From the time European settlers put their soft, stockinged feet on the beach at Table Bay around 350 years ago, things have gone steadily downhill. For one property prices have rocketed. And finding parking on the Foreshore is a pain. On the other hand the quality of the wine has improved greatly from that first agricultural vintage back in 1659, which records show was more medicinal than delightful.
The Dutch were beer drinkers and used wine only to cure “ship sickness” (what we now know is scurvy). We can thank the French Huguenots for improving things. They fled religious persecution in France and arrived here in 1688-1689, bringing with them new vine stock and some viticultural savoir faire. So if
Buitenverwachting Wine Farm, Constantia
Email You don’t have to venture far out to the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek valleys to enjoy great Cape Wines; the Constantia valley wineries a mere 10 miles from the city center have many fine wines to share, as well as some of the city’s best restaurants (among them La Colombe and Buitenverwaghting – and try pronouncing that one after your third glass). You could also enjoy a glass under the oldest vine in South Africa, at down-town Heritage Square Hotel, followed by a stroll through the adjacent, historic Old Cape Quarter precinct, or Bokaap. The
Cape Heritage Hotel
Probably the best thing about Cape Town right now – other than that the New York Times voted it the number one place to visit this year – is that, with the plummeting rand, prices are ridiculous. The best meal, with the best wines in town (at The Roundhouse off winding Kloof Road), will set you back around US$100 a person.
This is the best time for surfing and False Bay is one of the best places in the world for longboarding and learning to surf. There are several surf shops at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg that hire and teach. Or, still thinking of wine, you could spend a half day or a full day if you are an aficionado, doing some serious wine tasting in Constantia. The
Table Bay and Table ?
Another great thing to do around this time of the year is to explore Table Mountain National Park on foot or mountain bike. Taking time to smell the flowers is the only way to discover why the local “fynbos” is one of the world’s natural wonders and the only floral community to be acknowledged as a World Heritage Site.
There is much, much more to this city between mountain and sea, as all first time visitors discover. “Why didn’t anyone tell us …” is the usual refrain. That’s travel for you – broadens the mind (and sometimes the butt), and always holds adventure for the bold. There’s always something more to Cape Town and, apparently, always something new out of Africa.
More Photos by David Bristow
Beads at Greenmarket Square
Colorful Old Cape Quarter
Cable Car at Table Mountain
Virtual Tour of Cape Town
The first version of this article was posted on 28 Mar 2014 at 3:26 PM.