Capetown

Saturday, December 7th

Before boarding our cruise ship, the Azamara Quest, we had a day and a night in Capetown at the Pullman Hotel. This was very much in the centre of the city and you can see from the hotel's pool deck the mixture of old and new architecture.

The day was ours to fill as we pleased and as it was Christmas and time for some shopping, we headed to the humungus mall down at the waterfront. The crowds were insane, but we managed to get some great presents and spend some money. Lunch was a delicious icecream.

Gingerbread House

The preferred Christmas decoration in Capetown seems to be Gingerbread houses. This one was in the foyer of the hotel.

Lanterns in the mall

The mall we visited was decorated with these beautiful lanterns.

Hot air balloon

This took our breath away as we navigated through the crowds in the mall.

December 19th - Table Mountain

Before we went to the airport to catch our flight back to Auckland, we had another two days in Capetown.

This was the view from Mause's verandah on the ship as we sailed into Capetown. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day to see Table Mountain, Devil's Peak and Signal Hill.

Our excursion that day was to go up the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and then to Signal Hill. We had to be patient as the wait in the queue to get onto the cable car was two hours in the hot sun! It was school holiday time and South Africans love to head to Capetown at this time of year.

You can see a little of what that was like in the photos below.

Another view from the ship

Here you can see Table Mountain on the left, Devil's Peak in the middle and Signal Hill on the right.

View from the queue

We were so lucky to have a beautiful, windless day. In the far distance you can see Stellenbosch.

Another view from the queue

There wasn't much else to do but take photos! But they did entertain us with music.

The Cable Car entrance

Yay - we finally got to the cable car entrance and a bit more shade.

Capetown's wonder

Table Mountain is now considered one of the new seven wonders of nature. The top of the flat sandstone mountain is 1085 metres above sea level and was formed millions of years ago.

Cable car going up

The cable car takes you to the summit in 5 minutes. One car goes up while the other comes down. Each cable car takes 65 people and has a revolving floor so you get the most out of the view. So far the cars have transported over 28 million visitors to the summit.

The ride

And no - if you're wondering - Mause and I weren't scared - just in awe!

The top

When you arrive at the top of the mountain, this lovely old building houses a cafe, shops and loos.

Wow - What a view

It was a bit like being in the clouds - and unusually no wind. Just lots of sunshine.

Mad climbers

We saw these mad climbers from the cable car on the way down. There are hiking tracks on the mountain if you prefer to walk!

Video view from the queue

Press play to get some idea of what it was like from the queue.

The view

The two hour wait was worth it when you get to see this.

Another heavenly view

You really felt like you were in a plane.

Signal Hill

After Table Mountain the bus took us up Signal Hill for another view of Capetown. In the early days of Capetown's history signal flags were flown from this hill to communicate weather warnings and anchoring instructions to ships in the bay. This helped them prepare for stormy weather or signal if they needed help.

Signal Hill is known for the 'Noon Gun', which was set up by the South African Navy and Astronomical Observatory in 1836. They still fire off the gun today to indicate when it is noon.

Robben Island

From Signal Hill you get a great view of Robben Island.

View of Robben Island

We could have gone on an excursion to Robben Island, but felt it was easier to view it from afar.

Nelson Mandela and Robben Island

Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela spent a good part of his incarceration during the Apartheid era. The island is about 7 kilometers from the coast, so hard to escape!

December 20th - Stellenbosch

Our last day in South Africa and we had to get off the ship by 9am. Luckily an excursion was provided to Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape. There is a beautiful university there and the tree-lined streets are full of cafes and shops. The town is surrounded by the vineyards of the Cape Winelands and the mountainous nature reserves of Jonkershoek and Simonsberg. We even passed a vineyard and a golf course that is home to the famous Ernie Els!

The bus took us to a beautiful vineyard called Blaauwklippen for a tasting of their yummy wines. Then we moved onto visit the town where the Cape Dutch architecture and the Village Museum's period houses and gardens gave us a sense of South Africa's Dutch colonial history.

The photos below give you an idea of what it was like.