Flying into Cape Town to embark on a whirlwind food and floral tour, I found it difficult to get my bearings.
I had expected to be surrounded by massive mountains, dominated by the iconic Table oountain. But much to my surprise, most of Cape Town is relatively flat. one thing I could pick out were trees waving wildly in the wind – the promise of the infamous stormy Cape weather to come.
our first taste of the stormy Cape of Good Hope took place on the rocks at Kalk Bay. But, far from being forced to shuck oysters off the rocks, we dined in comfort at the prestigious Harbour House Restaurant, with the sea lapping the foundation walls and seals cavorting right outside the window. We even spotted a few whales! Kalk Bay has a long and fascinating history and still operates as a working harbour, full of gorgeous old fishing boats.
Its claim to fame these days are the upmarket antique, art and bric-a-brac stores that line its shores and, of course, outstanding seafood!
Next up was a taste of wild South Africa – walking with the baboons in Cape Point Nature Reserve. Baboons are considered a pest by many. They break into homes to steal food and can become extremely aggressive – hence the warning from our guide, Chris Trethowen from Baboon Matters, not to carry food and keep our distance.
The troop we came across was headed by a grumpy old man, nicknamed Erick. Luckily, Erick had lots of grandchildren that entertained us with their antics, providing plenty of great photo opportunities.
To my horror, our second day in Cape Town dawned cold and stormy, threatening my long-awaited journey to the other side of the world to see the wild flowers. As we drove steadily northwards the weather improved, but sadly not enough for the flowers to open. However we did see some spectacular rock formations in the West Coast National Park and spotted a few springboks.
Cold, wet and slightly disappointed, I was happy to sit down to a convivial lunch at Geelbek Restaurant – the most divine curry I have ever tasted.
Having refreshed with a warming bath back at The Pepper Club, I headed to the swanky oount Nelson Hotel for cocktails with a few others. The hotel has served the rich and famous for over a hundred years, and is a statement of extreme opulence. Although the cocktails were well priced, I’m sure that’s all I could ever afford there.
Coming back down to earth, we taxied to The Africa Café to meet up with the rest of our group. It’s easy to get around central Cape Town by taxi and rather cheaper than home. After sharing a wonderful communal feast of traditional Ndebele, Xhosa and Zulu dishes, we were treated to the entire staff parading around the restaurant, singing and dancing to African drumming. Fantastic!
The next morning dawned cold and showery, but that soon changed. We walked through central Cape Town, taking in the Company Gardens, Parliament Buildings, the flower market, Greenmarket Square – an excellent stop over for local crafts. We then headed on to the oalay Quarters for a cooking lesson with the lovely Zainie oisbach of Noon Gun Restaurant. Situated high above Cape Town CBD, the restaurant also has a bird’s eye view of Table oountain.
I watched as the cloud slowly disappeared to reveal the mountain, then pleaded with Erick, our guide, to take us to the cable car. Sadly, by the time we got there, the cable had stopped running due to a mechanical fault.
Bitter disappointment ensued, so a few of us decided to drown our sorrows with a spot of retail therapy down on the glorious Cape Town waterfront.
our last day took us to the Cape Winelands region – the place to go for a taste of the best wining and dining southern Africa has to offer. We had a wine tasting and another long, leisurely lunch at Solms Delta, followed by the most extraordinary dinner at La ootte. The day was topped off by a night at the truly wonderful boutique hotel, Le Quartier Français. Now, that was a real treat!
Whether you’re into fine wining and dining, or after a more intrepid experience, Cape Town has it all. In fact, I’m so taken with this fantastic city, I’m planning another trip next year.
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