There’s not many places I have gone to twice. If you remove
traveling with family on one of those occasions, there is basically no place
I’ve gone to twice. Well, there’s a first time for doing a second time, and
that place is Cape Town. From the moment I left Cape Town nearly three years
ago, on March 1st, 2013, I’ve wanted to come back. That was the
start of the longest vacation of my life. This is the end of my longest
vacation since. I said then that I would have rather done Cape Town last,
saving the best for last. Well, now is a good time to test that theory.
I arrived in Cape Town at 9:30 PM, and had to wait until
about 10:00 to pick up my luggage and get a cab. When I left the airport, I
felt a rush… of cold air. It is the dead of summer on the Western Cape, and it
was basically 60 degrees and windy. Very windy. Almost unsettlingly windy. The
cool air was a welcome site. This place really is right between San Francisco
and San Diego in terms of weather. Something happened on my ride to my hostel,
A Sunflower Stop, that didn’t happen the first time. It rained. Now, it did
rain during my first trip to Cape Town, but it was in the morning and I was
asleep. For the first time, I actually had to deal with rain. Now, because it
is Cape Town, the rain meant a drizzle below partly cloudy skies, but that was
still a bit unnerving to realize that it does actually rain in Cape Town.
After unpacking, settling in, and ensuring the Wi-Fi works,
I got an uber and went straight to the Waterfront, where it was even windier
but every bit as lively as I remembered. There was only one thing I wanted on
my first night in Cape Town: a mug of Milk & Honey beer at Mitchell’s
Tavern at the edge of the V&A Waterfront. I arrived to a familiar scene,
Mitchell’s was crowded, as was the Irish Pub / Outdoor Karaoke scene nextdoor,
with the big Ferris Wheel glowing across the pedestrian walkway. I settled in,
got a Milk & Honey, and took a big long sip of that delicious liquid.
A few mugs of that and another of Mitchell’s own fare, and a
few chats with the locals (or foreigners, given that it was a Wednesday Night),
I went back to my room and settled in for a night’s sleep with a packed agenda
for the next day.
The agenda for the next day would get dramatically less
packed, however, because of the heavy winds cancelling my Robben Island tour.
Having been to Cape Town before, the only attraction I wanted to repeat was
Table Mountain, because it was just too amazing to pass up. Robben Island
became the second one after I decided from my experience at the Apartheid
Museum that I would like to re-do it with a more educated perspective. However,
the winds that were battering the day before were even worse. The heavy winds
would be a constant battle, but here it was definitely the victor ruining the
tour before it began.
It did however give me a few hours to play with. I started
with breakfast at Vovo Telo at the Waterfront, getting a South African omelet
and Ginger Ale – both good, and then went for a long walk around the Waterfront
area, through the more posh Norther ‘Albert’ half, down through the food market
and then passed by a giant medium-end craft market that was recently opened. I
decided then to add another attraction to re-do, as I did a quick jaunt of the Two
Oceans Aquarium, which had opened a new predator area to couple with the
winding shark tank.
Throughout all of these areas at the Waterfront are just stunning
views of Lion’s Head and Table Mountain behind, looming as an incredible
reminder of just how breathtaking the views in Cape Town are. I honestly think
the Waterfront in Cape Town gives the best photo opportunities of any easily
reachable place. Sure, if you hike miles in the Andes you may get some better
views, but this is on level ground, reachable by Taxi. I thought that three
years go, thought it today, and am guessing will think it tomorrow when I come
back to the Waterfront.
When it came cose to lunch time I ahad to decide on a place
to go. Doing some brief tripadvisor research before the trip, I did realize
some of the top rated places had changed, but I wanted to go off of past
experience more than anything. I chose Arnold’s for lunch. I actually went
there twice in 2013 for lunch, one planned and once because Miller’s Thumb was
closed (definitely planning to go there this time). Arnold’s has good food, but
more than that has a ton of African Meat options, which is a personal favorite
of mine. This time, I had the warthog ribs as a starter, and a crocodile curry
as my main. The portions were big enough I couldn’t finish the curry, but both
dishes were excellent. Situated on Kloof street, one of the best aspects of
Arnold’s is the view of Table Mountain, but due to the wind they were not
serving outside. Luckily, they have good food to go with the view that was
taken away from me.
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Following lunch, with stil time to kill, I decided to just
saunter around downtown Cape Town. First I walked straight down from Arnold’s
on Kloof Street, to the end of the street and then onto Long Street, which is
what it becomes. Long Street is the most popular area of the city for ‘youngsters’
with an overabundance of bars, pubs, clubs and hostels. At night, it is a
madhouse, with more than enough people to remain safe. During the day it is
still very crowded. At the end of Long Street, I paid a quick visit to the park
and then walked through the street markets. All of this seemed very European.
Cape Town is a great mix of European architecture, design and ambience, in a
setting that is still uniquely African.
After milling around I went back to the hotel to rest for a
bit – and to take a call, sadly I am now travelling as a gainfully employed
adult, slightly different than my situation in 2013. I awoke from this slumber
at 6:30, ready to go to one of the new places I had read about – Signal Hill,
the third of the three main peaks towering over Cape Town. Signal Hill is the
smallest and lowest, and the only one reachable by car, up a winding road.
Signal Hill was called on Tripadvisor the place with the best view of Cape
Town, and the place to watch the sunset. I decidd to test both of those claims.
I quickly did learn that it is te best view in Cape Town,
better than Table Mountain. Why? Because from Signal Hill part of your view
includes Table Mountain. One of the best aspects of the views around Cape Town
is the fact that Table Mountain, that imposing flat-top wall, is in them.
Obviously, from the peak of Table Mountain, it itself is not in the view. From
Signal Hill, it is. Signal Hill actually sits in a place where you can see all
parts of Cape Town easily from it.
The wind was actually great on top of Signal Hill, so much
so that I nearly dropped my phone when trying to take a selfie with Table
Mountain behind me. From the car park, there is a path that heads to the peak
of the hill, from there you get views of everything. Great of views of Cape
Town the city:
Views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head:
View of the Soccer Stadium and the Waterfont:
And Views down south towards Camp’s Bay and the Cape:
When sunset started to set it, the Western face of the hill
started to fill out really quickly. They have a tarp set out where dozens of
people were camping out waiting for the sun to set. People had brought picnics
and wines and beers and books and blankets and set in for the sunset. I did as
well, waiting until the sun neatly nestled behind the clouds at 8:15. It really
was a stunning site, made, oddly, even more haunting with the whipping wind. I’m
not doing too many things during my time in Cape Town that I didn’t do last
time. One of the main one’s will happen tomorrow when I go to Kirstenbosch, but
I can’t recommend Signal Hill enough.
After dinner, I took an uber ride to Camps’ Bay, the first
Bay south of Cape Town, with views of the beach below it and the mountains
above it. Again, the wind played too strongly to sit outside, but I had a
lovely dinner by the beach at Ocean Blue. The setting here was extremely
European. I remember an almost identical road-side restaurant and beach setting
near Valencia Spain. The difference here, though is having mountains that will
rival Banff National Park in Calgary above on the other side. The food itself was
good, Springbok Carpaccio, and a fried Baby Kingklip, of which there was
nothing Baby about it. I tried to sit there soaking in the setting for as
longas I could.
Before I knew it, I was on an uber back to the Waterfront,
to have a few more Milk & Honeys, talk to a few more locals, and hit the
hay after a long, worthwhile, relaxing day. I really tried not to visit the
same place more than once for a long time, but having these 3.5 days in Cape
Town, with really nothing much to do, is invaluable. I could come here again
and again and again.
