Places of Interest - South Africa

"cape town" ("kaapstad")

introduction

Cape Town, nicknamed the Mother City and Legislature, together with Pretoria (executive) and Bloemfontein (judiciary), is one of the capitals of South Africa. It is the largest city in the country and the most multicultural after Johannesburg. Some claim that it is also the most unequal city in South Africa with regards to prosperity. The city was originally a refreshment post for Dutch ships on their way to East Africa, India or the Far East (VOC) but was initially discovered by the Portuguese. The English would take over the city and the entire Cape from the Dutch. The city is internationally known for its location at the foot of Table Mountain which together with other lower mountains and hills determine the horizon of the city and have become an unmistakable beacon. Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years) and the Victorian- as well as Dutch Cape architecture are characteristic of this international city.

48% of the population in the city is colored, 31.7% black, 18.8% white and 1.4% Indian. Afrikaans is the most important mother tongue in the city and is spoken by 41.4% of the residents. While the rich (mostly white) population lives in the center and the neighborhoods along the coast, the dark and coloured population still lives too often in the "Flats".

highlights

Greenpoint, Waterfront and Waterkant:

Waterfront is where the old port used to be; now it is a very tourist port area with numerous expensive apartments but also with lots of luxurious restaurants, expensive hotels with (souvenir) shops and department stores. You can recognize it by the Ferris wheel that was put here, but also by the beautifully renovated colonial buildings and tourist boats. On the other hand, it is also partly a working harbor with docks where boats are manufactured and repaired. Besides the fact that next to the old red and white clock tower you can buy your ticket to Robben Island (and where it departs), you have here the "two oceans aquarium", the "Chavonnes Battery museum" and the Nobel square with four statues of Nobel Prize winners from South Africa. Do not forget to check out the small but interesting "Jetty I" exhibition. It was here that prisoners on their way to Robben Island (including Nelson Mandela) left by boat. From the boulevard you have beautiful views. A little further is the very expensive "Green Point" stadium built for the 2010 World Cup soccer.

Robben Island

Robben Island is best known because Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the anti-apartheid system were held here for years by the former regime of South Africa. It is a notorious island just off the coast of Cape Town that has been used for almost 400 years to put away prisoners and exiles. The VOC turned into a penal colony at the beginning of the 17th century. Troublesome sea-men from Cape Town were imprisoned here by the Dutch. The water around the island is freezing due to the cold sea current that passes through here. Only three escaped prisoners who tried to swim to the coast survived their flight. From 1836 to 1931 Robben Island was a lepra colony. In 1959, the island was set up as a highly secure prison of the South African apartheid regime. Robben Island received international attention only when Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here for no less than 18 years. There was a limestone mine on the island where the prisoners had to win limestone in the quarry. The eyes of Mandela and other prisoners were damaged by the bright dazzling light and fine dust in the white lime mine. During the work in the lime mine, the prisoners sometimes could talk to each other, although they were not allowed to talk about politics from the guards. In 1991 the last political prisoners were released from Robben Island and in 1996 the last criminal prisoners were transferred and the prison was closed. The island was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. In the meantime, guided tours are being given to tourists (and South Africans) on Robben Island by former prisoners.

Table mountain

Table Mountain has a distinctive flat top, and is about three kilometers wide. The Table Mountain can be seen from the wide surroundings and determines the area and Cape Town The highest point on Table Mountain is "McLear's Beacon" with 1086 meters. Around the mountain is the Table Mountain National Park which reaches from Table Mountain to the end of the Cape. About 2/3 of the peninsula belongs to this park. Climbing the mountain is a big tourist attraction. You can also go up by cable car. If there is a lot of wind, it is closed. Often the mountain is shrouded in mist what is called the tablecloth.

"Bo Kaap" and the Stadskom ("City Bowl")

The real center of Cape Town is not very big and easy walkable. "Long street" is the nightlife street while "St. George's Mall is the big pedestrian shopping street. The "Groenmarktplein" is a lovely square with lots of shade of trees and contains, besides many nice terraces, an "African" (souvenir) market and the old town hall. Near the train station is the "Grand Parade" (the main square) where once the first Dutch fortress stood and was known for its slavetrade. Nelson Mandela gave his first speech here after 27 years of imprisonment on the balcony of the adjacent "central library" for a screaming crowd. Next to the square is the castle "the good hope" located (see museums). On the busy "Adderley" street lies "the Groote Kerk" (the big church). This stands on a plot where in 1678 the first church of South Africa was founded. The current building is the third and dates back to the year 1836. Next to it is the "Isiko Slave Lodge" located which, in addition to keeping slaves, also served as a prison, whore house and madhouse. It is now a museum. On the corner of the street and the beginning of the "Gardens" is the beautiful stately parliament building. It was in this red-white colonial building in which old president "Verwoerd" was stabbed to death in 1966. Through a wonderfully shady path you can enter the actual "gardens" (where the Dutch planted their first herbs and plants) and take a look through the fence of "het Tuynhuis" - the official residence of the president. The Holocaust Museum, the National Gallery and the National Library are also located here.

Simon's Town:

The Victorian suburb "Simon's Town" is located about 20 km from the center of Cape Town on the southeast coast (False Bay). The port was taken into use as a Dutch winter port instead of the windy Cape Town and still functions as the headquarters of the South African navy to this day. It has a marine, historical- and toy museum and many interesting architectural buildings as well as some sandy beaches. The main attraction are the "Boulders" - two pieces protected and sheltered beach with huge rocks where a colony of about 3,000 wild black penguins stay. You can by means of wooden platforms admire these animals from very close.

Other attractions:

The District "six" museum, climbing both "Leeukop" (Lion's Head) and Seinheuwel or the lion's hull (Signal Hill). You can also have an afternoon on one of the beaches of Cape Town yourself (Clifton Bay, Camps Bay, Bloubergstrand or in Muizenberg).

history

South Africa has played a significant role in the development of early humanity. In the Langebaan beachlake north of Cape Town a human trace from the period 115,000 BC has been discovered. The tribes who lived here before the Europeans claimed the Cape were the "San" and the "Koekhoen", who were semi-nomadic. During the journey of the Portuguese "Dias" in 1488 from the East to Europe he had seen the Cape for the first time and decided to set foot here as well and to set up a cross. The Portuguese first called it "Cape of Storms; the king would later rename it “the Good Hope”. Despite the strategic location of the Cape, the Portuguese had no interest in establishing a permanent settlement there. In 1611 a Dutch ship sailed directly from the Cape to India for the first time, instead of via the coastline of East Africa. When the Dutch ship "Nieuw Haarlem" stranded on the Cape with a crew of sixty members on the return of the Dutch East Indies on March 25, 1647, the local Khoikhoi had contact with the Dutch for the first time. Their messages about the favorable climate and the good experiences with the Khoikhoi and the barter trade, was decisive for the VOC to set up a refreshment post at the Cape.

On 6 April 1652, Jan van Riebeeck, together with his wife and four-year-old son and ninety men, including seven other women, had set foot on the Table Bay. As protection against attacks by the natives, the Dutch had immediately built the Castle of Good Hope. Van Riebeeck commissioned a fort for eighty people to build, to set up small fields, to grow vegetables and fruits and to drive cattle trade with the indigenous people. The Company wanted to have good relations with them. The port infrastructure was confined for centuries to a simple wooden quay that was built in 1656 near the Castle of Good Hope. During the Cape storms in particular, Table Bay was not a safe anchorage for ships, and goods transport often stood still for days because of the unfavorable weather conditions. It was not until 1743 that the VOC's winter port was moved to Simon's Town. This anchorage was safe there but difficult to access from the inner city. The original population, the Khoi and the San, however, refused to trade with the Europeans. For this reason, the Dutch imported slaves from their colonies in Madagascar and India. With the first import of slaves in the year 1658 the Cape population doubled. In addition to more Dutch colonists, Germans and French Huguenots now also came to the Cape. After a crushing defeat of the Khokhoi they pulled away while others mixed with the new white rulers. At the end of the eighteenth century the VOC went bankrupt and the Netherlands got a French-minded government, Cape Town and the Cape Colony were captured in 1806 by the British by a battle in 1806 at Bloubergstrand. The original settlers felt increasingly oppressed by the British colonizer and eventually went into the South African hinterland in large numbers as the “boeren” (farmers). In 1902 the almost entire black population was shipped from the port area to what was later called the "Flats". It was not until 1910 that the colonies obtained independence as the Union of South Africa.

Carried by major world events, the port of Cape Town has played a major strategic role twice in its history. On the one hand during the Second World War, when six million soldiers came to Cape Town via the port and approximately 13,000 ships were recovered in the docks. On the other hand during the Suez crisis in the year 1973 when the Suez Canal was closed and ships on their way to Europe and the east coast of America took the (old) route via South Africa. This meant a large influx of ships into Table Bay. In 1948, when the far-right "National Party" came to power, tens of thousands of blacks were moved. District Six is a good example of how that worked. In 1986 an overall total solution was tried by moving about 70,000 dark people. On 11 February 1990 the just released Nelson Mandela gave his first public speech from the balcony of the Town Hall in Cape Town. In 2008, thousands of African migrants were threatened to leave the townships and land immediately as the South Africans see them as the reason why they are still not doing well with the economy of their country.

tips & advice (2015)

The Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town International Airport) is, after the OR Tambo International Airport (close to Johannesburg) the largest airport in the country, and is located about 22 kilometers east of the city center. "Shosholoza Meyl" is a passenger service operated by Spoornet and operates two long-distance train services between Cape Town and Johannesburg via Kimberley and a weekly service to and from Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg. The port of Cape Town is the largest of the four major ports in the province of Western Cape and annually handles about eight million tons of goods. The port mainly supplies the Western Cape but also has five deep sea anchor points. Busstands and mini-taxis are set up at various locations around the city's Central Station. "MyCity" bus has different lines that runs to the different neighborhoods in Cape Town. There is also a "MetroTrain" that you can take if you want to go to Muizenberg, Simon's Town but also to Stellenbosch.

Cape Town (Center) - Simon's Town: the best way to get to Simons’town is with the "MetroRailWay". Frequently there are trains that take about an hour to Simon's Town. A third class return ticket costs you 20R. You will have to get off at "FishHoek" where you will transfer in a shuttle bus (free). In total the journey takes 1.25 hours. You can then walk through the city to the penguin colony (3 km) or pay a 10-mintaxibus.

Cape Town - Kimberley: you can travel to Jo 'burg with the "Shosholoza Meyl" on Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sunday. If you want to go to Kimberley you can take the train from 10:00 and then you are scheduled to arrive there around 4:30 PM. Prices are 350R for a seat and 540R for a sleeper.

Name: "Castle of Good Hope"

Address: At the "Grand Parade"

Price: 30R

Time: 09:00 - 16:00

Content:

This still partly active military headquarters of Cape Town was the second fort that the Dutch built in the city to protect it from other intrusive Europeans. It was built between 1666 and 1679 and is now seen as the oldest building (still standing) of Cape Town. An interesting military museum has been established here, in addition to the Boer and Zulu wars, also shows WWI and WWII and in particular the participation of South Africa in it. Tours are arranged and you can see the changing of the guard but you can also walk on the private courtyards of this historic castle.

"Long Street" is the nightlife area of Cape Town with numerous restaurants, bars and cafés. But also around "the Gardens" you can find very nice (quieter) terraces. This is especially the case in Kloofstraat.

Name: "Ashanti" lodge (Gardens)

Address: 11 Hofstraat

Price: 120R (camping)

Phone nr. : 021 423 8721

Website: www.ashanti.co.za

Content:

Beautifully quiet location in the "Gardens" region is this decent party hostel. It has a courtyard with a fairly large swimming pool, a kitchen that you can use (with free coffee and tea), a large reception with lobby, a kind of information or tour desk, not to mention a large bar. There is free WIFI and it is one of the few places (actually the only one) where you can camp in Cape Town. The place is not perfect (to camp)- it is small (there may be 4 tents), there is sand and it is a bit of a blind spot. The advantage is that you can sleep well here, do not suffer from the bar (if the door is closed there) and you are actually a bit of anonymous. You are close to each other and you are in the full sun in the afternoon. It is located in a pleasant neighborhood with "Long street" (center) and the "Gardens" within walking distance.

Robben Island:

The crossing to Robben Island takes place by boat, from the Nelson Mandela gate in the harbor of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront near Cape Town. Costs are 300R all-inn and the boats depart at 09:00/11:00/13:00 and 15:00. You can not get to Robben Island without this boat. The trip lasts almost an hour. Upon arrival you will be expected to board one of the busses after which you will be offered a 45-minute bus tour over the island. You get to see the guards village, but also the quarry where Nelson Mandela, for years, has done forced labor. Then you will be dropped off at the actual prison and you will get a 30 to 45 minute tour through the prison where you will see Nelson Mandela's cell, among other things. Then you go back with the boat. It’s kinda quickly and looks like mass-tourism.

Table Mountain and NP:

You can come to the famous Table Mountain in two ways and enjoy the beautiful view. You can come up through various hiking trails where the path that runs through the "Platte Klip valley" is the fastest and most popular. This walk is pretty heavy because of the steep stairs and the heat. Duration is 2.5 hours from the cable car in the valley. For about 80R in the taxi you can reach this spot from the city (center). Public transport does not go that far. You can also walk from the "Kloofstraat". Starting from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden depart 'Nursery Ravine' and 'Skeleton Gorge'; Bridle Path from Constantia; Indian Window of the substation of the cable car, and Castle gate and Pipe Track from Camps Bay. These walks are more difficult and less clearly indicated. You can also take the cable car

- 65 people can rotate at a time so that everyone can see all sides well. Costs are 240R for a return and 125R for a single ticket. This is always dependent on the weather conditions on top of the mountain. Strong wind or too bad weather or too heavy clouds on top of the plateau can ensure that the cable car is not going. At the top of Table Mountain is a restaurant, curio shops, and a number of you can make short walks. It is also the starting point for longer walks that run across the Table Mountain and usually also descend the mountain.

TIP:

Put on good walking shoes, take some kind of headgear, sunglasses, sunscreen and lots of drinks and snacks. Another tip is to start as early as possible so that the sun is not so bright yet.

The peninsula, called Cape Peninsula, is one of the six florists of the world, namely the Cape Flora. Many species are specific to the region and unique in the world. This mainly includes fynbos, a kind of heathery afforestation, and proteas, the national flower.