Cape Town

(Internet access for the past week has been practically nonexistent, so that's why I haven't been posting for a while.)

We flew in to Cape Town on Mango Airlines.  It was an orange airplane, and I liked that for some reason.

Cape Town is gorgeous.  It has stunning views of the harbor on one side, and the backdrop of Table Mountain on the other.  If I could only visit one city in South Africa, this would be the one.  In the 16^th century, this was where the Dutch East India Company ships put in on their way to India and China, and where the Europeans established their first port in South Africa.  It is the second largest city in South Africa, and is its legislative capital. 

From the airport we drove directly to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront for lunch on our own.  The waterfront was a very busy place, with all kinds of ships in port, and smaller boats coming and going. 



After wondering around for a while, I found Steers, a local hamburger chain restaurant, and enjoyed a cheeseburger.  It came with barbeque sauce on the bottom, and something resembling Thousand Island dressing on the top, but it sure hit the spot.

Our first destination was Robben Island.  A former leprosy colony, Robben Island became a maximum security prison for political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela.  We took a ferry that had once been used to transport prisoners.  I rode in the front, and enjoyed the feel of the sun and wind as we made our way to the island.  We were guided through the prison compound by a former prisoner who was able to give firsthand accounts of what life there had been like.  They were terrible stories of deprivation and inhumane treatment. 

On the ferry to Robben Island.

View of Cape Town from the ferry.

Dinner was at The Africa Café. Wow!  This was fun.  As we were led upstairs, we kept looking all around at the fantastic decorations.  When you looked closer, you could see they were made from recycled materials.  So creative! 

 

Once we were finally seated, a server came around with a bowl and a pitcher of warm, scented water for us to wash our hands.  Then we were served one dish at a time and could eat as much as we wanted.  I took pictures of every food item they brought, but here are just a couple.  After dinner, several of the servers sang and drummed for us.  It was delightful!