South Africa Holiday

View from apartment balcony of Lionshead

View from apartment - ship in distance

View from our apartment window - evening

Camps' Bay looking up at Table Mountain

Beach at Camp's Bay

View from apartment of cloud coming over Table Mountain

View from our apartment balcony

Camp's Bay Beach

Anna and Kate at Camp's Bay - Lionhead in Background

One of the gifts from Dubai was it provided a venue to meet so many people from all over the world. We met many South Africans and all encouraged us to visit their country. So we did. With their help, we created an itinerary that focused on the natural gifts of the land and a bit of history of the country and its people. We rented an apartment in Camps Bay, a suburb of Cape Town ideally situated within the city. Within 20 minutes we could be in the center of Cape Town and its warf, within an hour we could be in the winelands or well on our way to Cape Point. Within a 10 minute walk, we could be at the sandy beaches of Camps Bay. The trip met all expectations - the people warm, friendly and eager to teach us about "This is Africa"; the scenery was spectacular and its history and historical places impactful; and the food and wine exceeded all expectations. We managed to drive on the "wrong" side of the road without too much trouble and, GPS in hand, found the country easy to travel. While we enjoyed the luxury afforded by our circumstances, we continued to be mindful of both how fortunate and blessed we are and the struggles of too many of God's people without basic necessities. All of us want to return to this paradise, but must settle for the memories created during this wonderful holiday

Robben Island

View of Cape Town from Robben Island

Leper cemetery and church

The quarry where political prisoners performed hard labor.

The entry point for political prisoners.

N. Mandela's cell for 18 years

Masemola served 26 years at Robben Island

Our tour guide and 6 year prisoner of Robben Island

Robben Island is located 4 miles off the coast of Cape Town. The island is about two miles long and just over one mile wide. Ideally situated to isolate, it has a long history of being a destination for exiles. Originally used as a prison by the early Dutch settlements, it was later used as a leper colony and finally a prison for political prisoners during the years of apartheid, including Nelson Mandela. Today it is a monument to the triumph of freedom and is now a historical place open to the public. Our tour was conducted by a former political prisoner who not only showed us the prison facilities, but also shared his personal experiences as being a prisoner, including the tour of Block F, where he and 62 other prisoners were held. As we traveled back to the mainland by ferry, we talked about how grateful we are from a country with a government of the people, for the people.

Table Mountain

Cape Town wouldn't be Cape Town without Table Mountain - a mountain rising 3,500 ft. over the city. It is two miles wide and, as its name suggests, is flat.  Visits to the top are not guaranteed as weather (winds and fog) often cause the mountain to be closed to the public. We took advantage of unseasonably warm weather to visit, enjoying a leisurely hike and picnic lunch while overlooking False Bay and Cape Point. Many local lizards came out to say hello and cooperated for photos.

Cape of Good Hope

Wild baboons were ever present.

Penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

Daisse - distant relative of the elephant.

Rock polishing at Scratch Pad.

Dinner at Kalk Bay. Calamari was a huge hit.

Having visited many of the sites in Cape Town, we headed for a full day trip down to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, followed by a stop to see a penguin colony and an unexpected visit to a rock polishing company. Though the latter shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that has been to the Beaver Creek General Store and watched the girls take great pains in selecting various polished stones that can be purchased at General Store pricing!! We have read and heard so many stories of the Cape of Good Hope so it was an amazing experience to actually go there and look out at the same area discovered by da Gama and Vasco in the late 15th century. The views were spectacular and we enjoyed seeing baboons, ostrich and Anna spotted a dassie - an small evolutionary relation to the elephant based on feet and teeth. After visiting the Cape, we headed back on the eastern route of the Cape and stopped at Boulders Beach to view penguins and stop at Scratch Pad - the rock polishing company. We enjoyed dinner in Kalk Bay while watching the fisherman bring in the day's catch. 

South African Winelands

Tasting at Simonsig.

Simonsig tasting facility - beautiful.

The drive to Franschhoek.

Statue at La Motte.

Cheers from a gourmet lunch at La Motte.

La Motte tasting room and art gallery.

Fermentation tanks at Klein Constantia. 

We knew that there is a great deal of excitement around South African wines. South Africa ranks 7th in the world in wine production and the quality gets better and better with each vintage. Wine has been made in South Africa for 300 years and a late harvest wine from Constantia was a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte and is mentioned in the writing of Dickens. The country's signature grape - pinotage - makes interesting, full-body red wines. We had no idea that this excitement translated into a blossoming food and wine culture. The wine farms (what wineries are called in South Africa) are as beautiful as they are impressive. Steve was awestruck at the investment made in relatively small production wine farms. We visited the wine farms in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek Valley and Constantia, including Simonsig, La Motte and Klein Constantia. We enjoyed gourmet lunches (Steve tried Springbok) which cost less than 3 pizzas and a bottle of water in Switzerland. While the world is now starting to catch-on to these wines, happily the pricing of these wines is still accessible for most wine lovers.