Cape Town at last
Trip Start
Nov 06, 2011
1
8
15
Trip End
Nov 21, 2011
Where I stayed
What I did
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Monday, November 14, 2011
As with so many cities the outskirts of Cape Town go on and on - including vast expanses of shacks, quite contradictory to the fairly European feeling towns we have been in. When you finally get the the city proper you really know it - mainly because of that mountain, a huge and stunning backdrop to the city.
Our hotel is on Long Street, which is lively and full of bars and restaurants. As an art hotel our room has bee designed by a local graffiti artist and is a stark white room with art taking over one wall and jutting out over the bed. In the bathroom graffiti covers on wall along with a yell flashing warning light.
We took a walk through the city to the V&A waterfront (Victoria and Alfred, Alfred being one of Victoria's sons). We walked through some outdoor markets and past vast colonial buildings as well as some fairly hideous modern sky scrapers.
The V&A waterfront is pretty but, despite being a working port, feels a bit gentrified, a sanitised and accordingly priced bit of the city for tourists. I have to say the city didn't immediately grab me, but I don't think we have given it a fair chance yet and I need a bit more time to acclimatise to being in a city.
In the evening we took a stroll by some pretty fantastic colonial buildings and down the tree lined avenue which runs alongside the Company's Garden. It would have been a lovely stroll anywhere but with that mountain peeking between buildings and trees it was pretty special.
Long street is fun and lively - even on a Monday. So we rolled into bed late (for us) and more than a little tipsy.
