Day three in Cape Town began mostly clear, but that did not last long. The fog moved in suddenly and did not dissipate until 10am. Friends of ours had bought tickets to go up Table Mountain this morning, but seeing the fog come in during our 7:30am breakfast, they changed their minds and turned their tickets back. Too bad since it did clear up by the time they would have gotten to the top.
We kept busy keeping up with yesterday's photos until around 11am when we finally left the ship. We were going to walk to the V & A Waterfront, but decided we would take the shuttle instead since it was there and ready to leave. We could always walk back later. When we got off of the bus, we noticed many people were on the boardwalk that lines Granger Bay. Of course we went there right away to see pods of dolphins feeding in the water very near to the rocky walls. How good was that? Going to the railing, we must have stayed for at least ½ hour while sight-seeing boats and jet-ski people came to get up close and personal with the jumping dolphins. This would have been the perfect time to have the dependable and fast camera, but these days we seldom take it off of the ship while in port. Not only does it attract too much attention, it is heavy. So we did take many photos of the pods as they fed and cavorted in hopes a few of the shots will come out good. The weather was so good by then, we hated to leave the deck as it was warm and comfortable.
We walked through the mall to get to the opposite end where the Victorian Basin is located. The harbor front here is full of attractions and exciting activities. Some of those include booking a ferry ride to Robben Island for a half day tour to see where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. There is a museum to learn about his story there. Besides boat rides, there are helicopters that will take you to see the peninsula and winelands. Two Oceans Aquarium is nearby where you can see the marine life in both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. And there's always the Cape Wheel where you can have a 360 degree view of the city all from over 120 feet in the air. Most of these activities take a lot of time, so today it was simply a walk-by.
There are 22 historic landmarks that include The Clock Tower, a reminder of the area's seafaring history. Nobel Square has statues that are a tribute to South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Tavern of the Seas is a story-telling experience that has an hour long tour with colorful characters. Then when you get hungry, you can head for the City Farm market for locally grown produce, flowers, and ready-to-eat meals. The Watershed is a remodeled old shed turned into 150 stalls of African art, crafts, fashion, and jewelry. It is a place for homewares, crafters, and artisans. And that is just a sampling of what there is to see and do. We did discover one two story store that sold the most unusual artistic design made from discarded parts and pieces of metal and wood. We did take the time to see most of these sights as well as visit the Watershed which had the most interesting items for sale. One of us was searching for a pair of matching African beaded earrings to match a bracelet from the safari camp we went to last year. With all of the displays and aisle stands in this venue, we found nothing even close. Oh well, there are more African countries to come, and many chances to locate the earrings.
By 1pm we had worked up an appetite and decided to try another pizzeria recommended by friends this morning. The name was Primi Piatti Wharf where we got window seats facing the Granger Bay. From here we could see that the dolphins were still feeding there. Today we had one Castle Lite draft beer and one Stella draft. Both 500 ml. or large. Our choice of pizza was Hawaiian and it was just as good as yesterday's. The crust might have been better today. Desserts were one chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream – the soft type. And the other dessert was a Pedro amarula parfait with more ice cream on the top. They were equally good. The bill was just a tad over $20 with a tip in there as well. How they keep their restaurant cuisine so reasonable is beyond us.
After relaxing for over an hour, we decided to check out the supermarket on the garage level. It was Woolworth's and was a very nice market. We were looking for some familiar tortilla chips or potato chips, but their brands were not ones we liked or recognized. We do have access to the ships onboard, so we bought nothing. We left the mall by 3pm and took the bus back instead of walking figuring we had walked more than expected just touring the outside areas.
Back on the ship, we had certificates waiting for us for rounding the Cape Of Good Hope. Too bad we were not able to see it through the dense fog a few days ago. We can add these to the rest of the milestones we have conquered on this trip. Also there was a reminder that we would have to go through a mandatory immigration inspection in the terminal beginning at 5pm. We were called by deck which was a great idea. In the past, they let anyone line up and it was a nightmare with a line down the pier. Deck six was called off after 6pm, and we did have a line, but it moved quickly. Our room keys were scanned, then we proceeded to an agent who scanned our passports and stamped them. The passports were not collected this time. Then our room keys were stickered to show we had completed the inspection. From there we went back onboard, since we would not be allowed to go anywhere past the terminal now. By 6:45pm, Kimberly announced that over 200 guests and crew still needed to do this inspection and they better hurry up. By the way, if anyone had made big purchases while in South Africa, they could apply for a refund on the VAT or value added tax. It would be applied to your credit card with the correct documents.
Captain Friso came on the speakers with a 6:30pm talk. He announced tht due to the possibility of the fog returning early this evening, he wished to leave after 9pm and not 11pm as originally planned. He feared a sudden fog bank could close the port and we would be stuck. Unfortunately there was a special local show with the South African Choir, a group of kids, singing in the World Stage. There would be time for one performance at 7:30pm only. We do hope someone in the tech department was able to film it to put it on TV tomorrow.
We were just eating our salads at dinnertime when Kimberly announced that one couple had not seen the officials yet and if they did not appear soon, they would face a possible fine. How they missed the afternoon of announcements and a letter that had been sent to all of us, we sure don't know. They must have showed up, since we did leave the port around 9:30pm. Dinner was good with a starter of tiny pork meatballs in an aioli sauce, followed by mains of beef brisket with mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli. Nothing fancy, just good old comfort food….good and hot. A ½ of a sliced banana with warm fudge sauce was just enough for one dessert. And one coffee as usual. The dining room guests emptied out of the room early since three days of Cape Town did us all in we think. Everyone that has spent any time here knows that it is as good as it gets as far as being in a beautiful city and took advantage of that fact by seeing everything they could in three days.
Looking forward to one sea day, then two stops in Namibia….far different from Cape Town for sure.
Bill & Mary Ann
