I am not sure what we were picturing for our time in Capetown, but beaches were certainly part of our plans...that is before we arrived. It should have come as no surprise that a place with penguins very likely also has cold water! Turns out to be true...the Atlantic is hovering at somewhere between 11° and 14 ° C, so swimming will be rare and quick. Also, the prevailing winds are strong...whipping up the waves, which is bad enough, but also ferociously blowing the sand down the beach. So, laying on the beach, at least where we are, was quickly taken off the list of things to do!
We did take a quick walk down the lagoon side of the coast, right outside our apartment, and came back along the beach...it was sunny and hot...and...windy!
We reviewed our options and decided to figure out the city bus situation and to explore the central city a bit. Buses at home do not present a big adventurous challenge to us, but surprisingly we feel a bit like Marco Polo when we venture out with the general public in foreign spots.
We managed to get ourselves into the city and went to the waterfront to explore. This is a fascinating place. It is called the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, named after Queen Victoria and her second son, Prince Alfred, the latter of whom visited as a midshipman in 1860. It is a tourist attraction, with a huge ferris wheel, shops and hotels, fine dining etc; and a working port with tug boats and ships and fish plants.
We were amazed to see a working dry dock right in the city centre, with sandblasting hulls happening right beside pedestrian sidewalks!
There is a rather famous building called the clock tower, which the harbour master occupied back in the day. It was equipped with a tide well which allowed for a reading of the tide height for the information of incoming vessels.
Also, there are fantastic views of the ubiquitous table mountain...on this day covered in cloud, which is commonly called the table cloth when it hovers over the top on an otherwise bright and sunny day.
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