Cape Town Adeventures

Jess and I had a two-night trip down to Cape Town last weekend. I knew I would like Cape Town, some say it is one of the places you've just got to see before you die. All the joburgers (SA speak for people who live in Johannesburg) say it is the best spot for a holiday on the planet. So I had pretty high expectations for our visit even though I'd put virtually no effort into planning the trip (hi, can you say "please can we have a hotel room" just 12 hours before we arrive in the city?! Not a good cruise director on this particular vacation I'm afraid, sorry J.).

As we drove from the airport to the city center where we stayed the views began to intoxicate us. Majestic Table Mountain looming protectively over the city with harbors and bays all along a jutting coast line. Sun peeking through the clouds to send down spotlights all over the city. Colorful townships juxtaposed against Dutch colonial buildings. So many sights to take in, completely invigorating!

We went down to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront as soon as we had settled into our hotel. It is the tourist trap of Cape Town but that also meant that it was open past 6, with good restaurants and views. We shopped around and just walked through the harbor enjoying the sound of the water and the view of the mountain peaks. For dinner we had a smorgasbord of sushi, grilled fish and chocolate. We window-shopped and hoped that the morning would bring a visit to the "top of the Table".

Sure enough, we had bright sunny skies and headed straight for the mountain first thing. Taking a tram ride to the top we witnessed the glory of all creation; a view of the oceans and harbors along the very tip of Africa. It was truly breathtaking and kind of hard to describe. Imagine a jagged coastline that stretches not just out in front of you, but around you as well. Some little pockets between the mountains and the sea reveal pockets of city life. Foliage juts through the rugged rocks along the top of the mountain where we walk.


After taking the tram down we hopped a tour bus that drove us up the coast to the Cape of Good Hope. This is the tip of the continent, and it is a breathtaking site indeed. Our drive was so pleasant, along winding roads with the ocean to our left and coastal towns to our right. We stopped to watch a whale roll around on the ocean’s surface, giving us a show just for kicks. We stopped to hang out with a colony of penguins that lives at Boulder beach (these guys bray like donkeys, so for years they called them Jackass penguins. Now they’ve renamed them, something much less colorful like boulder beach penguins, but their bray gives them away!) On our return from the cape we drove a different route, around the other side of table Mountain along the opposite side of the peninsula. We saw colorful shack towns or townships along our way as well as the cove where Oprah and the Beckhams have a place; such a juxtaposition to see. Once our tour finished we did some serious shopping, ate a delicious dinner of sushi (best I’ve had in a long time) and took in “Hairspray” the movie. We were literally the only people in the theatre, so we loudly visited and talked through the entire film!

Saturday morning we visited the most incredible neighborhood market at Salt River. The Biscuit Mill Market has been around a while, and thanks to a tip from a fellow blogger and Cape Town native we got to hang out with the locals. We both felt the only way the morning could have been more perfect was if our sisters had been able to join us! After tasting the local chocolate (deserves its own blog post), buying hand painted and crafted porcelain for our mom and spending way too much on jumpers and dresses made by a local designer we sadly left the market. I so hope to get back there with my kids and husband to enjoy the “scene” once more!


Our afternoon was spent riding the double decker buses that let you hop on and off. Our first stop was Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where we strolled in the shadow of Table Mountain for an hour. There are more plant species on Table Mountain alone than in all the Kingdom of Great Britain, so you can imagine the richness of these gardens and all they have to offer an ornamental horticulturalist such as Jess. She was fascinated by plant names, finding cousins to plants that grow in her neck of the woods and showing an amazing ability to understand and connect it all for me as I pointed and said “wow, that plant is cool…” She is quite an expert in all things growing and a fantastic companion in the garden.

Our only other real stop on the bus was to Camp’s bay, where we watched the locals body surf in the freezing water and picked up a terrific box of fish and chips to munch on the drive back to the city. Are you seeing a food theme emerge? Fish in all varieties and chocolate before and after, what a delicious vacation!

Our final stop was once again the waterfront, and then it was off to the airport and home again to Joburg. It was so fantastic to see John again, to tell him thank you for handling life with 6 so I could play with my sister. I can’t wait to share Cape Town with him and all our crew; hopefully when the summer has come to the Cape and we can spend time body surfing with the locals ourselves…it was such a privilege to enjoy this adventure with Jessica. Thanks for an amazing journey J.!