Cape Town, South Africa

 

April 11th and 12th:

Cape Town marks the end of the third segment of the world cruise.  It’s hard to believe that we have completed  three quarters of the trip.

As we entered the harbor we were greeted with a clear view of Table Top Mountain and the city of Cape Town.  We’re told that this is unusual.  Most days some or all of the mountain is covered in clouds.

We stayed in Cape Town two full days.  We used the first day to tour the city via the local Hop On Hop Off bus. Like the other South African cities we visited on this trip, Cape Town is modern, and has great roads and highways.  We were reminded by the ship that high unemployment and extreme poverty of the black community has increased the amount of street crime. Walking alone; off the beaten, path or at night is unsafe.

    

We did get a glimpse of the black townships on our second day.  Clearly, progress since Apartheid, has not reached all South Africans.

On our second day, we hired a taxi to take us out to several wineries. The few South African wines we tasted at home were good.  Our visit reaffirmed that.  The big surprise was the scenery. The most impressive setting was the Vrede en Lust (means Peace and Eagerness in Dutch) winery.  South African’s call wineries, wine farms, this one is located in a valley next to the Stellenbosch Mountains.  The view below is from the patio of the tasting room. 

We bought a few bottles of wine.  The only regret we have is that neither of the wineries we visited is distributed in the US.  These wines will be a fond memory.

Leaving Cape Town, Table Mountain’s typical cloud blanket returned.  Both of us agreed that if we ever take another safari, we would include a return visit to South Africa.