“This is a pretty and singular town; it lies at the foot of an enormous wall, which reaches into the clouds, and makes a most imposing barrier. Cape Town is a grand inn, on the great highway to the east.”
~Charles Darwin, in a letter to his sister, Catherine, 1836
There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the ship when Table Mountain, that iconic landmark of Cape Town, came into view on the horizon. With few supply ports along West Africa, provisions were dwindling, refueling was necessary, and we were ready to brush off the dust and get back to a more civilized, refined world, where good food and wine were plentiful and the sky was, once again, blue. With its good
climate, natural beauty, and well-developed infrastructure, this multicultural city, first developed by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, is justifiably the most popular international tourist destination in all of Africa. A grand finale to our voyage, we were here to spend three days on a post-cruise tour exploring the wines and wildlife of Cape Town and the region.
Back on terra firma, we settled into our hotel and headed out the next day for a tour of the city and its neighborhoods. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront district (known simply as the V & A Waterfront), the first wharf dating back to the 1600’s, is now a downtown complex that is home to waterfront boutiques, hotels, restaurants, cafes, condos, artisan shops, the Victoria Wharf Mall, and a lively nightlife. Nearby is the Aquarium, the Watershed artisan market, the soccer stadium, and on south, the elite seaside housing district called the Platinum mile by the Promenade, where dog walking, strolling and cycling are favorite popular pastimes. In fact cycling is so popular in the region, the city hosts a major international race every March, the Cape Town Cycling Tour, also known as the Cape Argus Tour, the world’s largest individually timed cycle race, that attracts as many as 35,000 competitors.
Farther on is Three Anchor Bay and the trendy Sea Point neighborhood, once the “in” place for night life in the hippie era of the 1970’s. Famous then for its swinging nightclubs and restaurants, it still boasts swanky beachfront condos and trendy dining and drinking establishments.
Beyond is Maiden’s Cove, a beautiful, scenic lookout point nestled between Clifton Beaches and Glen Beach in the prestigious suburb of Camp’s Bay. It is renowned for its exquisite views of Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles group of small mountain peaks, and it’s vista over the Atlantic Ocean. Because of its open exposure to the sea, it is best not visited on a windy day, when the infamous and notoriously strong and dry winds can blow on the coast from spring to late summer. Known as the “Cape Doctor”, these persistent gusts will rid Cape Town of its pollution and smog, if only temporarily.
We took the road up to Signal Hill in Table Mountain National Park for fabulous views of Cape Town and its harbor beneath Table Mountain, with Lion’s Head Peak behind, crowded with fit Sunday day-hikers.
Back in the heart of the city, we visited the lovely Company’s Garden, originally created in the 1600’s by the Dutch colonists to replenish ships, now a botanical and vegetable garden, park, and heritage site, that includes a statue of Cecil John Rhodes, British-born businessman, South African politician, founder of Rhodesia, and whose estate funds the Rhodes Scholarship. Within and nearby are the Houses of Parliament, National Library, South African Museum, and Planetarium. We lingered at the summer local farmers’ market in the cool shade of the grounds, and listened to a two-man folk band that featured a unique type of electronic didjeridoo.
We ended the day at Baia, a fabulous local seafood restaurant at the V & A Waterfront, where we enjoyed the local catch, our friendly waitress, great South African regional wines, and a breezy ambiance. Affectionately known as the Mother City, Cape Town felt like coming home.