Cape Town in December 2023

I know this part of the video report may seem to feel long… But I could not make it shorter as here I will introduce the reasons for our plans, and show some images from 6 nights in Cape Town. So, how had it all started… Namibia was on our bucket list for about a decade. However there are no easy routes to its capital Windhoek from West Central Africa where we lived during this period. Nevertheless we finally decided to go there. After a few weeks of intense and very careful planning we finally came up to quite complex itinerary. From first glance this trip might seem to be unreasonably long, but in winter 2023 this was the most optimal direction for us due to prior travels of Lyuda. And finally, I ended up travelling: Port Gentil to Libreville then to Istanbul meet Lyuda there and we proceeded together for our temporary retreat in Cape Town. We already visited South Africa in 2019 and it was great experience even after almost 1 month of travelling around the country with one week was spent even around Cape Town and we still wanted to come back and explore some more. Therefore we selected Cape Town as our hub or retreat for three days before and three days after our adventure in Namibia. This time I decided against renting a car in Cape Town and instead, we made our base in Waterfront, from where we could explore a lot of things on feet, and also get direct access to main touristic attractions as well as proximity to our favourite Red Bus hop-on hop-off City Tours. As the hotels around the waterfront and generally high on pricing then anywhere else in Cape Town, I found what would be within our price range and never regretted that we stood in Radisson RED Waterfront hotel, which was lovely place in direct access to the waterfront in just 5 to 7 minutes walk. The V&A Waterfront is Cape Town’s top sight in terms of visitor numbers. Big, busy and in a spectacular location with Table Mountain as a backdrop. There’s a pirate’s booty of consumer opportunities, from chic boutiques to major department stores, plus plenty of cultural and educational experiences, including walking tours of its well-preserved heritage buildings and public sculptures, and much more. We have taken again the Hop-On Hop-Off line to follow Wine Routes, and overview of the Camps Bay. As one of attractions of Wine Route, the Groot Constantia was our preferred this time. The Governor Simon Van der Stel created the estate Constantia (later subdivided into the several estates in the area today), and passed on his wine-making skills to the burghers who settled around Stellenbosch. Governor’s manor house, a superb example of Cape Dutch architecture, is maintained as a museum at Groot Constantia. Set in beautiful grounds, the estate can become busy with tour groups, but is big enough for anyone to escape the crowds. The large tasting room was first on our path to start exploring the estate. Then, we went for excursion in the Cellar, which also provided an overview of Groot Constantia’s history, and the beautifully restored homestead. An amazing walk along the sea from Sea Point to the Green Point lighthouse in Mouille point. This seaside 6 km walk path is great in the moderate temperatures of Atlantic shore. Easy, flat and paved walk with stunning views of the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. Lots of families, runners, joggers and people doing various exercises in the adjacent parks. There are several art displays and often you can see people in kayaks out in the water. If you want to get out on the water yourself there are kayak rental shops along the promenade. You are also able to rent bicycles near the Pavilion public swimming pool. There are also many ice-cream, coffee shops and eatery's nearby. A few gold practicing courts with public access and various difficulties are something, which we had not seen much elsewhere in the world. Overall… Cape Town is one of the few cities from our past travels, which calls for more returns!