The Cape

The boundaries of Cape Town extend around the South African cape.  Then many tiny suburbs of Cape Town offer limitless natural attractions.

Most communities are build around the ocean in bays that offer respite from the rough Atlantic Ocean. White sand beaches stretch for miles in some bays.

Our tour of the cape started with the 40 minute wavy ocean voyage to Seal Island, which was teeming with fur seals, who entertained us with their antics.  The ocean provided it own entertaining thoroughly soaking those brave soles who dared to stay outside for the boat ride.

The Cape of Good Hope was originally name the Cape of Storms, but this name was changed in an effort to entice early settlers. With huge ocean waves, dwarfed vegetation and constant blowing winds, it is clear the the Cape of Storms was the more appropriate name.

Cape Hope is the South Western most point of South Africa. We climbed to the lighthouse to appreciate the breath taking views of the cape and surrounding oceans.

Then it was off to Boulder Beach and the African penguins. Although this was our final wildlife excursion, it was, for me, the most anticipated. Mother penguins with eggs, families with babies, swimming penguins, sleeping penguins and of course, those who waddled their ways into our hearts, filled the beaches here.

Then, it was off to the Cape Town for a final meal with our travelling companions before venturing to the airport to say good bye to this beautiful country.

Tasting the Fruits of South African Soil

Cape Town and the Western Province are blessed with good soil, warm weather and generous rains to grow some excellent grapes, which then become the wine that this region has gained popularity for. Today we visited Lanzerac for a wine tasting.

After learning how to taste wine we samples a light and fruity Chardonnay  a bright Rose,and more hardy Merlot, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon.

I guess some people in our group may have less experience with alcohol, as by the end of our wine-tasting they were singing french Canadian folk songs and even O Canada!

Remembering the Past

Cape Town and the surrounding area were settled by both the Dutch and the English at different times in its history.

Stellenbousch,just outside of Cape Town hosts a unique Village Museum that allows people to walk through four different homes, each owned in a different part of the 18th century. Schreuderhuis is believed to be the oldest house in South Africa. A walk through this tiny building with wax soaked linen 'windows' instead of glass, offers a glimpse of early Cape Town life.

 This little house provides a sharp contract to the ornately decorated and very large homes found later in the century.

Celebrating a Patron Saint

Earlier this week was the feast day of St. Vincent. We learned today that St. Vincent is the patron saint of Winemakers.

A celebration for winemakers was held in a local church on St. Vincent's feast day. The notice for parishioners read,
"Most winemakers/distillers bring a bottle or two to the church to put into the Offertory Basket at the entrance. These donations will go up to the altar with the Offertory Procession. The bottles are shared with the clergy after Mass."

This sounds like a practice we should institute in our Church too!

Official Census and Reality

Although the official census for Cape Town is about 3.7 million, the true count is more like five million.

Every year, people from other African Nations venture to Cape Town lured by the promise of riches. Driving into Cape Town we saw miles of Shanty Towns.  The government allows these temporary dwellings and provides water and electricity. Because the homes are tiny and there is little cost associated with ownership, some families are able to afford luxuries like large televisions and satellite TV. These homes, situated very tightly, are made of wood or corrugated steel.  Frequently, a tiny spark has been know to start a major fire in the area.

For this reason, the government is replacing shanty towns with new single family or multiple family dwellings. They did not, however, ask citizens for input in this decision. As families are moved into new homes, their shanty town home is demolished to make room for new development.  Although this sounds ideal, many families are unable to afford the taxes or costs of water and electricity and are, as a result, left in a worse place financially.

Cape Town

 Nestled under the Table Mountain and enclosed by Signal Hill and the Lions' Head Mountain, Cape Town was build around Table Bay.  From humble beginnings as a supply station for the Dutch East Trading Company, Cape Town has grown into a metropolitan community with a mix of Miami and Europe influences.

We rode the cable car to the top of Table Mountain for a panoramic view of the city. Riding 1067 meters in a rotating car gave everyone aboard a chance to take in the views while ascending the mountain. At times shrouded in misty clouds and at other time perfectly clear for miles the time spent on Table Mountain afforded us many memorable views. This vantage point allowed us to see just how large Cape Town is.

Later we drove to the top of Signal Hill to get a good look at Robbens Island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. If you look closely you can see the island near the top of the photo. Our trip to the island prison was cancelled due to boat problems, so this was the closest we were able to get to this historic site.

Ostrich Safari

The Ostrich Safari is a show farm.  Our guide Danie lead us through the grounds which included a hatchery, a nursery for 3 month old Ostriches, a visit to various types of Ostriches and finally a chance to sit on an Ostrich.

One Ostrich egg can feed as many as 24 people. However, because their cholesterol is so high, they are rarely eaten by anyone but brave tourists. The shell on these eggs is so strong, a single egg can hold up the average person.

To begin the hatching process a mother ostrich would use her breastbone to crack open the egg. On the farm workers use a hammer to create a starting point for the hatchling. The hatching process can take 12 hours on average.

It  is hard to imagine that such a little thing can become a full grown adult in 14 months!

Peter sitting on an Ostrich