We settled in to the BnB and after handing the car back we headed out for a coffee. The lovely Shropshire lass who owned the Red Sofa Cafe gave us some restaurant advice for that evening. That evening we tried to find it and as we headed down the hill mum managed to trip and fall face first, downhill and pulled her knee. As she fell downhill it gave the sensation she felt like she kept going and was quite sore and shaken. We limped back to Bella Italia on the main street near the BnB. The portions were huge, with the chicken and rice being a whole chicken. We packed most of it up for lunch the day after and took it back to the BnB. As the fridge that was for the self catering guests wasn't working we had to make a plan. We weren't too surprised that the guest fridge didn't work as the owner was trying to maximise his profits everywhere charging a fortune for aircon (in SA summer!), wifi and breakfast and not providing half of what we had been offered! As the room was so hot we snook the take out box into the fridge in the main kitchen and vowed to collect it before our day out.
[source]
"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken." - Chuck Palahniuk
At 6am I tip-toed down to the kitchen to rescue lunch, as we weren't too sure we should be using that fridge. I eased the box off the shelf and the polystyrene crumpled under the weight of the chicken on one side and boom! chicken and rice all over the fridge and floor! I scrambled to pick it all up and think we just about got away with it, but we had to sneak out before anyone else got up to dispose of the evidence when we eventually found a bin. Shamed by our antics we didn't return home until very late that evening.
"I'd be a terrible secret agent. I can't keep a secret and I'm not sneaky." - Katherine Heigl
To say we didn't feel so welcome in this guest house is an understatement!
Before we had been on the road trip we tried to go over to Robben Island on the ferry, but the sea was too rough. We had booked for the first morning back and were really interested to learn about the history of the place and the changes in history that resulted from the inmates of Robben Island.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
We decided to walk into town and set off around 7am: mum with a limp and me with a mangled chicken dinner to dump! We overestimated how long it would take us to get to the waterfront and arrived in time for a lazy breakfast and a potter round.
We had a truly inspiring day on Robben Island and between here, the District six museum and some of the bus tours we learned a lot. The experience was very profound and to hear some of the shocking things that happened and the forgiveness that took place from Mandela and other inmates was truly humbling, as such I have decided to dedicate a whole post to these experiences - so look out for that one.
After our sobering trip on Robben Island we headed back for some lunch on the waterfront, we then walked down to the intercape to sort out my tickets for Jo'berg the week after. We took a cab back from the bus station to the BnB and it was the driver who took me on the first day with my Botswanan bus friend! I took his number and we used him as our reliable driver for most of the rest of our time in Cape Town. We ate locally and had an early night.
The next day we headed back into town on foot and decided to walk around some of the sites from the bus tour including the District Six Museum, which I will go into more detail on in a blog post shortly. We also had a lovely walk around the Company's Gardens and the Cathedral of St George and its maze. We walked to the Castle of Good Hope, but were all touristed out by this point and just peered through the gates before heading off to relax!
The Company's Gardens date back to 1652 and were established by Dutch settlers as a place for ships trading on the spice route to refuel and restock. The gardens were originally agricultural and turned more aesthetical over the years as trade changed. In the 1800's the gardens were opened up to all as a public space.
Views over the gardens to the iconic Table Mountain seen everywhere in Cape Town and the surrounds.
[source]
"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken." - Chuck Palahniuk
At 6am I tip-toed down to the kitchen to rescue lunch, as we weren't too sure we should be using that fridge. I eased the box off the shelf and the polystyrene crumpled under the weight of the chicken on one side and boom! chicken and rice all over the fridge and floor! I scrambled to pick it all up and think we just about got away with it, but we had to sneak out before anyone else got up to dispose of the evidence when we eventually found a bin. Shamed by our antics we didn't return home until very late that evening.
"I'd be a terrible secret agent. I can't keep a secret and I'm not sneaky." - Katherine Heigl
To say we didn't feel so welcome in this guest house is an understatement!
Before we had been on the road trip we tried to go over to Robben Island on the ferry, but the sea was too rough. We had booked for the first morning back and were really interested to learn about the history of the place and the changes in history that resulted from the inmates of Robben Island.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
We decided to walk into town and set off around 7am: mum with a limp and me with a mangled chicken dinner to dump! We overestimated how long it would take us to get to the waterfront and arrived in time for a lazy breakfast and a potter round.
We had a truly inspiring day on Robben Island and between here, the District six museum and some of the bus tours we learned a lot. The experience was very profound and to hear some of the shocking things that happened and the forgiveness that took place from Mandela and other inmates was truly humbling, as such I have decided to dedicate a whole post to these experiences - so look out for that one.
After our sobering trip on Robben Island we headed back for some lunch on the waterfront, we then walked down to the intercape to sort out my tickets for Jo'berg the week after. We took a cab back from the bus station to the BnB and it was the driver who took me on the first day with my Botswanan bus friend! I took his number and we used him as our reliable driver for most of the rest of our time in Cape Town. We ate locally and had an early night.
The next day we headed back into town on foot and decided to walk around some of the sites from the bus tour including the District Six Museum, which I will go into more detail on in a blog post shortly. We also had a lovely walk around the Company's Gardens and the Cathedral of St George and its maze. We walked to the Castle of Good Hope, but were all touristed out by this point and just peered through the gates before heading off to relax!
The Company's Gardens date back to 1652 and were established by Dutch settlers as a place for ships trading on the spice route to refuel and restock. The gardens were originally agricultural and turned more aesthetical over the years as trade changed. In the 1800's the gardens were opened up to all as a public space.
Sundial.
Fishes in the fountain.
Views over the gardens to the iconic Table Mountain seen everywhere in Cape Town and the surrounds.
Mummy duck and her ducklings.
An 'arty' shot of bamboo.
After our stroll around the gardens we relaxed in one of the cafe's in the garden, before heading to St Georges Cathedral.
We didn't take any photos inside, but in the cloister is this interesting maze set up for holy persons to do the rosary and pray as they follow their way through its long and winding road.
We pottered towards the Castle of Good Hope and peered through the gates and read some of the plaques about the history. The castle is now inland as the area between the castle and the dock is reclaimed land - thanks to the Dutch who are very good at that sort of thing. We were exhausted and couldn't face another monument at that point so grabbed some dinner and headed back for a night cap and bed.
The next day we headed on the blue bus tour that took us to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the wineries of the peninsula like Groot Constantia.
The gardens are truly stunning and it was a lovely bright day...
...hiding in the bushes.
"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul." - Joseph Addison
Some of the plants are really rare and one or two has been brought back from the brink of extinction.
We headed to the wineries from here and took a picture of the time table in case we got too immersed in the wine (possibly a good job!)
The gardens are truly stunning and it was a lovely bright day...
The gardens went on and on...
"A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them."- Liberty Hyde Bailey
Lovely little ponds.
Views of Table Mountain.
Lovely stone statues...
"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul." - Joseph Addison
And beautiful metal animal sculptures.
There were some lovely flowering bushes...
...and the diversity of reed beds too.
These gardens are really not so expensive to get into and people were relaxing and picnicking on all the patches of grass, it seemed like a lovely little resource for the locals.
"Kissing a man with a beard is a lot like going to a picnic. You don't mind going through a little bush to get there!" - Minnie Pearl
We headed to the wineries from here and took a picture of the time table in case we got too immersed in the wine (possibly a good job!)
We had an amazing lunch in one of the little restaurants and I had the most amazing chicken and mushroom pasta with lemon, mint, basil, parsley and parmesan - I have been trying to recreate it ever since!
"Wine is bottled poetry." - Robert Louis Stevenson
We headed to the wine tasting hall and thank goodness we ate as the wine 'tastings' were huge and went down a little too quickly.
A drop left at the end!
Before long we were chatting to an Italian couple, who had about as much English as we did Italian, but we were all fluent in drunken giggling and wine names and with our newly formed friendship decided to have photos together!
"We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine." - Eduardo Galeano
We headed back into Cape Town and back to the V and A area for dinner. We relaxed watching a band and as we stood in a crowd of people for the first and only time on the trip we both became acutely aware we were about to be targeted as tourists and probably pick pocketed.
"Opportunity makes a thief." - Francis Bacon
Two men who looked shifty and didn't fit there or together were stood extremely close to us, we moved around a bit and they followed, so in the end and without really discussing it we moved off suddenly, they scarpered from behind us looking very confused and we moved to sit in a more secure area - the bar! time for more wine and some dinner! Despite all the warnings and reputation from some about SA we generally felt really safe and welcome in Cape Town and on our travels and this was the only time we knew something wasn't right and felt a little threatened. Like anywhere in the world tourists do need their wits about them, but its a lovely fun place generally.
Kids dancing to the band.
The band - from the safety of inside the bar.
The next day was mums last final full day and we had planned to head up Table Mountain, having run around for two weeks we were shattered and I was feeling a bit wobbly about the cable car ride up - all that swinging mid air in a small crowded space. We therefore decided against it and relaxed, did some shopping and headed to the cinema to watch 'The Book Theif'. Not what we would normally do on holiday, but just what we needed.
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - John Lubbock
When we got up in the morning we discovered we should have checked out that morning and we had messed up our booking! We had another night to pay for there and despite the fact we weren't very happy with the place - they were good about that!
We spent mums last morning relaxing in the local area before we called the lovely taxi man to take her to the airport. I had a few more days in Cape Town before a weekend in Jo'berg still to go!
"I have had a holiday, and I'd like to take it up professionally." - Kylie Minogue
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