It is winter in Cape Town and as expected it is mostly wet
and cold, but the temperatures are not nearly as freezing cold as it is in
Gauteng and other inland places. The wet
weather do, however, seem to inhibit going out and making staying at home under
the covers very appealing…
So, as requested, this is going to be more of a reflection
on some of the highlights of the past nine months, in no particular order.
One of our favourite places to pop into has become Caffe
Verdi in the Wynberg Old Village, in fact, we have become part of the Monday
evening regulars. Like most places in Cape Town, it is dog friendly, and Ted is
usually here and will more often than not lie with us (don’t worry, he keeps an
eye on his owner, Pete).
Another highlight since we’ve been here was a visit to
Robben Island. What made it particularly poignant was that we booked the trip a
week in advance and when we woke up the morning to get ready, we heard the news
that Nelson Mandela had passed away. It made the day so much more meaningful
and our guide let us stay at his cell as long as we wanted, to pay our individual
respects. Everybody in the group was glad they had extra tissues!
The relatively new Craft Market in Hout Bay Harbour is a
must, even for locals. A wonderful collection of local clothes, food,
collectibles and crafts. Just what you would expect in Cape Town. Of course, a
day there just has to be topped off with Fish and Chips at Fisherman’s Wharf –
a real “touristy” thing, but still excellent!
Talking about Fish and Chips, Mitchell’s Brewery at the
V&A Waterfront still makes a mean one, proper beer batter and nothing
better to wash it down than a pint of Bosun’s Bitters, fresh from the tap.
Certainly on my “To Do” list when I get to the Waterfront.
A wonderful discovery was Silvermist Wine Estate, just over
the neck, ten minutes from our house towards Hout Bay. They do a small range of
organic wines, red and white, but they do them exceptionally well and the place
is just stunning! The guy that helped us
the day we were there reflected the passion of the estate, he could not stop,
in the nicest way possible! We will go back, on the next warm day…
Craft beer is big in Cape Town and most liquor stores carry
some, Jack Black’s Pale Ale has become a favourite of mine. I feel really sorry
for those poor “inlanders” that are denied this pleasure (well, not a lot of
sorry). Gerda has developed a taste for Everson’s Cloudy Cider – roll on
summer!
I had a chat here with a committed Gautenger recently and he
complained about the winter weather – I just had to point out that in summer in
Cape Town, you can actually PLAN a braai, the chance of rain is not even
contemplated. Try that in Jo’burg, there always has to be a Plan B.
About braais, fresh fish on the coals, absolutely yummy!
Even our local Pick n Pay has a larger variety of fresh fish than any store in
Pretoria – and it is fresh, when you ask for it, they ask you whether you want
it skin on or off, then they take the scales off in front of you! Sushi quality
fish over the counter at the local supermarket!
The Saturday morning market at the Biscuit Mill deserves a
blog of its own – breads, veggies, beer, meat, spices, pickles…the list just
goes on and on…
The Oceanarium at the Waterfront (twice), taking the cable
car up Table Mountain, a visit to Stellenbosch and selected wine farms and the
Cheetah Sanctuary in Somerset West are also what would be termed “touristy”
things to do. Still, one has to do them and they are so worth it, just don’t do
them at the height of the tourist season, unless you love standing in queues!
