Day 209. Wednesday, 19th July. In Cape Town

Our Apartment

Our apartment is in a block of 6, but we are the only people staying here. We have a fully fitted kitchen and a large lounge/diner all to our selves. Apart from the house keeper. If it was summer we would also have the use of the swimming pool, hot tub, barbecue etc. The owner upgraded us to a larger, ocean view room as well.

This morning I presented the house keeper with a huge pile of laundry, which she said she would do for me. (At a cost of 120 Rand). Well worth it to save me the job! She presented me with a dry, beautifully folded pile, when we returned late this afternoon.

V & A Waterfront

Our first stop today was the V & A Waterfront. Named after Queen Victoria and her son, Alfred. There were plenty of car parks, but all with headroom restrictions, so we stopped and asked a security guard where we could find parking with no restrictions. It wasn’t too far away. To get to the Waterfront we needed to walk through a large shopping mall. We have been very impressed with a South African shopping malls. There is such a variety of stores and just about everything you can possibly think of is available.

The waterfront was bustling with visitors and watercraft. All sorts of excursion boats, but working fishing vessels as well. It was beautifully bright, with clear views of Table Mountain dominating the city. It was chilly, though, with a biting wind. A coffee was definitely called for so we found a cafe with a terrace overlooking the water.

We spent the morning ambling around the waterfront watching the water traffic, admiring the mountain and looking at various artworks and sculptures.

You gotta love him..:)

We watched a seal, apparently playing with a large piece of plastic. At least we hope it was playing with it, and not tangled up with it.

In no time it was time for lunch so we headed for Den Anker restaurant. Another of Alex’s recommendations. It was too cold to sit outside, but we sat by a window with a view over the harbour and the mountain. It is obviously a popular place as it soon got busy. The food was excellent and very reasonable compared to UK and NZ pricing.

Spare me a tip? On the bar in Den Anker.

Bo-Kaap

Feeling a bit tipsy (me, not Dennis), we wandered back to find Poki and set off for Bo-Kaap. A series of cobbled streets with vividly painted buildings. The name means Upper Cape. Originally a garrison for soldiers in the 18th century. Also where freed slaves started to settle after emancipation in the 1830’s. One of the most photographed areas of the city.

Camps Bay & Hout Bay

After this we headed back to Camps Bay, where our apartment is located, and drove down into the Bay Area and along the coast road to Hout Bay. A lovely ride along beside the ocean, beneath the 12 Apostle Mountains. We passed the renowned 12 Apostles Hotel. Hout Bay is also home to a fishing fleet and there are many fish restaurants. 

Some of the 12 Apostles.

Back in our apartment, we watched the sun go down leaving a beautiful red sky. Hopefully this means it will be a nice fine day tomorrow. It is forecast to be, so we left our ascent of Table Mountain until tomorrow, in the hope of getting nice, clear views. I hope we have made the right decision 🙂

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