Cape Town – The Fairest Cape or The Mother City

The oldest indications of human settlement at this, the southwestern-most tip of the African continent, date back to around 15-20 000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of the first Europeans, the area was inhabited by groups of nomadic Khoi peoples. The first recorded visit by a European is that of the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who arrived here in 1486 whilst endeavouring to reach the East Indies. The first major settlement by Europeans, however, dates to 1652, when on the 6th of April Jan van Riebeeck landed to start a refreshment post for Dutch ships passing the Cape en route to the Indies, as instructed by his superiors the Heere XVII, the Dutch council responsible for Dutch Colonies.

Today Cape Town is the second-largest city in South Africa after Johannesburg. Its metropolitan population of 3,8 million places it is the same category as Los Angeles and Yokohama. The Cape Peninsula (the city and it’s immediate surroundings, as well as Table Mountain and Cape Point) draws the bulk of both domestic and international tourists and is much loved for its mild Mediterranean climate, its spectacular scenery, its outstanding world-class wines, its cosmopolitan air and mouthwatering food. It’s a city for people who love to live to the full, who enjoy the very finest life can offer and who enjoy being close to Nature.

The city centre as seen from Signal Hill.

Looking east over the northern suburbs like Bellville and Durbanville towards the distant mountain range beyond which the interior starts. The hill on the left is Tygerberg Hill.

The entrance to the Castle of Good Hope. Built by the Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679, the Castle is the oldest existing building in South Africa. It replaced an older fort called the Fort de Goede Hoop which was constructed from clay and timber and built by Jan van Riebeeck upon his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.

The old Town Hall, Cape Town, as seen from the Grand Parade. This large Edwardian building was built in 1905. It is located on the Grand Parade to the west of the Castle and is built from honey-coloured oolitic limestone imported from Bath in England.

Flower sellers on Adderley Street. The flower sellers have been operating from this position for at least a century and form an integral part of Cape Town’s attractions.

The imposing entrance to the Standard Bank Building.

The Standard Bank building on Adderley Street . Designed by Charles Freeman, the building was completed in 1881. In 1922 two more storeys were added.

The beautiful blend of old and new which is Cape Town.

On the corner of Bloem and Long Streets, looking along the latter. Long Street is lined with beautifully preserved old Victorian buildings and a hub for nightlife.

The V&A is abuzz 24/7, all year round.

Looking northeast and out into Table Bay.

Inside the Victoria Wharf shopping centre at the V&A Waterfront.
With over 450 retail outlets selling everything from fashion, home-ware and curios, to jewellery, leather goods and audio-visual equipment,  the Waterfront is also still a working harbour and the fishing boats can be seen working bringing in fresh fish or the large container ships being towed in by the tugboats.
The Waterfront is Cape Town’s premier entertainment venue and home to many outstanding restaurants.

The V&A Waterfront with Table Mountain and Lions Head in the background.

Fishing trawlers in the working docks of the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.

A glimpse of the colourful houses of the Bo-Kaap (Upper Cape). This area was previously known as the Malay Quarter, because this is where slaves from Malaya settled in the eighteenth century. The minaret of the mosque is indicative of the strong Muslim character of the people of the Bo-Kaap.

Looking down on part of the suburb of Sea Point.

Lions Head on the right, as seen from Signal Hill, with the westerly edge of Table Mountain (and the upper cableway station on top) on the right. Between them we see the mountain range known as the Twelve Apostles.

A wider view to the east, with the Durbanville Hills on the far right.

Another view of the CBD with the harbour on the left and the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s marina in the top left corner. Much of the land in this view has been reclaimed from the sea.

Devils Peak, and below it the suburbs of Oranjezicht, Gardens, Vredehoek, Zonnebloem and Tamboerskloof.

Looking back towards Table Mountain from the road to Signal Hill. Devils Peak is on the far left.

Thank you for taking the time to get a tiny look at a very small part of the wonderful place!

Route 62

The well-loved, and some say iconic, Route 62 in South Africa’s Western Cape is generally described as running from Cape Town to Port Elzabeth, a distance of some 800km. Strictly speaking, though, Route 62 starts just outside the town of Ashton, about 180km inland from Cape Town.

Prior to the opening of the N2 freeway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in 1959, the main route between the two cities was via Route 62. The N2 along the stretch of coastline is called the Garden Route, while the R62, running through the Little Karoo between the coastal mountain ranges of the Langeberg, Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains and the Little Swartberg is also sometimes referred to as the Mountain Route.

Much less travelled by those in a hurry, this road wanders through the small towns of Ashton, Montagu, Barrydale, Ladismith and Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn. Oudtshoorn was our destination in August this year. It’s a town I have very strong ties with, even though I spent a relatively short part of my life there, first at school in the 7th and 8th Grades, then later as a soldier doing a Permanent Force (regular army) course at the Infantry School on the outskirts of the town. My sister lived there for many years, so I visited her and her family there every few years as well.

What makes Route 62 so special is the landscape through which it meanders. The Little Karoo is a mostly semi-arid region of intense beauty, with towering blue mountains, vast plains between them, a deep silence and that soul-revitalising serenity one only finds in places like this. No visit to South Africa can ever be complete without a road trip along the R62, so please join me as we travel from Ashton to Oudtshoorn.

I also wish to take this opportunity to thank all my followers and visitors for their kindness, and to wish every one of you a wonderfully happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2015.

This is the sign to look out for!

The town of Barrydale nestles at the foot of the Langeberg mountains.

This old Massey-Ferguson tractor is to be found at the famous Ronnie’s Sex Shop on R62. A must stop for a beer and a chat, and to buy T-shirts, like we did!

The Western Cape’s roads are immaculate and wonderful to drive along. This is a typical view along the route.

The Swartberg Mountains in the distance.

The mystical Toorkop (Magic Peak) towers over the surrounding mountains and valleys.

An abandoned shepherd’s cottage in this wild, yet stunningly beautiful landscape.

This scrubland is typical of the Klein (or Little) Karoo. Beyond the Klein Swartberg mountains lies the Great Karoo, which is much more arid and even more breathtakingly beautiful.

Sometimes one still comes across a donkey cart, the only means of transport for generations of farm labourers and itinerant sheep shearers . Cheaper to run and much more reliable than any motorised vehicle!

The Huisriver pass wends through the lower slopes of the Sandberg, near Calitzdorp.

The Sandberg mountain as seen from the pass.

Between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn the road runs through a wide expanse of “bossieveld” (scrubland). As always there are mountains in every view…

2014 in review

Thank you for the visits! Here’s wishing all of you out there a wonderful 2015!

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 670 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 11 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Somerset West and Stellenbosch 2014

Somerset West and Stellenbosch

As planned, we spent two weeks in the Western Cape in August this year. We’d gone especially for my daughter’s wedding, but managed to fit in some other visits, too! All in all it was a rather hectic, but extremely enjoyable visit, and we cannot wait to return!

The images this time are all from the towns of Somerset West (where I used to live) and Stellenbosch (where I used to teach). I hope you enjoy seeing them!

The information centre at the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West is built in the traditional Cape-Dutch style. The Helderberg mountain looms over the reserve.

The entrance to the Lourensford Wine Cellars on the Lourensford Estate in Somerset West. Great wines are to be bought here!

The fish pond at the Lourensford Estate cellar.

In the garden of the Helderberg Forest Boutique Lodge in Somerset West, where we spent a few wonderful nights and days. A superb place and highly recommended!

One of the entrances to the huge Somerset Mall shopping complex between Somerset West and the Strand. This used to be one of my all-time favourite haunts.

Looking up Church Street towards the Dutch Reformed “Moederkerk” (Mother Church) in Stellenbosch on a wet day.

“La Gratitude” was built for the Borcherds family in 1798. Situated at no. 28 Dorp Street, this is one of the many beautiful houses from the 1700s and 1800s to be found in this Stellenbosch street.

A fallen camellia bloom on the brick-paved pavement along Dorp Street.

Looking up Dorp Street. The channels along the street serve to run irrigation water through the town and date back from the very beginning of European settlement here. Dorp Street is also famed for its ancient oak trees, as is the town as a whole, hence its nickname “Eikestad” (Oak Town).

Stellenbosch Mountain as seen from in front of De Akker, one of the Western Cape’s oldest pubs and a favourite student hangout on Dorp Street.

Aircraft and Airports

SOUTH AFRICA 2014

This year we paid South Africa another visit, mainly to be at my daughter’s wedding in Somerset West, but also to see the lovely Cape again. We also took a road trip to one of my old haunts, Oudtshoorn, but more of that later.

Enjoy the images of aircraft and airports we encountered.

 

Cloudscapes are always even more impressive from above. This was taken somewhere above the Indian Ocean as we approached the South African coast.

View of one of our Boeing 747-400’s Rolls-Royce engines.

Wing and wingtip of our Mango Airline Airbus as we fly towards Cape Town.

Seeing the magnificent mountains of the Western Cape always brings a lump to my throat.

Our aircraft for the long haul back to Oz, a Qantas 747-400 called “Fraser Island”. It still was a sad day, all the same…

At Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport we get to see airline liveries that are almost never seen at Australian airports. Love the colours!

The bright and beautiful tail of a SAA aircraft.

Lisbon the Beautiful, or Lisboa a Linda

During my stay on the island of  São Miguel in the Azores I had a few stopovers in the lovely old city of Lisbon during my travels between the island and Cape Town. I grew to love Lisbon and relish my all too brief visits, so when Elle and I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days there en route to the Azores, we jumped at it. I badly wanted to share at least a bit of this great place with her. We both thoroughly enjoyed our brief sojourn, even though the second day was rather wet because of an autumn rain!

The Rua Augusta, looking towards the arch called the Arco da Rua Augusta.

Looking along one of the cloisters facing the Praça do Comércio, on the left as one comes out from under the arch.

Arco da Rua Augusta as seen from the Praça do Comércio.

One of Lisbon’s famous trams, called eléctricos.

The oldest parts of the city are quaint and medieval, such as can be seen here, looking up the Arco de Jesus in the Alfama district.

One of the city’s most famous look-out spots is the Miradouro da Santa Luzia, from where this view was taken. We look east, past the twin-towered church of São Vincente de Fora towards the dome of the Panteão Nacional.

The River Tagus (Rio Tejo) lies in the background of this view over the Alfama, with the church of Santo Estêvão on the left.

Zooming in on the dome of the National Pantheon, formerly known as the Church of Santa Engrácia.

Further west along the Tagus, in the suburb of Belém, one finds the memorial to the Portuguese dicoverers, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.

This map in the square shows the extent of Portuguese discoveries worldwide.

Another view of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.

Nearby is the Torre de Belém. The tower was commissioned by King João II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Erected in the early part of the 16th century, it is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Looking down from the top of the tower onto the ramparts.

Just to the west of the Torre de Belém is the memorial to the Portuguese soldiers who died in the wars in Angola and Mozambique.

Here we are looking from the ramparts of the Castelo São Jorge, just above the Alfama district. The view is roughly west towards the river and the Ponte 25 de Abril, the bridge in the distance. Also visible on the far left is the statue of Christ the King at the Santuário de Cristo Rei.

The western ramparts of the Castelo São Jorge.

From the Castelo we look don on the Praça da Figueira (middle distance, right) and beyond it to the modern roof of the Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio (the Rossio station, not to be confused with the Rossio Metro station.)

We zoom in on the previous view to get a better look at the Convento do Carmo (ruins of the Carmo Convent), with to the left of it the Elevador de Santa Justa, a lift to get people from the lower level of the city in front of the convent to the higher level behind it. On the right of the ruins is the church Iglesia do Carmo.

Late afternoon, and we are looking west from the castle ramparts we see the distant dome and towers of the Basilica da Estrela.

Castelo de São Jorge. This is the entrance to the central keep of the castle. The castle was built by Moorish forces during the 10th century.

Vergelegen

The town of Somerset West, named after the British Governor Lord Charles Somerset, lies at the foot of the Helderberg mountain, part of the Hottentots-Holland range, and is some 30km east of Cape Town. The town itself is fairly young, having been founded only in 1822, but on the outskirts of Somerset West one finds the historic wine estate of Vergelegen (from the Dutch for “situated far away”, because when the then Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan van der Stel established the estate in 1700, it took three days by ox wagon from Cape Town).

Six years after he had established the estate, Van der Stel had already planted  half a million vines, and thus started the history of wine making at Vergelegen. The estate passed from hand to hand over the centuries, but nowadays it belongs to the Anglo-American group of companies and the quality of the wines produced here now is exceptional. Today there are 24 vineyards covering 107ha (264 acres).

The estate is also popular just before Christmas, when thousands of people attend the annual carols by candlelight held on the main lawn in front of the old manor house.

These old camphor trees were planted by Van der Stel between 1700 and 1706 and are today protected as part of South Africa’s national heritage.

Lovely old oak trees provide wonderful shade in the summer heat.

A glimpse through an archway into a secluded side of the old homestead.

The homestead, built by Van der Stel between 1700 and 1705.

One of the many old oak trees on the estate, originally brought out by the early Dutch settlers. This one was planted during Van der Stel’s tenure.

A very special oak tree, grown from one of the very last acorns from King Alfred’s Oak in the gardens of Bleinheim Palace in England. This tree was planted in 1928, and in 1947 King George VI personally collected some of the acorns to be planted in the Great Park at Windsor.

The view across the octagonal garden towards the Hottentots-Holland mountains.

Looking across the octagonal garden towards the homestead.