I’m back! With some very long-overdue posts.
Eagerly anticipating Will and Mom’s long-awaited visit to Cape Town in early October, I adopted the position of official travel agent, planning an action-packed week of South African must-see’s and do’s.
Friday:
Early Friday morning, Will and Mom caught their connecting flight from Joburg, arriving bright and early in Cape Town to check into the beautiful Vineyard Hotel.
Here, I met up with them and led the hungry travelers to lunch in Observatory. We settled down at an earthy little café, full of beat-up old wooden tables and chairs and overflowing with charm. After lunch, I gave them a tour of my house. Finally, they would be able to picture me in my Cape Town “habitat.”
That afternoon, after some down time at the hotel to attempt to recover from jetlag, we headed to the Bo-Kaap. In this scenic old Cape Town neighborhood, I led them up to a gorgeous scenic overlook at the peak of the hill, where the sweeping view of the Cape Town waterfront was breathtaking.
We then enjoyed an African dinner at Marco’s African Restaurant, where Mom and Will got their first tastes of steamed bread, paap, ostrich, kudu, springbok, crocodile carpaccio, African linefish, malva pudding, and delicious South African wine. This, paired with the live jazz music performed by women in tradition African attire, was the perfect end to a fabulous first day.
Saturday
After a refreshing breakfast buffet and plenty of hot coffee at the hotel, we hopped on a minibus taxi headed for Old Biscuit Mill, where we took in the mass of delicious smells, sights, and tastes of this bustling weekend market. Highlights included chicken souvlaki, potato pancakes with poached egg, salmon, and hollandaise, a mind-blowing ostrich burger, and an unbelievable pear-almond tartlet for dessert. Then, after Mom and I squeezed in as much shopping as Will could stand, we headed for our next stop: Table Mountain.
The 3 of us caught a cab to the cable car at the foot of Table Mountain. Here, we climbed into the car, which had a rotating floor that provided a 360 degree view as we ascended the mountain. Once at the top, we were free to walk around, taking in the gorgeous views of Cape Town, and of course taking tons of pictures.
After Table Mountain, we ventured down to the V&A waterfront, where we explored, shopped, and enjoyed the live music being performed at the ampitheatre. We finished off the evening with a delicious meal at Balthazar, a steak and seafood restaurant on the water, where we polished-off every bite of our fabulously fresh, massive seafood platter for 3. Stuffed and satisfied, we went home to collapse in our beds at the Vineyard, happy and exhausted.
Sunday:
After enjoying another impressive breakfast buffet at the hotel, we set off for a tour and wine tasting at Neethlingshof Vineyard in Stellenbosch. The vineyard was beautiful, and our enthusiastic guide took spent all morning treating the three of us to our own private wine education session, which not only included the tour and tasting but an Afrikaans lesson and lots of good laughs. After the tasting, we sat down for a peaceful lunch on the patio before heading back to Cape Town.
Back at the hotel, Mom and I decided to treat ourselves to a pair of massages and body scrubs at the hotel’s spa. It was wonderfully indulgent, and afterwards we enjoyed a peaceful and relaxed meal at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
Monday:
While I went to my service site to work on Monday morning, Mom and Will took a township tour, where they got to see township life up-close-and-personal.
Afterwards, we met up for a quick UCT tour before my Xhosa class in the evening.
Tuesday:
On this beautiful, warm, spring morning the three of us headed to Kalk Bay to soak up some sun and sea breeze. Upon arriving, we stopped for fresh-out-of-the-ocean sushi and fish and chips at a little restaurant hanging over the water. Sitting here feeling the spray from the crashing waves below, we watched the seals splash around and play in the water. After lunch, we wandered around the town, grabbing coffee and cookies from a local bakery and checking out some of the boutiques before heading back to Cape Town.
For dinner, we decided to check out the scene downtown, where we ended up enjoying delicious salads, pizzas, and chocolate lava cakes at Greens, a great little restaurant right off Kloof Street.
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, while I was in class and working at my service site, Will and Mom went on a safari at Aquila game reserve, a few hours outside of Cape Town. They came back full of delicious food, stories, and pictures of all of the animals they saw.
After, they enjoyed a hearty, satisfying meal at the cozy Newlands restaurant, Wijnhuis.
Thursday:
Bundling up on this cold, windy morning, we decided to have lunch on St. George’s mall at a little café called Licorice and Lime. Here, we ate a cozy meal of hot tea and warm tramezzinis. Afterwards, we did some souvenir shopping at Green Market Square, where Mom got a great African mask, Will got TWO vuvuzelas (as hard as I tried to fight it), and I got a t-shirt featuring Nelson Mandela’s face. Later that afternoon, Mom finally convinced us to check out the South African Art museum, which ended up being pretty interesting. Then, after warming up in a coffee shop by the Cathedral, we headed back towards the hotel.
That night, we went back to Wijnhuis for dinner. Here, we indulged on the fabulous fresh-baked bread, flavorful seafood, and what was truly the BEST flourless chocolate torte in the world. Seriously.
It was the perfect end to a wonderful week.
I can’t wait to make a repeat visit to Cape Town, next time with the whole family.
