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| View from our hotel window - Table Mountain in the clouds in the background Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
WE HAVE visited most of North America, western Europe (mostly central, Mediterranean, and Baltic), and the Caribbean. We have also visited parts of Central America and South America, and a tiny part of Asia (Istanbul - maybe more technically "Middle East"). With the exception of North America, Portugal and London, is has all been by cruise ship.
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| Table Mountain Waterfront - Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
HAVING DONE so, I have begun to form some opinions about the kinds of places that are conducive to cruise ship stops. And some that are not. My observations are - of course - from the viewpoint of cruise passengers. There are many other considerations, some of which have come forward more recently. They include the over-visiting by tourists of some of the places that are great places to visit by ship, but are being burdened by crowds, and by the physical, environmental damage that the large ships are causing, including seabed erosion and pollution. That is not my focus here, when I suggest that some places are better than others for cruising.
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| Shopping Mall connected to our hotel in the Table Bay Waterfront Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
SOUTH AFRICA is one of those places that I have concluded cruise ships and cruising is really not the way to see. We did not go to Johannesburg, so I cannot really speak to it, other than what I have read and heard. But it is an inland city, so not really reachable by ship in any kind of reasonable time frame. That really leaves Cape Town as the only true port city that would support any significant tourism. In my view, anyway. While we did stop at several other port cities, the cities themselves really didn't have enough to offer for a cruise stop.
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| Pedestrian Swing Bridge - Table Bay Waterfront Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
MY OWN view is that the primary "draw" of South Africa is the wildlife and its environs. Or as they call it in South Africa: The Safari, which will be the subject of the next and last blog on our South Africa cruise. In spite of the fact that we were in country or on the ship for nearly 2 weeks, there is just not much cruise-related stuff to blog about on this one. I already blogged about the actual cruise, and "the good, the bad and the ugly" about our new ship experience on the Oceania cruise lines and the Nautica ship. For a more in-depth coverage of each of the South Africa stops, you can read my LightCentricPhotography blog series, published back in March and beginning here. Since this is a "cruise" blog, I will cover the trip in a much more abbreviated way. To my way of thinking, there are basically 3 areas that relate logically to the cruise: the ship, the major port city of Cape Town, and the "safari."
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| Table Bay Waterfront Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
CAPETOWN IS a major city with a population of nearly 700,000. The oldest city in South Africa, it is probably the one destination that would support a cruise ship stop for things other than the safari. Even an overnight stop. The very unique geography of Table Mountain with its namesake flat top, the somewhat sheltered bay on the Atlantic, and the entire Cape Town Peninsula, including the large, False Bay, to the east, makes this a very diverse and visually interesting area. The waterfront area in Cape Town is bustling with activity, with a nice mall, and numerous bars and restaurants. We stayed right there on the waterfront at the Table Bay Hotel at Victoria Wharf.
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| Woodstock Gin Company Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
FOUNDED IN 1652 by the Dutch West Indies Company as a stopping point and supply station for its ships, Cape Town did not gain city status until much later. The company did not really want it to be formally "settled." They wanted it to remain a supply outpost - totally under company control. But eventually, Dutch citizens came, and stayed, and even intermarried among the indigenous "black and brown" population and its permanent status as a town and then city was inevitable.
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| Truth Coffee Roasters Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
WE WERE warned that crime was high, and the city was dangerous. While that seems to be true in many large cities, we understand that it is worse in South Africa than in other places where we have been. I think the key to any of these places it to be vigilant of your surroundings, try not to stray away from groups and places where there are people, keep your hands on your valuable items (and concealed whenever possible), don't wear flashy watches and jewelry, and be careful about going into areas you don't know (I had a rather nice, gold watch on one morning in the lobby of our hotel, and an obviously local guy actually pointed it out and recommended I not wear it out). Having said that, we did some walking around the city. I have to say we never felt unsafe. We did use Uber to move from place to place, for the most part.
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| Behind the Bar at "The Gin Bar" Cape Town City Center - Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 All Rights Reserved |
BUT WE also walked some of the city streets, including down in the City
Center, and an area called Woodstock (where we started our street art tour and finished in the Woodstock Gin distillery and then the Woodstock Brewery (Craft Beer and barbeque - "bree"). There are some really cool spots in the city. In the city center we found a hidden-away bar called "The Gin Bar." Can you tell we like gin? It was one of the coolest places I have ever visited. There is a trick to finding the place. You have to walk right through a small chocolate shop (in the front door and out the back) to arrive at The Gin Bar. It's worth the adventure.
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| Daily Specials at The Gin Bar Cape Town City Center - Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
WE ALSO did a walking street art tour in the Salt River area, starting in Woodstock, where we were part of a group of only 6 people (including our young guide). At least during daylight, the parts of the city we saw seemed peaceful and relatively clean (later in the week, we drove through an area well south of the city that was very different than that though - so we know there is widespread poverty in the country).
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| I thought this big cat mural on the wall of a building in the Salt River section of the city was amazing Cape Town Street Art - Cape Town, South Africa Photo Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
OVER THE past couple years, I have taken to seeking out and photographing street art in the cities I visit. Cape Town had its share, and we found a specific walking tour that focused just on street art, mainly in a particular part of the city known as Salt River. The art is really pretty fascinating and is a mix of historical commentary, political statement and just pure art. The artists are very talented. Lots of color to see and attractive to photograph.
Cape Town, South Africa Copyright Andy Richards 2023 - All Rights Reserved |
THERE IS one other area near Cape Town that is worth mentioning. As many people are aware, South Africa is known for its rich wine production. The area east of Cape Town, known as Stellenbosch, includes both Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. They are known for producing spectacular wines, and there are some "knock-your-socks-off" vineyards and properties out there. We did not get out there. But we certainly heard about it. Historically, this region between 25 and 50 miles from the center of Cape Town, is the area the formerly Dutch settlers who were mostly at odds with the Dutch, and later the British governments moved to from Cape Town. They became known as the Afrikaaners. If we go back to South Africa (it will be a land-based trip), I would love to spend some time out there.
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