15 July 2014-
Yep…it's been SEVERAL months since we took our trip to South Africa trip but I am DETERMINED to finish posting photos from this trip.
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Today we're heading out to Robben Island – the island is home to the famous prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for nearly two decades.
We need to be at the boat early this morning so we're heading to Cape Town (from our B&B in Stellenbosch) extra early to grab breakfast at a cafe close to the marina. Yesterday we made enquiries as to where we had to go to get on the boat shuttle.
Table Mountain this morning: (still lovely)
Downtown Cape Town:
Breakfast in Cape Town at Mugg and Bean (waiting for the boat ride to Robben Island):
Ava attempting to juggle while we wait for our breakfast treats:
Well, so getting to the shuttle boat was a little more confusing than what we'd anticipated. It was NOT where folks said it would be the previous day. We had to make a mad dash across the marina to a different location to get on board. Mercifully we made it!
Waiting for our ride:
Whew! We made it on the boat!
There's nothing quite like riding a boat and the breeze blowing across your face. So refreshing and invigorating! (just ask Ava!)
After the short boat ride we got scooped up in busses (like this one below). While we were driven around the island we had a guide narrating us the history of the island (it was even a leper colony!) and pointing out different locations of interest (such as the quarry that Nelson Mandela and other prisoners were forced to work with no sun protection from the harsh South African sun).
Tight squeeze on the bus:
We had one quick potty stop for photos of Table Mountain (and snacks!) before getting back on board the busses and moving to the next location:
At the last stop we got off the bus and were greeted by another guide who would take us through part of the actual prison. We got to see the "courtyard" (a patch of concrete surrounded by high concrete walls) where Nelson Mandela had hidden pages of his "Long Walk to Freedom" manuscript to keep the prison guards from discovering it.
Our guide, as we learn, was a former Robben Island prisoner. I never did learn what he was incarcerated for. By the way, in case it's not clear to you, Robben Island is no longer a prison- it's a museum.
There were different wings or blocks to the prison- depending on your offense. Political prisoners were housed in D block (I think that's right…I could be wrong). There were no female prisoners on Robben Island (prisons were segregated).
Debbie is taking a photo of Nelson Mandela's very tiny former cell (his prisoner number was 466/64…he was the 466th prisoner incarcerated in 1964):
We wandered the halls of this prison block. Each cell had a recording by the former occupants discussing how they had come to Robben Island and what life was like for them while imprisoned here. Prison life – and this goes without saying – is quite harsh!
Hahahahaha!!!!!
The guard discussed with us briefly about daily life in the prison. What they got to eat and drink, how they interacted with each other, how they were isolated from others, menial tasks they were required to do, etc.
Wow! I think we could have spent all day listening to the recordings of the former prisoners. I think history buffs would love visiting this place! (just for the record: I'm not a history buff but I do enjoy learning).
We're back on the boat…time to head back to Cape Town:
Wow! We've been blessed! Two humpback whales:
Back in Cape Town we decided it was time to check out some of the souvenir shops:
And get lunch at a local outdoor cafe. Hard cider is yummy!!!:
It's too early to call it a day…and it's such a glorious looking day. Where else should we go see???
Debbie and Croydon suggested we go check out the Castle of Good Hope. It's very close to our current location and it was something we spotted while we were on top of Table Mountain.
This place is a museum of South African military history which even includes:
a TORTURE chamber!!!! (we've got the kids all shackled up. Just kidding; they're enjoying monkeying around):
We climbed on top of the walls for a different view of both Cape Town and the castle:
It was certainly a fun location to visit and, once again, this would be an amazing place for history buffs to come visit.
On our drive back to our B&B the adults in the car decided we should check out one of the local wineries in Stellenbosch. The main road that our B&B is located on has several wineries. Personally, I don't recognize any of the names so it doesn't matter to me which one we check out. We're also not sure if any of the wineries are currently open to the public. We randomly chose one winery, Hartenberg, to visit. The grounds surrounding the winery were beautifully kept and so serene (even though it's winter time here). I could definitely see myself living out here and managing the gardens!
Here's a big barrel for you to look at:
I think it must have been very close to closing time as we were the only guests at the winery. Based on our wine preferences they made suggestions for wines we should taste. I like red wines: Malbec is my favorite followed by Shiraz.
The wines were quite nice but I am definitely NOT a wine connoisseur. I know what I like and that's that. ;-)
Here's a selection of the wines for sale at the winery:
The help staff at the winery were very friendly and kind. Funny, I was expecting them to be snobby and uppity but that wasn't the case (at all). One young lady was particularly helpful. Debbie is sticking her tongue out at me when I complained the two of them jabbering away in Afrikaans. LOL! Made me laugh!
Heading back to our B&B
For dinner tonight…we don't feel like cooking (we could as we a stove and oven) and we don't feel like eating out. So we're trying these microwave meals we bought at a local grocery store. Guess what? They're actually REALLY GOOD. They don't have freaky weird ingredients in them…they're real food and they taste great! (and so easy for us…as Annika and I are still not feeling great…which I think is thanks in part to the Malarone (malaria prevention) tablets we were taking)
I think I'll have a glass of Snuffbox Merlot with my dinner! :-)
Tomorrow we're heading back to Johannesburg. I think I could stay here ….forever. It's so relaxed and easy going in this part of the world. And the wines are quite nice too! ;-)