South Africa - Land of the Opposites, Klaus Metzger, Jutta Hartmann-Metzger [if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt] 📗

normal restaurant). That is why we were looking forward to the first-class dinner that should be served in the prestigious Balducci restaurant. It is located on the V & A Waterfront. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (V & A Waterfront) is a waterfront consisting of a restored shipyard and port area around the two historic basins of Cape Town in South Africa.

 

 

 

V & A Waterfront in Cape Town

 

The food tasted excellent - unfortunately unfortunately also here a vermouth drop. For some reason, the guide had reserved too little space. So we could not sit at the same table and they brought us a small table. This had the advantage that we were served friendly and attentive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. City tour in Cape Town (South Africa)

 

 

 

I have already reported on the misfortune that befell us on the free Sunday morning (before the tour of the city) in Cape Town, in my second part From Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. I have taken over the section again: On the day before the return trip we needed a smaller amount as a tip for the tour guide in South African currency. With a queasy feeling and a colored coworker of the Capedonian hotel in Cape Town we went to the cash machine of the Mercantile Bank on the opposite side.We wanted 350 lift off. There was no money - just a document about the aborted process. The EC card remained in the machine. Jutta immediately went to the hotel to make the map in Germany block. I stayed at the vending machine to make sure that no one removed our card. In the meantime, a larger group of over 10 colored people had gathered in front of the machine. After a while, Jutta returned with the information that our tickets were blocked in Germany.

 

The following Monday, we immediately went to the Mercantile Bank at 9 am to complain about our missing EC card. From the bank employee we received our card immediately - however in the destroyed condition in numerous small parts. Already in the morning at the opening of the machine this was carried out for safety reasons. Why was the card kept? Our EC card was not a Mastercard, but connected to the Maestro system. This was not accepted by the bankautomat. Why he did not return the card immediately, we remained a mystery. In Germany, we received new EC cards free of charge within one week - but with new pin numbers. So the whole (unnecessary) excitement had led to a good end.

 

 

 

The Signal Hill (B) has only a height of 350 m. This was enough to use as a time-ball for the ships in the port. With this signal the lunch time (Greenwich time: 1 pm Cape Town time) was displayed, with which the ship chronometers could be examined exactly. This method was used until 1934.

 

 

Visitors on the Signal Hill

 

We drove with our coach from our Capetonian Hotel (A) as part of our city tour on the hill, got off and wandered around the Signal Hill. The empty bus went ahead. In the distance we could see Robben Island. On this island, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years with other ANC liberation fighters. Very nice was also the view of the stadium and the V & A Waterfront. There we already had dinner in the restaurant Balducci excellent. Below the Signal Hill lay the colorful Malay district. This was the next stop for our city tour.

  

 

Bo-Kaap

 

The Malaien Quarter (Bo-Kaap) with the colorful houses we could already see from Signal Hill (the first station of our city tour). From 1780 on, Bo-Kaap (C), the oldest city district in Cape Town, settled in the hands of former Asiatic slaves and prisoners, the so-called Cape Muslims. We walked through these colorful houses and gained a first impression of the life of these Asians in our time.

 

 

 

South African Museum

 

Last stop of our city tour in Cape Town was the afternoon of the Company's Garden. At the top of the Company's Garden is the very interesting South African Museum (D), with references to the first archaeological finds in South Africa, skeletons of large vertebrate animals and a special feature: a "memorial room" to Nelson Mandela. This was the last clue (of several) to the deceased hero of South Africa on our two-week round trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monument at the Company's Garden

 

The city park is actually called Company's Garden (E). It was originally part of the famous vegetable garden of Jan van Riebeeck and was already mentioned in connection with the foundation of Cape Town in 1652. This initially served to supply the inhabitants and, above all, the Dutch crews of the VOC ships (Oostindische Compagnie). The ships on their way to India or back to Europe were provided with fresh food in Cape Town. In the park there are numerous monuments, such as Cecil Rhodes (1853 - 1902), the initiator of the charitable foundation for students.

 

 

Tuynhuys

 

We left the park to visit the Tuynhuys (garden house), the seat of the South African president from the outside. There, Nelson Mandela was taken to the Tuynhuys from the Victor-Vester prison in Paarl in 1989 to negotiate with President Botha. Botha proclaimed the end of apartheid in 1992. The last stop of our hike was the Parliament building, built in 1884. Here, in the summer months, Parliament meets and in winter in Pretoria.

 

 

Beautiful memories: On the Table Mountain

 

We were already looking forward to the farewell party, which was to take place in the evening at the GOLD restaurant in Cape Town. And were not disappointed: there was an excellent African food and folklore events on stage. We felt very well looked after during the entire round trip (October 6 to October 19, 2015) by theGerman tour operator "Berge & Meer" and the organizer "African Eagle" - represented by the tour guides Margot and Brigitte:

                                Goodbye in Africa!

                                        

 

 

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Publication Date: 04-13-2017

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