Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and the second largest after Johannesburg. It’s on Table Bay and was founded by the Dutch, colonized by the British, and South Africa’s most cosmopolitan city.
After the hotel breakfast, we headed to Table Mountain where we had purchased fast track tickets for the cable car. It’s a flat topped mountain, like the mesas you see in the southwestern part of the US and apparently one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. It’s also the most visited national park in South Africa which can be accessed via hiking or a cable car. Earlier in the week, the cable car was closed for several days due to high winds, but we had a beautiful day with minimal wind.
Here’s a model of the landmark mountain:
The cable car was cool, because it actually rotates so everyone gets to see everything. Amanda took a cool video and we made our way to the top:
We then took pictures of the mountain and the surrounding area of Cape Town! There were pathways around the top and was a bit rocky at times, but totally manageable. An array of photos below:
Here’s a panorama:
You were actually above the clouds:
Here are our Table Mountain selfies!
At the restaurant, we sat for a sausage roll and a beer to enjoy some more time on top of the mountain. I also tried to sun my feet which had spots due to getting tanned while wearing my hiking sandals. I said it looked like the rosettes of a leopard!
At the bottom of the aerial cable car station, we ordered a car and I was taken to the Nelson Mandela Gateway after dropping off Amanda at the hotel. In my walk through the shopping promenade, I took this tourist frame photo of Table Mountain:
Here’s a photo of the V&A Waterfront during the day and where there were animal sculptures, like these psychedelic rhinos:
My plan was to head to Robben Island which means seals in Dutch. Throughout history, it was used as a naval base, leper colony, insane asylum, but most famously as a prison for political activists that opposed apartheid. It’s also now a nature reserve. From 1948 to the early 1990s, the apartheid system was an institutionalization of racial segregation and political activists, especially those part of the African National Congress, a liberation movement, were persecuted. Blacks had to carry a pass, like a passport, and if you weren’t carrying it when asked by security, would be arrested. This was called the “stupid pass”, because it made no sense.
The most famous leader of the African National Congress was Nelson Mandela and he was imprisoned 18 of his 27 years on Robben Island. The gateway named after him had an exhibit about the liberation movement and the history of the island:
After the boat ride with hundreds of people, we boarded a handful of buses that drive you around the island. It was a sad place, so I barely took any photos. There were graves for leprosy patients and lime and stone quarries. In the quarries, the prisoners had to work even when the stone and lime were no longer needed just to breakdown the prisoners’ mental state. The leaders worked even harder labor in the lime quarry which blinded them during the summers and in the winter, damaged their lungs. But the tour guide explained when outside, the leaders were constantly organizing and discussing the liberation movement.
We passed the villages where people lived. They showed us where the wardens lived and explained the white wardens lived separately. Apparently, about 160 people still live here who work and help maintain the island and the island relies on solar energy. We also passed a few churches including the Church of Good Shepherd, an Anglican Church built by lepers. A photo here:
In the middle of the bus ride, we stopped for about 10 minutes for snacks and photos. Here’s a view of Table Mountain and some local African penguins as there was a colony here:
There are 4 prison buildings on the island. On average, there were about 900 prisoners and all male as whites and female activists were not brought to Robben Island. Apparently, criminals and murderers were in medium security, but political leaders were held in maximum security and separately. We did see one prison area where there was a small structure and outside yard. For 6 years, Robert Sobukwe was imprisoned here. He was the founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress which had broken away from the African National Congress. He was seen as potentially more threatening according to the government and therefore kept separately. He was kept here until debilitating ill, and was released to house arrest as the government was concerned he would die in custody. The bus tour guide spoke passionately about his efforts and I continued to be saddened and impressed with the struggles in South Africa.
At the largest prison, we were met by a former political prisoner as they work as guides around the prison, sharing their extraordinary stories. There are about 14 who work on island. He explained he was found guilty of recruiting for the African National Congress and was sentenced to 5 years when he was just 21. He was transferred here from a prison in Durban, which is in southeastern South Africa.
He explained the prison was not violent as they were political prisoners. They collaborated on political education and developing literature. They would work on political poems, stageplays, and even comedy routines that were performed on the weekends. They used the term meaning “medication” for these activities as this was a way to release stress, but also to continue to organize and support the anti-apartheid movement.
The final visit was to observe Nelson Mandela’s cell. He was imprisoned here in 1964 and the 466th prisoner of that year, as they were numbered in order and by year. He was held in a solitary cell as top leaders were in individual cells versus the communal cells we saw that held approximately 80 men. Here’s a photo in the yard and his cell:
Repeatedly throughout the tour by the guides, they would thank all of us as they wanted to acknowledge the movements around the world for opposing apartheid and putting pressure on the South African government. The only other prison that I had toured was Alcatraz, but Robben Island was so different with its imprisonment of the liberation movement leaders. For this reason, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.
After the boat ride, I walked back to the hotel and rested before our reservations at La Colombe. It’s considered one of the best restaurants in South Africa and is located on a wine estate in Constantia which abuts Table Mountain and about 25 minutes south. We had beautiful views of Table Mountain and I laughed when the gate attendant declared I was heading up in the Uber. It was like we were in a chariot, but the cheapest Uber level, called Uber Go. Photos of our meal and experience below:
Amanda ordered the wine pairing which included a blind tasting, hence the black glass. We guessed correctly that it was a red, and initially thought a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was paired with a tuna and Amanda then thought it could be a Grenache and I said a Pinotage. But Amanda was right and our server, Reda, was thoroughly impressed. Some tables even thought it could be a white, but it was definitely not and I was amazed with Amanda as Grenache would never have been on my radar.
For our main meal which was the lamb chop, we got to even pick our knife which was a first for me:
We also opted for the Cellar Experience supplement where they take you to their new wine cellar and try a secret dish paired with a wine. We were treated to a mushroom and truffle dish and a Neil Ellis Elgin Shiraz that was purchased by the sommelier, Michelle, at auction. We weren’t allowed to bring our phones and we were paired with a young Belgian couple. We also managed to be the last table at the restaurant as the pacing had been slow like Protégé, but not as slow. Reda said it must have meant we had the best time.
What an amazing meal for our last full night in South Africa! As I mentioned to Amanda, South Africa has been filled with sensory overload with the sounds, sights, and tastes!
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