wine, as well, it fit the meal perfectly and was just as delicious.
After lunch, we walked around the wharf, shopped and picked up a few items. We ended up at Cafe Alfredo, and stopped to watch life go by as we sipped coffee and some sparkling water. There was live music from a band playing old Hollywood music on bass, banjo, and saxophone, followed shortly by a harmony group of men (around a dozen) singing different local tunes and selling records. We watched as people went about their lives on the waterfront and enjoyed some light shopping after as well. The Wharf is really the place to be on the weekends here, it was very lively!
Back at the hotel, we’re just getting ready for tomorrow and trying to figure out why neither of us are able to upload pictures for one reason or another (both here or to Facebook), we’ll have to work on that tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, it’s a peninsula tour that includes penguins! I can’t wait! Jen says she hopes she gets to see Happy Feet, the tune already humming in her head.
