Memories of Cape Town

A few more pictures of our holiday in Cape Town in December 2016 to January 2017: scroll down to the end of this page and click on Older Posts to read the whole blog from day 1.

Tuesday 10 January

Breakfast at the Park Inn by Radisson hotel

We were up early for breakfast and to leave the hotel. The shuttle bus was replaced by a taxi to the airport and we arrived and checked in nice and early. Then we went through the usual checks and I had chance to buy a couple of things in duty free. Richard also bought another bottle of wine.

Our flight left on time and took eleven hours. Our seats weren't very comfortable, with two men in front who reclined their seats for the whole flight. We got two meals and some drinks, non-alcoholic as we were in Economy.

We left Cape Town at 23 degrees and arrived in Zurich at 0 degrees. After a wait for our bags, we got a taxi home. There was snow on the ground. Our apartment was fine, and now all we have to do is clear away the Christmas decorations!

We enjoyed our holiday very much. It went pretty smoothly.

Monday 9 January

Octopus and fish tacos to start the meal

Today when we checked in for tomorrow's flight we got an earlier flight time. We rang Edelweiss in Switzerland and they confirmed the later time. 9.50. We booked the shuttle bus for 7.15 in the morning.

Today we have lunch booked at the Pot Luck Club. We hope to visit the shopping area there.

Later on. We had a lovely lunch. We got an Uber to the Pot Luck Club in the Woodstock area. There's a quirky shopping area there in an old biscuit mill, which we explored and I bought a photo from one shop and a little bracelet. Richard was hovering so I couldn't go mad.

We watched the chefs preparing delicate dishes, like on Masterchef

We took a lift to the sixth floor, with a view over the railway and Table Mountain. We got our seats in the restaurant, next to the kitchen. We saw the chefs working on food preparation. Our waiter Leroy explained the menu and we chose 7 dishes.



We shared octopus, fish tacos, springbok rump, grapefruit sorbet, chickpea fries,

View of the mountain from the Pot Luck Club

peri peri chicken and poached peach. All accompanied by the house Sauvignon Blanc. We chatted to the chef while drinking our coffee.


We got an Uber back and rested. When we ventured out later we almost got blown off our feet. So we retreated to our room and made coffee. Packing later. Always tricky.

Sunday 8 January 2017

Today we are going on a full day Peninsula tour. It goes along both coasts as far as Cape of Good Hope. Should be interesting.

The rocky coastline

Our driver Cornelia drove round several hotels to pick up passengers. We were 12 in the African Eagle bus including two Swiss. We paused at Maidens Cove to see the 12 Apostles rocks and the Lions Head. Traffic was very busy: a run was taking place along the streets. We went on to Hout Bay, past the town of Llandudno. Then we all took a boat trip to Seal Island and saw hundreds of them playing and basking.

Hundreds of seals basking on Seal Island from our boat

There were traffic jams up to Chapman's Seat and Drive. There was a toll road to Noordhoek. Then we headed away from the coast through rocky terrain. Past a vineyard. And a township. We went through fynbos country. Then we turned back to drive beside the ocean through Misty Cliff to Scarborough. We saw Camel Rock. We passed the oldest vineyard and an ostrich farm.

Baboons playing in the road

Then we turned off into the Cape National Park. We saw two beaches alongside mountains. There were baboons playing in the road and we stopped to watch. At Cape Point we could walk up steep steps or take a funicular almost up to the lighthouse. We chose the latter. We took photos of the view, and then had a beer and biscuits in the cafe.

We made it to the Cape of Good Hope

Then we went further to the Cape of Good Hope and got photos by the sign. It was rocky underfoot. We were happy to reach there.


We then went up the east coast of the Cape Peninsula towards Simons Town. We saw the train running alongside, which Cornelia said was safe to use. We also stopped off at a penguin colony and walked round a boardwalk.


We went slowly through Simons Town without stopping further, and on through Fishhoek and Kalk Bay. We saw the longest beach at Muizenburg. It was very popular today, even though the sea is said to be very cold.

Penguins posing on the beach

Finally we visited Kirstenbosch Gardens. This time we saw the Peninsula and Water Conservation Gardens. Then Cornelia dropped us off at the hotel. A very enjoyable trip.



In the evening we had some nice wine, Chenin Blanc, and a small meal in Harald's Bar. Still cloudy over one side of the mountain.

Saturday 7 January 2017

We enjoyed a glass of sparkling rose to start

I woke early after a disturbed night. Now the wind has died down and it's 21 degrees. Minus 14 in Thalwil!


Today we have lunch booked at La Colombe at midday. We'll take an Uber as it's quite a long way from our hotel in the business district. I can't decide what to wear.


We set out just after 11 in an Uber to get to La Colombe, which is in the same area as the Kirstenbosch botanic gardens. A very smart place.

My dessert selection was yummy!

We arrived a bit early but were shown to a table on the terrace. We were greeted with a glass of sparkling rose. Then our waiter Dimitri described the menu and we opted for six courses with wines.

We enjoyed everything, choosing mostly fish. The wines were also delicious. I had a chocolate dessert and Richard opted for cheese. Then we had to wait quite a while for a taxi back. We rested and watched TV.

Plenty of seats in Belthazar tonight - we just had wine

In the evening we got an Uber to the Waterfront again and I bought a bracelet. It was crowded there as usual. We had a glass of wine in Belthazar. I tried the Chenin Blanc/ Chardonnay Reserve - delicious.

Then back to our room, listening to the wind howl.

Friday 6 January, Three Kings Day

The colourful houses in Bo-Kaap are a well-known feature

We planned to go by train to Simon's Town down the coast today. But when we asked the hotel for advice about tickets, she told us not to travel by train. Too dangerous. We were disappointed.

Instead, we took an Uber to Bo-Kaap, a colourful area of the city. We saw the brightly painted houses and visited the museum. Downstairs they had artefacts from life in that Malay quarter, and upstairs was an exhibition of political photos and statements from the 1980s era of unrest.

Bo-Kaap Museum showed photos of Cape Town's recent history

Then we walked round the neighbouring streets, had a coffee and chocolate at Honest Chocolate, and headed back to the city hall and saw the different styles of building. We visited a Dutch church - the Groote Kerk, and the Slave Memorial, and we also saw an exhibition of modern black and white photos at Spin Street. The weather was very muggy and I felt a bit faint so we returned to the hotel and rested. No lunch! Later we ventured out into the wind to get some money and practically got blown over.

We liked the 8-course tapas selection to share 

In the early evening we took an Uber to Chef's Warehouse in Bree Street. First we had a glass of Brut at the bar and then we got a seat at the open window. My glass blew over. Luckily it was empty.

We had the 8 course tapas selection to share and a bottle of Scaramanga Red. The meal was delicious. We walked home afterwards and saw Masterchef Australia on TV

Thursday 5 January 2017, Robben Island

Today we have booked a trip to Robben Island. We got the tickets online before we came. The boat leaves at 11.00 from the Waterfront. I washed my hair and then we had breakfast as usual. We are taking an Uber to the Aquarium.

Boarding the boat to Robben Island at the Waterfront

We arrived early at the Waterfront and walked through the shopping arcades. Lots of interesting things to buy, if I had the freedom to do so. We crossed over the swing bridge and waited to board the 11.00 boat to Robben Island. It was crowded.

Sipho Msomi had been imprisoned on Robben Island and now gives tours

We had seats on the Dias upstairs and had a good view of the sea crossing. On arrival our guide Lebu met us as we boarded buses to the prison buildings.


First we entered the dormitory block. A former inmate, Sipho Msomi, described prison conditions very graphically. He mentioned that his eyesight had been damaged by working without protection in the quarry. He said that life was very monotonous and hard there. We were very moved by his account.

Nelson Mandela's cell

He also showed us some of the cells including the one where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. It was tiny. Then we took a bus tour of the rest of the island where over 200 people still live and work. It was quite bleak.

After the island tour we had a long wait for a boat back to the Waterfront, and we also had to wait for the swing bridge to be replaced. We had a late lunch at Den Anker. I had kingclip and Chenin Blanc. We got a taxi back to our hotel.

Later we went up to the 11th floor bar but it was very windy and Table Mountain was covered in cloud.

Wednesday 4 January

Company's Garden was an oasis of calm

Today we didn't have anything booked, so we got up a bit later. We went for breakfast at about 9am and got a table with a view of the tennis on TV. They are showing matches from Australia, probably as warm-ups for the Australian Open. Today I got a pot of yogurt with cereal, plus some fruit salad. Then I had a boiled egg and made some toast, which takes ages.

Then we got an Uber to the entrance of The Company's Garden. We planned to visit the Parliament Building there, but it was closed. We entered the gardens and walked through the central avenue. We saw squirrels and pigeons, some colourful birds in the aviary and many trees and shrubs including English oak, Natal wild banana, magnolia, gum myrtle, Norfolk Island pine and several bedding plants.The garden was founded in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck. We saw the statue of Cecil Rhodes.

Cecil Rhodes raising his left arm

We had a cool beer in the cafe there. Then we went to visit St. George's Church, quite plain, and then strolled all the way along St. George's Mall in the shade. There were market stalls all along the street. We stopped for a coffee and cookie in Paparazzi Cafe and looked at Wifi.

Then back to our hotel for a rest and reading our books. I'm reading Splinter the Silence by Val McDermid.


In the early evening, we headed to Hallelujah, the cafe run by Emma Hofmans, who was at school in Kilchberg with Laura. We took a Uber and had a drink at the bar opposite. At 18.30 we crossed to the restaurant and got seats in the window.

Hallelujah served Asian fusion dishes

The waitress told us that Emma was always in the kitchen. We ordered 4 dishes from the menu of Asian style dishes. They came in succession. Tasty light food. We also had a bottle of  Maligna Chardonnay.

The place started to get a bit crowded so we paid the bill and left. We waved to Emma, who went to IPSZ, and found a taxi back to the Park Inn. We watched the end of a crime drama on TV.

Tuesday 3 January

 Today we are taking a bus tour, organised by African Eagle, to the Stellenbosch Wine Region. We visit three towns. After a disturbed night, we got up for an early breakfast. I had a glass of yogurt with cereal and a hard boiled egg with toast, plus orange juice and coffee. Our tour picks us up at 8.30.

Inside Anura vineyard - we tasted lots of wines there

We boarded the bus with a Swedish family. Two other couples were also on the tour. Our driver drove fast to our first destination, the Marianne vineyard near Stellenbosch. But they were closed! So we proceeded to our next stop, Anura vineyard. We tasted six wines, two whites, a rose, three reds. With the last two reds we contrasted Malbec with Grenache and Syrah with a port type.

Richard at Vrede en Lust where we enjoyed the Viognier

Then we went straight on to Vrede en Lust where we tasted a rose, 2 whites, and two reds. We liked the Viognier and bought a bottle. Then the driver, who regaled us with South Africa's political history, took us to the town of Franschhoek for a lunch break. We walked up the pretty main street and stopped for lunch at Le Quartier Francais. We shared a tasting platter.

Laborie was built in the Dutch style

When we got back to the meeting place at the church, we couldn't see the others. After a bit of a panic, the driver found us. They were at the other side of the church. We set off for the last town of Paarl and went to Laborie Winery. There we tried 5 wines, and bought a Merlot/Cabernet 2015.

We headed back to our hotels and gave the driver a tip. Now resting in our room. This afternoon we saw that smoke was hanging over the mountains, probably caused by fires due to the dry winds.


In the evening, we got an Uber to HQ, a bar and restaurant about 1 km. away. We had a good steak and  chips and a bottle of Pinotage. There was a singer performing songs of Frank Sinatra. But on the way home we were pestered by three different beggars. Made us feel guilty.

Monday 2 January 2017

After a slightly disturbed night, I woke again at 8am. Got up for a shower and a quick look at CNN. Another terror attack in Turkey. We had a rather poor breakfast - no muesli or eggs - and then booked a wine tour for tomorrow with African Eagle.

Richard crossing the Canopy Walkway 

Then we rested a while in our room. We may visit the botanic gardens today.

We took an Uber to Kirstenbosch gardens - quite a long ride past the Groote Schuur hospital where the first heart transplant was carried out by Christiaan Barnard. At the gardens we paid to enter and got a map. We joined a free guided tour walking, or running, around the gardens, with an enthusiastic lady who knew all the plants and their history.

A selfie in the Gardens with a view

When the tour finished, we continued to explore the Tree Canopy Walkway, the cycads, some of which are nearly extinct; we saw pelargoniums and erica, and fragrant and useful plants. We had a healthy lunch in the tea rooms there. I had vegetable soup. We got a taxi back at about 3pm and rested.

In the evening we headed to Bree Street but were held up by a New Year parade in the streets. We got a table at Charango again and enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay and sea bass with quinoa. A nice evening.