Capetown - A Day to Explore

Four movies, three meals and six hours of sleep and I had made it from Atlanta to Johannesburg. One more 'short' 2-hour flight, and I was finally in Capetown! We arrived in a heavy rainstorm, but our driver skilfully maneuvered the winding ocean road to The Twelve Apostles,our beautiful hotel, located above Camp Bay Beach.

Today was our 'free day' in Capetown before the rest of our Fam group arrived so we hopped in a hotel van and headed into the city. The weather was overcast early but shortly after this photo was taken, it cleared and the afternoon was clear and beautiful. My roommate from Florida, Lynann Mullis, and I had just finished a tasty lunch on the V&A (Victoria and Alfred) Waterfront with Capetown's Table Mountain in the background.

Instead of the typical bus tour of the city, we opted for a Hop On/Hop Off openair bus like the ones in London. Sitting on top was a bit cool before the sun came out but views were spectacular. We drove all over the downtown area, up to the top of Table Mountain (Capetown's most famous site) and along spectacular beaches.

I have read about South Africa's struggles relating to arpetheid for years but am gaining a new understanding regarding the great difficulties this nation has faced. The 'segregation' policy inforcing racial discrimination officially went into effect in 1948. This law dictated where people 'of color' lived, were educated, worked, and were even buried. President de Klerk took the first steps to legimatize the ANC(African Nat'l Congress) in 1991. Nelson Mandela, after almost 30 years of imprisonment on Robben Island, was released and 3 short years later was elected president of South Africa. Although officially ended, discrimination has not been totally abolished as is the case in many other nations around the world, but the first steps have been taken.

Dinner tonight was incredible. One dish was local mussels in a creamy garlic, saffron and chardonnay sauce followed by the hotel's specialty, roast duck. That I can still type after this feast is a minor miracle.

Unfortunately, tomorrow may be an even greater challenge as the day will be spent touring the Cape Winelands. Hopefully, there will be another posting tomorrow -- depends on the condition of the author.

From beautiful Capetown, South Africa ...

Linda