Lovable quirky Cape Town

Of course one of the fun bits about travelling is the different way places operate.  I was reminded of this the other day, when we were walking around Bo Kaap.  My attention was obviously on the colourful houses and my mind was trying to work out the best angle to capture one of the more colourful houses when I heard what I thought was an explosion ....

Apparently at noon each day, they fire a Canon.  And I'm not talking about a Canon camera either!  I'll keep this in mind.

When you're in a restaurant or cafe, you are just as likely to be told by the person showing you to your table that "your waitron will be with you shortly".  A 'waitron' seems to be the politically correct term for a waiter/waitress.  Or perhaps for those who are confused and can't tell if they do have a water or a waitress???

When you're driving, make sure you obey the robots.  We call them traffic lights.

The Parking Marshalls are not to be confused with the Car Guards.  The Parking Marshalls are official, and employed by the Council.  There are no parking meters.  When you find a marked car parking space, no sooner than you've parked and switched your engine off you'll find a Parking Marshall appear, who will charge you the amount based on your guess of how long you are going to be there for.  They'll even issue you with a receipt.  A Car Guard is unofficial, and also found in the burbs and smaller towns - he's just a regular good guy, who will promise to keep an eye on your car and of course you tip him generously when you return to your car.

Service Stations are Garages (not to be confused with places where you park your car) and there is NO self service.  The attendant - usually one per pump - will "fill 'er up", wash your windscreen, check the air pressure and anything else you ask of him.

You're in a shop making a purchase.  You hand your credit card to the sales person who inserts it into the electronic gadget, and you are asked "budget or straight?"  Of course, your first reaction is to give the poor sales person a very blank look.  Apparently here a budget credit card is one where you have stipulated how many months you have to pay off the balance - and if you haven't paid it off, your card is cancelled and presumably 'the authorities' come to reclaim the unpaid goods.  So, best to just answer "straight" - and keep a straight face too!

The cocktail menu at the Mount Nelson Hotel has a section entitled "Liquid Lunches" and one of the cocktails is called "Sweet Chilli Garlic" - garlic, ginger, chilli, lemon and honey muddled with brandy and this concoction can be all yours for just R55.  I say "all yours" because I can't honestly imagine anyone wanting to share it with you.  I wonder if they serve mints with it?

There is also a cocktail called "Abstinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - as drunk on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) in Paris."

I've mentioned the wonderful meals we've enjoyed this week.  Well, in the "Best 100 restaurants in the World" listing for the past few years, 3 of the top 100 restaurants are in Cape Town and 3 are in Franschhoek.  Amazing.

Some of your grocery shopping will be done at the Slaghuis and the Drankwinkel.  Of course, you may also need to visit a Krapwinkel store as well at times.  (You can have a guess at these - or ask me and I'll let you know).  Don't they sound great?

I know this isn't a Cape Town thing, but in Swaziland a crocodile is called a Flat Dog!

And Table Mountain:  one of Cape Town's icons.  Usually you can recognise it

but today it looked like this:

Cape Town's "motorway to nowhere" makes you realise that perhaps we aren't the only country in the world with traffic woes.  This motorway was built about 20 years ago.  OK, I exaggerate, most of the motorway was built then.  They built the bit you can see, and then at the other side of this major intersection, they have the 'other side' of the motorway built.  They just didn't finish it because a survey or something was done and council/government decided that they just didn't need it any more.  So no middle bit!

and in case you have trouble understanding that, here's another view .....

Gotta love the place!!!

Our last day in Cape Town ...

It was our last day in Cape Town today.  Already.  And to celebrate that, winter arrived!  This morning we spent on errands in the CBD, including of course a coffee from a funky tiny coffee shop.   

We also had to nip into Shoprite, one of the Supermarket chains.  I love visiting supermarkets just to check out the different items to buy.

This pano is Greenmarket Square, in the CBD

We headed out to the wineries area but our first stop was at Franschhoek for lunch.  Franschhoek is one of those wonderful towns that offered a choice of wonderful eateries, as well as beautiful buildings and interesting craft shops.  Leanne – you would have been in 7^th heaven!

Of course we had a mouth-watering lunch at le Quartier Francais – mind you, with a name like that you have certain expectations to start with, and they were all met.   The restaurant section was called 'The Common Room' and the menu entitled 'Local Grazing Ground'.  There was a tapas style menu, including

• fish pops / chakalaka ketchup
• lamb frikadelletjies / flatkoek / raita
• springbok bitterballen / apple mustard
• fried parmesan gnocchi / spiced brinjal / baby spinach

Can you taste it all yet?  The desert section was "lipsmackers"  (no, can't spoil you with a selection from the menu in case you are reading this before lunch!) and the drinks available were divided between "18's & over", including

• switchboard tonic
• bow chicka wow wow
• miss molly hoity toity (chenin blanc)
• miss molly kitchen thief (sav blanc)
• miss molly in my bed (cab sav)

The "all ages" drinks included a steelworks, homemade ginger beer and a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

Perhaps the best part of the menu was the Restaurant rules:

"no whining, no swearing, no smoking"   :-)

We didn’t spend as long as we could have exploring the town because by that time the rain had set in, so we drove down the road to La Motte.  This winery is known for its red wines, and its wine tasting set up is certainly professional!

We settled in, and shared a wine tasting.  Today they had 8 wines – 3 whites and 5 reds, each accompanied by an explanation of course.  We resisted the urge to buy any – I’m sure that most people who do buy their wines aren’t about to head off camping in Namibia … 

The area where they had the wine tasting was impressive, but as I looked around, I noticed some glass doors with steps leading down to a cellar.  Rows and rows of oak barrels.  Then I thought back to this time last year - and I know that Val, Leanne, Peter & Leonie will think of "Revolution" when you see this!

I was told that I needed to visit "the Ladies" before steeping out into the cold and wet, so

I haven't seen such luxurious "en-suite" loos before 

and once outside, it was good to be reminded that no swimming was permitted in the fish pond!!!

It will be interesting to revisit in better weather.  Really, the location and views were superb, or they would be in summer, but the good side of today's weather was that photos were 'atmospheric'

Despite the weather, we did stop at Boschendal.  This is one of the prettiest wineries, and certainly the grounds on the drive in were evidence of that.  The weather though made sure I had a different impression, but I could imagine the scene in summer – or even in winter on a sunny clear day!

The rain and cloud cover looked like it’s here to stay, so we headed home without any further detours.  Mind you, it was late afternoon by this time so we didn’t have much spare time anyway.  Tonight’s dinner was at Headquarters and – you guessed it – yummy!  They have interesting décor and a set menu – salad including pine nuts & shaved parmesan to start, then the tenderest Namibian beef steak with fries and of course a Café de Paris butter sauce.  When you’re mid way through the main meal, they come around with extra fries and sauce in case you want any more!  It was a delicious and filling meal, and together with a glass of wine cost the princely sum of $15.  Yep, fifteen Oz dollars.

This was on the wall at the entrance to the restaurant, and there are a few of you reading this knowing who this reminds us of 

So, tomorrow we are “going for a drive” …..

Still in Cape Town

Yesterday morning I made it to Robben Island.  This is really one of the “must do” trips for Cape Town.  It’s a bit like saying you’re going to Sydney for a holiday and not seeing the Harbour Bridge & Opera House, or going to London without visiting the Tower.  The catamaran left at 9am and they said you had to be there at 8:30.  The only reason I could see for being there that early was to start and then join a queue.  That bit worked well.   At 9am the queue shuffled forward, down the stairs, through a security check and out to the catamaran.  The trip out to Robben Island took 25 minutes, long enough in the conditions for some very pale looking people to arrive.

The catamaran was packed - not sure if it was because it was a weekend, or if the trips are always so popular.  And it wasn't just the obvious foreign tourists aboard.  After we alighted at Robben Island, everyone was then put onto coaches and each coach assigned a guide because the first part of the tour was to cover the whole island.  Our guide certainly had a sense of humour, which made that part of the trip very enjoyable despite the content.

Over the centuries, the island has had a very colourful history but most people associate it with one of the prisons Nelson Mandela spent years in.

The second part of the tour was inside the prison, and our guide was an ex prisoner.  His name was Sparks, and he was imprisoned at Robben Island from 1983 – 1990. 

The first cell that he stopped at was what we thought a fairly large room, and it turned out to be the cell where Sparks spent those 7 years, except at the start of his stay the windows did not have any glass.  And there were 59 other prisoners sharing the cell.  One tiny bathroom.  During his talk about the routine and conditions, I was trying to imagine how he must feel – having been imprisoned there and now working there as a guide. 

The guides are a mix of former prisoners and former guards.  So on one of the walks I asked him.  He thought he was lucky “only being there for 7 years” but he was terrified when he started work as a guide.  He’s adjusted to it now, and feels a sort of pride but he did say that the hardest part was working with the former guards.  Now though, he can honestly say they are friends and I thought that part was amazing.  It’s the part I will take with me.

We were lucky to have a view of Table Mountain.  The weather has turned this week in Cape Town, so to see the mountain is quite a treat because usually you have seen a huge cloud bank and know that the mountain is tucked in firmly beneath.

So it was a thoughtful – and thankfully smoother – trip back to the V&A Waterfront area.  Jenny was waiting at Willoughby & Co. – for her sushi fix.  This is where we thought we were heading for yesterday but ended up on the cruise.  I can now see why she was hanging out for the sushi – absolutely divine.  I’m aware I’ve said that about other meals, but there are so many fantastic restaurants here in Cape Town that you really do need to spend some time here.

We spent the afternoon walking around de Waterkamp, the suburb Jenny lives in.  It’s like living in Paddington – walking distance to the CBD and Waterfront area, funky shops, lots of cafes, supermarkets, weekend markets and the houses higher up on the hill are colourful, like the ones in Bo Kaap but more Georgian in style.  Walking along some of the streets, I felt like I was back in London.  There were two open houses on so of course we went in to have a look around, and it was good research for Jenny.

Our next stop was The Mount Nelson Hotel for cocktails.  This is “THE” oldy-worldly hotel in Cape Town.  Painted pink.  Extensive grounds.  Actually it has a hotel, and villas and a range of accommodation so it was more like a suburb in itself. 

I had a walk around part of the gardens and then we ordered our cocktail – and yes, I had a Mango Daiquiri!  We ended up just having one, and then we headed home.  I did ask what the rack rates were and the entry level room available last night was R3750 and I'm not sure if that included breakfast or not!  (the rate is R8 = $1 AUD)

Of course, we had to visit the Ladies on the way out, as us girls do!

When in Cape Town

I’m in catch-up mode.  Yesterday morning, after the weather cleared, we decided to have a drive down to the Cape of Good Hope.  As you do.  The first part of the drive was along Chapman’s Peak Drive and a good one to keep in mind when I'm back here on a BMW.  Having the sun make an appearance made all the difference because the views of the bays and beaches were well worth stopping for.  There were heaps of parking lookout bays dotted along the road.

Our first real stop was at Simon’s Town to visit The Boulders.  Simon’s Town at first glance was very like an English seaside town.  It is apparently also a naval base.

The Boulders has a thriving colony of African penguins.  They live in a protected natural environment of beaches, rocks and scrub and we had the time to just watch them.  At the first beach, there was a nesting colony, some sitting on eggs and some with very young chicks.

Continuing the signpost theme, I noticed this sign.  Usually there seem to be signs everywhere asking us to "clean up after our dogs" but I haven't noticed too many that just bluntly state "dog poo".  The size of the "poo bin" along the path was enormous, so either Saint Bernards are popular pets, or ......

 

and even this sign has been changed.  It used to have a drawing on the bottom left corner of a penguin under a car, but I guess political correctness has reached Simon's Town too.

We then headed down to the Cape of Good Hope and first had a walk around Cape Point.  It isn’t hard to imagine what it would be like in blustery windy conditions, but we were treated to sunshine and blue skies and only minimal winds.  Still, I was happy to see the Cape from the land – the idea of sailing around the world isn’t likely to top my Bucket List.

The views from the Cape Point walk were absolutely stunning, and once down at the Cape of Good Hope, it was almost an anti climax. 

Today, we headed back to the Old Biscuit Mill for the NeighbourGood Market.  We enjoyed our breakfast there – Jenny had oysters but passed this time on the champagne, and I opted for a more traditional omelette.  Then we spent ages in the food section, tasting our way around all the stalls before heading out to the craft area.  The place was thriving, and even the weather cleared from a rainy start to sunshine.

The market was busy, but we got there early and finding space to sit and eat wasn't too bad.  I loved the layout for the eating - old doors proped up on easles.  Added to the atmosphere, and it was fun to chat to the people around us.

These pink pigs are made out of recycled plastic bags - there were other animals made in the same way, and quite cute.

And to continue the other theme of things I didn't buy:

Imagine you're having friends around for dinner - as you do - and you've set the table and included crockery because you're having a buffet style dinner.  Imagine the reaction if you'd bought these plates!

I adored this one.  Not sure if you can see it, but it's a guy sitting in a bath and he's got the dirty crockery floating around on the top of the water - ready to wash!

We had decided to head back to the V&A for a sushi lunch, but ended up on a sailing catamaran cruise around Table Bay.  We were lucky with the weather - sunshine and plenty of wind so when we'd cleared the breakwater and the sails went up, we were moving quite quickly.  We sailed right across the huge bay, and then (obviously) turned around and sailed back, with the wind picking up and the chill factor increasing.  Half way back, the group who were sitting out on the front deck area were all absolutely drenched when a rogue wave did a thorough job.  Fortunately most of them could see the funny side, but they all ended up moving "inside" and two of the women just giggled all the way back, sitting rugged up in blankets (the wind had seriously picked up) and every now and then wringing out their sleeves and jeans.

Back at V&A

After the cruise, we stopped in at Woolworths - the food section - to buy a couple of things we needed.  As you enter the food section, there is this dispenser in case you had the urge to freshen up - "please use all-purpose germ fighting wipes and hand gel with our compliments".  I didn't see anyone bothering.

But what I did notice the other day was that in the fruit & veg section, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING is packaged, either in sealed bags, or bags with ties or cling wrapped in miles of plastic. 

even a single avocado!