Cape Town is certainly beautiful, with it’s coast line and mountains.

Table Mountain, with its flat top, is part of the classic skyline profile.

A unique phenomenon of cloud rising over the mountain from the ocean behind it is called a ‘tablecloth’.

Next to it is Lions Head, which tapers down to the rump, which is now known as Signal Hill.

It’s popular to climb the mountains, with many alternate routes.

But there was also a cable car which appealed to me when it’s 30 oC!

I’ve been on a cable car in almost every country, but this was the first to have the floor rotate inside! Equals views but a bit unsettling.

Way down below you could see Camp Bay.

It’s one of a long line of coastal towns.

The most expensive properties in Africa cling to the side of hills with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

‘Wind free’ is the coveted real estate term.

Places are not called Three Anchor Bay without a reason!

400 years ago Cape Town grew as a supply station as ships came around the south of Africa to avoid highly taxed overland routes between Europe and the East.

This area called ‘Green Market’ was the original trading area.

Close by is ‘The Company Garden’ where they grew produce. It’s now a park famous for white squirrels.

St. George’s is the oldest Anglican Church in Africa, and where Desmond Tutu was Archbishop.

‘Arch’ for the ‘Arch’

St George’s Mall is a pedestrian street stretching out in front.

It has a piece of the Berlin Wall gifted to Mandela in 1996.

Old City hall has a Mandela statue where he gave his 1990 speech after being released from prison.

I went out to Robben Island where Mandela had been imprisoned from 1964 to 1982. Eighteen of his 27 years.

It was a place of banishment and exile for political prisoners with brutal brutality and an attempt to break their spirit. And very hard labour in the rock quarry.

But they covertly ran their ‘university’ which had many highly educated men teaching illiterate prisoners.

Cell and blanket of Mandela.

After the political prisoners were moved or transferred, it was used from 1991-1996 as a criminal prison.

It is now a museum with UNESCO status. And ex political prisoners provide tours of the prison.

The harbour is a mix of docks for commercial fishermen and charter boats.

And 450 shops and 80 restaurants.

The area is called the V&A Waterfront. It’s for Victoria and Afred, her son, who was involved in its development.

And happy bunches of cape seals swimming in the basin and lazing on their platforms.

MOCAA – Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

Largest museum of contemporary African art in the world opened in 2017.

It was created from old wheat silos. If you look close, you can see where they were cut.

Windows at the top allow light to pour in.

Spiral staircase in a silo

Even the bathrooms were interesting! Every stall had different coloured tile with matching toilet!

The Castle of Good Hope (1666) was actually an army base and slave port. It is the oldest surviving building in South Africa.

Borrowed aerial photo to show the pentagon shape.

Bo’Kaap (Upper Cape) is one of Cape Town’s oldest communities. Originally a soldier garrison until the 1830’s, then housed Muslim slaves from Malaysia and Indonesia. After they got their freedom, they painted their houses vibrant colours.

It is still predominately Muslim, and I like hearing the call to prayer.

I stayed in a B&B in the area, and it was created from a combination of the small houses. Breakfast at the communal table was very good.

Going through the Constantia winery area, the oldest vineyards in the southern hemisphere, there were sprawling properties.

But in the background you could see a shanty town.

It’s a reminder that housing for the population that were forcibly displaced is not over.

With apartheid, 60,000 people in the 60’s were relocated to slums to create a white only city.

District 6 was a thriving multicultural area but mixed races were no longer allowed. It was evacuated and bulldozed.

On the backside of Table Mountain there is micro climate created by high moisture air meeting the mountain, and dramatically increasing the rainfall.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is an UNESCO site due to the diversity of the plant life

Tree Canopy Walkway

Camphor Tree passage

Cape of Good Hope was on the southern tip of the peninsula, about two hours from Cape Town because of the traffic.

An elant, the largest of the 34 species of antelope.

Then a stop at Boulders to see the African penguins. I swear they were watching us!

I missed the photo of them dancing, but got the ice cream.

Ice-cream is very appealing when it’s 30. But I also found a salad bar place to supplement. And a veggie burger.

But the biggest danger I’ve been warned about are the ‘hyenas’, as they call the street thiefs.

The city has many safety officers, and I had them recommend a different route around an area.

I took their advice, and also avoided walking on the streets at night. Down at the harbour front there are more people, but Uber is highly recommended instead of public transportation.

Crossing streets takes caution too. Cars don’t stop, and I’m double checking traffic because it sneaks up on the wrong side of the road!

Tomorrow I’m headed out on the Garden Route, which is a strip along the south coast. I have two weeks of small towns, so looking forward to it. I’ve had two big cities back to back!

See you there!