Yes, its hard to get to…located as far away from the northern hemisphere as you can get in Africa and at the end of the third longest (17 hour) commercial flight available on the planet from the USA. Yes, it has a conflicted past as a melting pot of indigenous people, Blacks from the Great Lakes region, Dutch-rooted Afrikaaners, Malaysians, Indians and Brits. Yes, it had a great deal of bad press before Apartheid was terminated and continues to feature a shocking disparity of wealth aligned along ethnic lines. Sure it is filled with strange languages that most of us will never learn like Afrikaans and Xhosa.
But…man is it worth a visit.
Cape Town was settled in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company as a halfway stop on the sea lanes between the Far East and Europe. It is dramatically located on the slopes of Table Mountain, a 3,000 flat-topped landmark that distinguishes this city from any other. The city is centered on its harbor, known as the V&A Waterfront (named for Brit Queen Vickie and Prince Al of fabled piercing fame) with its 1882 Clock Tower and 1904 Port Captain’s Building. This heavily visited tourist area is where smart seals go to fatten up before being eaten by sharks at sea.
The city bowl (the geographic area defined by the mountain to the south and Table Bay to the north) of Cape Town is focused on Long Street, and features landmark buildings such as the City Hall, the Houses of Parliament, and the Company’s Gardens that serve as a central park. Oldest buildings include the 1761 Burger Watch House, the 1701 Koopmans de Wet Huis (pronounced “coo-ip muns dah vet hace”
, the 1783 Martin Melck House, the 1751 Tuynhuys, and the 1777 Rust-en-Vreugd – all influenced by Dutch and English architectural models.
Long Street itself is famous for its cast iron verandas from the Victorian period. Nearby, the Bo-Kaap (pronounced “boo-uh kahp” neighborhood was settled by early Indonesians and is today famous for its outlandish paint schemes and cobbled streets. A few notable Art Deco and Modernist buildings round out the city center’s scene.
To the southeast along the Atlantic are the posh beaches Fresnaye and Camps Bay under the dozen spires of the Twelve Apostles ridgeline. The coastline is among the most dramatic in the world and is a playground for the rich and famous. To the southwest along the slopes of Table Mountain are more posh neighborhoods of Bishopscourt and Constantia. The University of Cape Town (established in 1829) and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (1913) are located there.
With all the peaks and mountains, Capetonians have some of the best hiking and climbing opportunities on the planet. The easy way up Table Mountain is by cable car ($20), but it’s possible to climb with a guide. Be kind to the dassies. Views are vast. An easier climb is to the top of Lion’s Head, which has easy-to-use stainless steel handles to climb its sheer rock face. Skeleton Gorge rises from the botanical garden and features a hiking trail through the fynbos (fine bush) vegetation to the top of Table Mountain. Rooibos (of tea fame) and Proteas (the national flower) are products of the fynbos.
Further south, past Fish Hoek and Simonstown, past Boulders Beach with its orgy of procreating penguins is the Cape of Good Hope, a shard of rock pointing the way towards Antarctica and buffeted by high waves and winds (on this day gusting to 80mph/130kph).
Continued...
But…man is it worth a visit.
Cape Town was settled in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company as a halfway stop on the sea lanes between the Far East and Europe. It is dramatically located on the slopes of Table Mountain, a 3,000 flat-topped landmark that distinguishes this city from any other. The city is centered on its harbor, known as the V&A Waterfront (named for Brit Queen Vickie and Prince Al of fabled piercing fame) with its 1882 Clock Tower and 1904 Port Captain’s Building. This heavily visited tourist area is where smart seals go to fatten up before being eaten by sharks at sea.
The city bowl (the geographic area defined by the mountain to the south and Table Bay to the north) of Cape Town is focused on Long Street, and features landmark buildings such as the City Hall, the Houses of Parliament, and the Company’s Gardens that serve as a central park. Oldest buildings include the 1761 Burger Watch House, the 1701 Koopmans de Wet Huis (pronounced “coo-ip muns dah vet hace”
, the 1783 Martin Melck House, the 1751 Tuynhuys, and the 1777 Rust-en-Vreugd – all influenced by Dutch and English architectural models.Long Street itself is famous for its cast iron verandas from the Victorian period. Nearby, the Bo-Kaap (pronounced “boo-uh kahp”
neighborhood was settled by early Indonesians and is today famous for its outlandish paint schemes and cobbled streets. A few notable Art Deco and Modernist buildings round out the city center’s scene.To the southeast along the Atlantic are the posh beaches Fresnaye and Camps Bay under the dozen spires of the Twelve Apostles ridgeline. The coastline is among the most dramatic in the world and is a playground for the rich and famous. To the southwest along the slopes of Table Mountain are more posh neighborhoods of Bishopscourt and Constantia. The University of Cape Town (established in 1829) and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (1913) are located there.
With all the peaks and mountains, Capetonians have some of the best hiking and climbing opportunities on the planet. The easy way up Table Mountain is by cable car ($20), but it’s possible to climb with a guide. Be kind to the dassies. Views are vast. An easier climb is to the top of Lion’s Head, which has easy-to-use stainless steel handles to climb its sheer rock face. Skeleton Gorge rises from the botanical garden and features a hiking trail through the fynbos (fine bush) vegetation to the top of Table Mountain. Rooibos (of tea fame) and Proteas (the national flower) are products of the fynbos.
Further south, past Fish Hoek and Simonstown, past Boulders Beach with its orgy of procreating penguins is the Cape of Good Hope, a shard of rock pointing the way towards Antarctica and buffeted by high waves and winds (on this day gusting to 80mph/130kph).
Continued...
Last edited by a moderator:
