Looking out the window early this morning, we could not see a thing beyond the railing. Yep, the fog had come in thicker than yesterday. You would never know that Table Mountain or Signal Hill were there, let alone the city towers. And the ship had not moved to the closer berth at 6am as expected. Our guess is that the port had shut down again, and perhaps the Virgin cruise ship never left the slip at berth E. By 10am, the fog thinned out and we coud see the mountains again.
It happened to be a special day for one of us…another birthday to celebrate. There was a Happy Birthday note on our door, compliments of the folks at Guest Services. Also a blue balloon was taped on the mail slot.
After breakfast, there were more surprises in our room such as a four-tiered towel and colored napkin cake, made by our clever room stewards Putu and Dedi. Along with several cards, there was a gift from Shiv, our Head of Housekeeping which was much appreciated. Arriving next was a decorated chocolate cupcake and a card from Captain Friso. As if this was not enough, later in the day, two small gifts were delivered…..one from the Technical Team and the other from the Nautical Team. If you all recall, these were gifts from the first birthday back in January. The tech team sent a hand-made plaque with Happy Birthday on it, and the nautical team sent a woven black bracelet and the noon's ship's coordinates of Latitude 33 degrees 55' S and Longitude 018degrees and 26' E. The nautical team sent a message saying may your year ahead be filled with exciting adventures, smooth seas, and thrilling discoveries. And the tech team said may your day be as smooth as our engines, as thrilling as our propellers, and as unforgettable as the open sea. Here's to setting sail on another incredible year. Yes, the beginning of another year was off to a good start. Thanks to all.
At 9:30am there was a different type of ship drill. This was a test of the room speakers as well as the veranda speakers. The TV feed was stopped for one full hour as music was filtered through all of the ship's speakers. It was soft music that was rather pleasant as we caught up on some computer work and reports. Our room steward came and checked to see if our speakers were all working. We thanked him and Dedi for doing such a great job with the "towel cake".
It was no sense going off of the ship too early since the V & A Marketplace would not open until later. We left the ship around 10:30am and caught a shuttle which was running on the half hour. In fact, today there were several shuttles, not just two. They were nice and roomy too. The ride to the mall complex took perhaps 15 minutes. The V & A Marketplace is one of the city's biggest attractions. There are 500 retail stores, 80 eateries, 22 heritage sights, a food market, and live entertainment. Some of the shops on the outside of the mall are the Watershed, where arts, crafts, and African clothing are plentiful. From this complex, you can access the ferry to Robben Island where Mandela spent 18 years incarcerated. Or you can visit the Aquarium for 235 rand or make a visit to the museum for 250 rand. The Flywheel was 250 rand as well and was running all day.
We have been to this complex several times over the years, but every time we visit, it is an easy place to get lost. This time we went to the info desk and got a nice printout of the two levels of the mall. There are five entrances on the ground level and all head in different directions. One of us is still trying hard to find a replacement pair of black sandals to wear at dinnertime. It has become almost impossible task to find such a simple item. We did look at just about every shoe shop and found nothing that would work. If you cannot find it here, you'll never find it anywhere. So we might as well wait until we go home and shop locally. Or online.
Honestly, we are not huge fans of malls, but there was a reward at the end of the tunnel. And that was lunch. Doing some research, we located a wood-fired pizza restaurant right here in the mall. It was located on level two and the name was Col'Cacchio. We did inquire first about what type of credit cards they accepted. Am Ex was one of them. If not, we would go to a money changer and buy some rand, which we did anyway before we left.
Arriving at 12:30pm, we were lucky to get a nice patio table for two on the railing overlooking the bay beyond the parking lot. We could hear several foghorns sounding from many ships that were still buried in the pea soup fog offshore. And here we were, sitting in the sun which was so nice. We ordered two Castle light draft beers to begin, and then put together a cheesy Margherita pizza with toppings of pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. Minced fresh jalapeno peppers, garlic, and extra cheese were added to our table. And it did add some heat to the pizza. Wood-fired makes all the difference between a good pizza or a fantastic one. Today's pizza was close to perfect. Afterwards, we ordered two desserts. One was a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, and the second one was a caramel sauced plates of three crepes sprinkled with slivered almonds. We shared and liked both of them equally. Now the good part. With three large beers, pizza, and dessert, the bill came to a little under $30 USD and that was with an extra tip. Unbelievable, but nice.
It was close to 3pm, so we decided to head back to the ship. We could save the rest of this complex for tomorrow. We wondered if the ship had moved in the time we were gone. Both of us guessed "no". And we were correct. Captain Friso came on the speakers and said that he would move the ship when the Virgin Resilient Lady leaves the harbor. He moved the Zuiderdam by 5:15pm and docked at Berth E by 5:45pm. The same seal from yesterday, we assume, swam around the azipod section of the aft while we pushed away from the pier. The gangway was set up, and many guests who had been waiting at this pier came back onboard. This location will work better for us because we do not need to depend on taking the shuttles. We can walk since it is a safe place these days.
Directly across from our veranda was the Cape Town Cruise Terminal. On the second level of the building was a restaurant by the name of Beluga Wine Restaurant where many folks were watching the ship being docked. Some of the guests were people we know that like this venue. It is an open-air restaurant, and we could still smell the aroma of something foul in the air. We had noticed the smell ever since we had docked two days ago and discovered the culprit was the cargo of a commercial ship nearby. It sure smelled like dried fish, which eventually permeated the ship via the gangway. It could also be a type of fertilizer too. Whatever the source, we will not be free of it until we leave late tonight unfortunately.
Dinnertime arrived and this evening was a "dressy" one. Why? Because it was the anniversary of HAL's 151st Anniversary. Compared to last year's extravaganza, it was low-key this time. Most folks did dress for the occasion, but many still showed up in t-shirts and jeans. Oh well, it is a port day and it would have been a casual night any other time. The menu had several different choices, but we had the basic shrimp cocktails, salads and the rack of lamb, which was excellent. We had hoped that the birthday boy had escaped the song and cake, but we were wrong. The waiters gathered and sang a loud song and then served a large multi-layered cake smothered with whipped cream. We asked for a small slice, then donated the rest to our waiters. It was a nice and very sweet way to end the special day.
One more full day in Cape Town, and we will be on our way to Namibia.
Bill & Mary Ann
