Vredehoek, Gardens and Oranjezicht are three old suburbs found just above the inner city on the slopes of Table Mountain, just to the right of Devil's Peak. For me, these three are more or less merged into a single large suburb, and I never know when I'm in one or the other.
You'll see a sign reading "Villa" on the left of the photo. That's the entrance to Villa Portuguese Restaurant & Pizzeria, and based on the restaurant's address (176 Upper Buitenkant Street, Vredehoek), it's safe to say that I took this photo in Vredehoek!
Something cool that I noticed when I zoomed in on the photo (and something that you may like to keep in mind) is that there's a sign posted in the window that reads "Mondays, 50% off pizza, sit down only". We may just have to take them up on that offer... :)
At the risk of sounding uncultured and like a broken record, I'd have to say that I'm not a ballet-appreciating kind of guy. The thought of watching an entire performance would normally draw tears from my eyes (or yawns from my jaw).
But, hugely to my surprise, while shooting photos only a couple of metres from the stage, I somehow developed an affinity and appreciation for the art. The show put on by Cape Town City Ballet (at Aqua Festival) was absolutely amazing! The precision by which the dancers moved every part of their body, the perfect timing, their flexibility - it was all out of this world (see the photos here). I think for me it made a huge difference being able to see the dancers really close up (with my zoom lens). I was able to see expressions on their faces that told the story of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. I was even able to see the perspiration on their brows that revealed how much effort they were exerting and exactly how strenuous and non-nancy-pancy the performance was! :)
Guys, seriously, at least once, take time out to watch a ballet performance. And, when you do, buy the most expensive tickets that you can, as close to the stage as you can. And, once you've done all of this, take along your pair of Bushnell binoculars (or riflescope if you really want to look macho). ;)
If you're in Cape Town, you could try to make a date to see dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet company perform The Sleeping Princess, the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's still showing until 10 January at the Artscape Theatre Centre and tickets cost between R70 and R105.
When I was younger I used to love doing jigsaw puzzles during the school holidays. The puzzle pictures that I liked most were the ones that evoked a sense of place. I liked pictures of city streets, or quaint alpine wooden houses with window boxes full of flowers, or horses grazing lazily in a field somewhere. I wasn't much into baskets of kittens, or underwater scenes featuring dolphins.
I think that what I enjoyed most about putting these puzzles together was the way that I got drawn into the scene; it was escapism, just like reading a really good book. There's something about this photo that makes me feel the same way - I could stare at it for hours. Now if only someone would make it into a jigsaw puzzle for me. ;)
I only read this sign only after I played on the "play equipment". I think I'm in trouble... but shhh... don't tell anyone. :) I was driving past this field and noticed a guy standing more or less in the middle, whacking stones as far as he could, baseball-style. Technically I guess he's allowed to as it seems only golf is prohibited.
I wonder how many times a Metro officer has argued with a member of the public over technical interpretations of what's allowed in play parks and what's not. Technically, one is allowed to sleep in the park during the day, ride a motorbike as long as you don't wheelie and let your dog run free as long as they have a leash attached. I'm in no hurry to test the point, but if I had been challenged on the point of not being under 14 I may have considered arguing the point that I'm certainly under 14 inches. :D
Being narrow and lined with tall buildings, many of our city-centre side-streets are reminiscent of the "old Cape Town". A few of our streets are even made of cobble-stone, dating back to the time of horses and carts. In fact, I wonder how many people know that in 1863 the city opened its first fully operational tramway, operated by the "Cape Town and Green Point Tramway Company". The horse-drawn tram service ran from the bottom of Adderley Street along Somerset Road to Green Point. Of course, there are no more tramways left in Cape Town today - they'd cause absolute havoc with the traffic!
We went to drop off a few blankets and pillows at the TAC warehouse this evening, for distribution to the displaced refugees and immigrants around Cape Town. I had mixed feelings being there: on one hand, really saddened by the violence and cruelty that has been perpetrated against the refugees, and on the other hand moved and heartened by the way in which ordinary men and women are giving up their time, money and energy to help these people... simply because they are people.
I spent some time chatting to the volunteers to find out what is needed most right now. If you have the means and the inclination, whether you live in South Africa or not, please consider helping in one of the following ways:
If you are in Cape Town The items they need most right now are toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, baby formula, and of course, more pillows and blankets. For the time being they have enough tinned food, toilet paper and sanitary towels - but that can change in a matter of hours, so if you're unsure it might be best to give the TAC office a call on 021 422 1490 before heading to the warehouse.
The warehouse is situated at 50 Canterbury Street (just off Roeland Street in Zonnebloem), and is open from around 8.30am to 10pm. They need volunteers to help with the sorting of donated goods, and also people with cars or bakkies to transport supplies to where they are needed.
The TAC office (4th floor, Westminster House, 122 Longmarket Street) is open 24 hours a day, and they are constantly in need of volunteers to help with phoning around, and doing admin and computer work.
If you are NOT in Cape Town Please consider donating cash, either to TAC (which stands for Treatment Action Campaign: they are an HIV lobby and advocacy group, who have turned their hand to disaster relief - very effectively, I might add) or the Red Cross. There are a number of ways to donate to TAC, depending on where you live. Get more information here. You can donate to the Red Cross online here.
Peak-time traffic into and out of the city is just awful - and this photo doesn't do it justice at all. I guess it's not unlike any other large city though. The problem with Cape Town is that really big mountain backing onto the city; it seriously hampers the development of additional roads into and out of Cape Town. Though, to be honest, this isn't the real reason for our congestion.
It's rumoured that the City is looking at converting part of our rail network into an underground system. Perhaps this will lead to some kind of underground Metro. I'm not sure exactly what the plans are, but a general upgrade of our rail system would help tremendously to alleviate congestion.
This kind of photo opportunity deserves a super steady tripod and one of those really expensive lenses that I'm always seeing at cricket matches... you know, the ones that are about a meter long and have a lens diameter similar to that of a small car's tyre.
I shot this photo early this morning from our balcony. Kerry-Anne said it reminded her of one of those lengthy immunity challenges in CBS's Survivor. You know - the ones where contestants are compelled to stand on a pole for hours on end. Our friend here lasted for several minutes before taking a dive off into the water - in search of a peanut butter sandwich no doubt. (Peanut butter? Google here.)
Kerry-Anne and I took our Polish visitor on a quick tour around the city as the sun's final rays were disappearing. One of her questions to us was regarding the large number of lights and whether or not we have electricity supply problems. Perhaps it's just perception on her part and perhaps she's just not used to seeing Warsaw from a vantage point like Signal Hill - though I must admit that we do have our fair share of bulbs glowing through the night... it makes us feel all safe when driving from party to party ;).
This guy, one of our boat guides aboard the Tigresse catamaran, has one of the worst jobs ever. Imagine having to take city visitors out to see eye-watering views like this each day.
It was an easy decision when the City Daily Photo community asked, "If you had to leave forever the city from which you usually post, what would you miss most?". I'd miss setting sun's summer glow over our part of the Atlantic ocean. I'd miss the long summer evenings, outlines of friends silhouetted against and orange glow, and how the beach becomes silent at dusk, and how thousands of candles light up the beach on warm February evenings.
No really, they aren't open on Sundays or public holidays. Which is a real shame for those of us who don't work in the city. Totally understandable though Jason... you and your staff also need a break.
Phew - lots of people hey?! We really love tourists visiting Cape Town. It's fantastic for our economy and, well, the divergent cultures and beautiful people that descend on our little city over this time is spectacularly interesting. It's a pleasure having you!
It is however sad that most tourists never get to see the calm, relaxed, and quiet beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay. I often wonder to myself if crowded and busy beaches are as all they know. It's a shame, because these beaches are spectacular from late February through to April and even May. Next time you visit Cape Town - consider coming a little later in the new year - I pretty much guarantee you'll enjoy it more than the Christmas/New Year period. :)
I've been meaning to look into SUP (Stand Up Paddling) for a while now. I figured that I'd first hire a board to check if it's something I'd actually do over the long-term - before buying a board, paddle, roof racks, waterproof camera housing, and all the other bits and pieces one ends up needing to get properly into a sport.
I arrived at SUP Cape Town at 9am and handed over my R200 for the hour of fun that lay ahead.
One of the staff gave Riaan (a friend and long-time colleague) and I a quick overview of how to stand on a board, paddling technique, and safety on the canal. We hopped down from the side of the canal onto the huge boards and within about 15 seconds felt fairly comfortable and confident enough to paddle along towards the One and Only hotel.
Paddling against the light headwind was a little strenuous, but not too significantly so. It did however cause me to congratulate myself on postponing the trip I'd planned to take on Sunday afternoon when the wind was somewhat more angry.
We paddled along the canals watching schools of fish as they swam beneath us. We kept to the right of the canal, dodging the occasional City Sightseeing boats that puttered past (their wake providing a few moments of excitement as our boards bobbed and weaved beneath our feet).
The paddle up to the One and Only, and back to the launch site took about half an hour, and the paddle to the CTICC and Westin Hotel and back took about another 30 minutes.
I'd recommend you don't take your phone (or camera) on the board. While it's fairly easy to stay above water, I horsed around a little too much and managed to lose balance momentarily, causing me to topple into the canal (much to the amusement of a small group of tourists). :)
Visit SUP Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront canals, over the road from the Caltex petrol station at the V&A's primary entrance. They also have a gazebo on Clifton 4th where they hire boards out at the slightly-reduced rate of R150 per hour.
I went along to the Artmode "Holistic Expression of Integrated Arts" event on Thursday - it was fantastic. If you ever see the flyers, or catch wind of it on Social media, make a plan to go along - you're unlikely to regret it.
The evening was hosted at Youngblood-Africa's three-story gallery on 70-72 Bree Street in Cape Town, and brought together performing artists, sculptors, and painters and other artists to produce an ensemble of creative people who entertained us over glasses, many glasses, of wine. :)
I'll post a few more photos of the works that were on display - so, keep an eye out for those and remember, as I said, if you catch wind of Artmode II, be sure to get a ticket. And if that doesn't happen soon enough - take some time to visit Youngblood - you'll be glad you did.
After hosting events, and once everyone's been paid, it's easy to forget (or rather, attach little importance to) removing advertising posters. While [I find] they often have similar aesthetic appeal to graffiti, for the sake of keeping the city tidy it's important to remove old advertising posters once events have finished.
By-laws governing the city allow the municipality to recover costs for the removal of posters from the individuals or organisations hosting the advertised event - but even though this is the case, I have my doubts that this is often enforced (probably because there's so many other things to take care of). Regulations regarding posters can be found in Section 11 of the December 2001 Western Cape government gazette. It's probably a good idea to review the document if you're in the event industry. ;)
The bus slowly made it's way past where I was standing on Long Street, shortly after I took my previous photo. Compared to the normal City Sightseeing Tour bus, don't you think this looks like a way cooler way to see the city - standing, dancing, listening to music and enjoying a few drinks?
Cape Town isn't the most bicycle-friendly city in the world - you won't find many bicycle-only lanes, and other road users are often bemoaned for not paying proper attention to cyclists (and motor-cyclists for that matter).
But, that said, Cape Town is actually a very cycle-able city on weekends and public holidays when traffic isn't so heavy. One sees a great deal more bicycling the city streets than one would from a bus or car. This time of the year is the perfect time to cycle the city - the sun isn't nearly as hot as it is in summer and the wind tends not to blow much at all.
Take a look at one of the bicycle-hire companies - most of them even offer guided tours of the city, vineyards, or MTB trails. Take a look at RentABicycle, Bike & Saddle, and AWOL Tours.
Instead of ending an evening meal with dessert or coffee at the same restaurant, we normally prefer spreading the love a little and ending the evening somewhere else. We visited Big Route (at 105 Main Street, Green Point) for their super-tasty pizza; and followed that up at Gelato Mania, a small take-away gelato parlour that's just a hop-skip-and-jump away from Big Route.
Gelato Mania's huge selection of gelato and real Italian ice-cream was pretty awesome - so much so that we were forced to return the next evening to try a different flavour. Next time you're out for dinner in the Sea Point/Green Point/Cape Town city area, visit Gelato Mania for dessert... or dinner, assuming you like waffles for dinner. ;)
Kerry-Anne booked a weekend away for us in the city center. Our rental there unfortunately fell through at the last minute, so in haste she booked an apartment in De Waterkant - just a little out of the city center.
Even though the apartment block was called Harbour Terrace, believe me, it's no where close to the harbour - and the only view of the waterfront and harbour area is a distant one. I took this photo from our balcony on the first morning of our stay. The air was cool and crisp, and it was actually quite peaceful out on the balcony - after the distant doof-doof sound that emanated from local bars and clubs until the early hours of the morning. ;)
I don't often have the opportunity to visit Origin Roasting in Cape Town, but every time I do it makes me realise how easy it would be to become addicted to their flat whites if I lived in the city. They really are that good. Besides for the taste, what I really appreciate is that they don't make their drinks in tiny 3-sip coffee cups - they use respectable-sized cups that don't make you immediately regret not ordering two at first order.
It's jam-packed with traders, and even though it's called Green Market Square, it's not really green at all. Green Market Square is a huge tourist attraction - probably because it's so perfectly located in a part of the city that's particularly interesting to explore on foot.
The sad thing about the immediate surroundings is that the restaurants are actually shockingly-poor representations of what South Africa has to offer. We visited four restaurants located around the market and found service the service either to be extremely slow and unprofessional (even though the restaurants particularly weren't busy) or the food to be somewhat disappointing.
Perhaps we just picked the wrong restaurants, at the wrong time, but I can't imagine I'll ever be tempted to have lunch at a restaurant around Green Market Square again.
We don't frequent the open-air St George's Mall that often - so we were really surprised when we stumbled upon Fruit 'n Veg City, a fresh food chain that started off many years ago as an alternative to regular supermarkets, selling only fruit and vegetables (normally directly from local farmers).
In subsequent years they expanded, introduced more variety, branched out into selling meat, dairy, and baked goods, and is now in many ways South Africa's equivalent of the renown American Whole Foods Market.
This particular Fruit 'n Veg store (near the top of St George's Mall in Cape Town) surprised us a little - it was fantastic. The food looked especially yummy. The store was neat and squeaky clean. It wasn't thronging with people, and the variety of food was simply awesome.
If you're hungry and looking for take-away food (other than fast-food), then pop in at Fruit 'n Veg near the top of St George's Mall. I think I even spied an informal group of tables and chairs where you can sit down to quickly devour your meal.
Those are the beautiful mountains that our little wine-loving town of Stellenbosch backs onto. Wouldn't you love to live in these surroundings?
We really do seem to have the best of both worlds here in Cape Town: We're almost surrounded by the ocean (as peninsulas tend to be), we have a great big mountain towering over our city, and we have big open winelands with beautiful blue mountain ranges. This truely is a remarkable part of Africa!
This photo was taken from the delightful Asara wine estate. The location on Google Maps has been wrong for some time now - here's a map I created to show you the way.
Happy new year folks! If you've been spending the festive season in Cape Town you'll have been treated to the contrast of hot-hot sunny weather and cool sea breezes.
Thousands of Capetonians, and those visiting our city, find their way to the beach after their New Year Eve celebrations. The public swimming pool in Sea Point is right next to the ocean and is a great beach substitute for those who either don't like the gritty beach sand experience or parents who prefer to keep their kids from the dangers of crowded beaches.
The pool is open from 07h00 to 19h00 in Summer and costs R20 per adult and R10 per child. Drive along Sea Point's Lower Beach Road - the swimming pool's right next to the takeaway food stalls at the end of the promenade.
