A reunion and a tour - Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Where I stayed
Silver Wind
Our flight from Heathrow to Capetown was delayed by 2 hours, so we had to sit in the lounge and drink wine, champagne etc-to pass the time. Once we left on our BA flight all was well, except that BA really do need to update their available films. The lists were abysmal. However it did mean that after a quite nice meal with umpteen glasses of wine we were able to settle down and have a bit of a kip instead of my usual practice of staying awake all night watching films.
After breakfast and landing we had a transfer to our friend Dudley's apartment in Rondebosch, a lovely area of Capetown with a view overlooking Table Mountain and the Medical school where he had originally qualified. After a welcome freshen up and shower we had a few glasses of wine in the garden before being taken to his club- Kelvin Grove, where he has been a member for 50 years for a lovely lunch sitting out on the Terrace overlooking the pool. Later we caught a taxi down to the Waterfront where our ship the "Silver Wind" was moored. As usual checking in was very straight forward- our luggage was whisked away to our cabin and in no time we were settled in and unpacked and in time for a drink on the pool deck before getting ready for dinner.
On Silversea cruises we always opt to sit with other people at dinner in order to meet new faces and have different conversation. Our first night was good in that we sat with 5 other people who were good to talk to and we ended up in the bar with a lovely couple.
The following morning we opted for taking a 150 Rand Open Top Red Tour bus round the city centre and along the Bays. Always a good way to get a good city over view and we have done this in various cities around the world. We set off from the Victoria and Alfred Dock ( not the Victoria & Albert Dock as many people mistake, as it was named after her son Alfred who laid the first stone) We passed various famous buildings including St George’s Cathedral where Archbishop Tutu was the first to allow people of different races to pray together; the Presidential building with a statue of the first President Botha; the Castle( fort where no guns were ever fired). and the City Hall where Mandela gave his first speech as President from the balcony. The Bus wended its way through nice areas and the awful District 6 where thousands of poor people were turfed out of their homes which were then destroyed. We went past Signal Hill and up to the base of Table Mountain. We had been up the cable car to the top on a previous occasion so did not go again especially as the cloud was coming down onto the top as it frequently does forming a table cloth over the mountain and hence it’s name. The bus then drove down to Camps bay passing the 12 Apostles which are rocky outcrops on the back of Table Mountain and along the coast back to the Victoria and Alfred Dock.
Sail away from Capetown that afternoon was windy and the seas were choppy. As we went round the Cape of Good Hope the sea became very rough and there was a noticeable absence of people in the bar and restaurant. We were sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant where the floor is wooden and our chairs were sliding from one table to the next. An interesting way to meet the people on the next table but not much time to chat before we slid away again! As you will have guessed we are lucky in that we do not get seasick. There were plenty of guests who never ventured from their cabins all evening. We attended the Show which was one of the artistes singing operatic arias. Although the ship was rocking she never overbalanced once- very impressive.