For the first time in more than 3 years, my wife and I find ourselves back on an aircraft…bound not for an overseas destination, but for a trip to Cape Town. Although the masks were not a requirement of the airline, we felt safer wearing them. Although it felt weird wearing them for the duration of the flight.
As an side, we were the only passengers wearing them!
Go Bokke Go. Our flight from Laseria left on time and it was P.A.C.K.E.D.
There have been major renovations at Lanseria airport, and it makes for a better experience. But long term parking is very pricy. It might be an option to catch an Uber there and back next time we travel.
What we did learn on this flight that travelling with hand luggage only makes the trip a whole lot easier and quicker.
When we arrived at Lanseria, we did not have to stand in a queue to check in as we had done that the night before on-line.
Only had to do the security check, which were a breeze. I had left both my camera gear and laptop at home, so not much unpacking at the scanners.
Arrival in Cape Town and we just strolled past several fights that had landed and whose passengers were waiting for luggage. What a pleasure.
The last time we flew to Cape Town, my wife’s luggage ended up in Durban and we had to wait an entire day for it to be delivered to our hotel. None of those issues on this trip.
And returning to Lanseria, it was the same speedy exit…off the plane, pay the (expensive) parking and head home.
This is something that I will continue to strive for on short domestic trips in the future.
We were collected by a friend at the airport(please note that there is a new collection point for passengers at CT Airport. The old ‘drop and go’ is exactly that…for outward bound passengers only.
This is the main road through Fish Hoek on the way to our overnight accommodation.
Dinner time and it was off to this iconic shop in Fish Hoek to collect supper.
As there was load shedding dishes like calamari were not able to be served.
Hake and chips were on the menu and I have to say were most delicious.
To Muizenberg to meet family and friends, who did not want their pictures published, so I focused on weeds and graffiti instead.
“I must go down to the sea again, I left my shoes and socks there. I wonder if they are dry”…the words of Spike Milligan were ringing in my ears as I strolled along the promenade while doing some people-watching.
The sky in Cape Town seems to be very different from what we get in Johannesburg. Especially when it comes to cloud formations.
I believe that on this particular day, the wind did have an influence on what was above me.
Poles apart? See what I did there? Did you? Did you really?
The tire tracks belong to the ATV that the surf lifesavers use.
This is one of the iconic hotels in Muizenberg, the Balmoral Hotel.
The Balmoral Hotel in Muizenberg was designed in 1932 for hotelier BP Phillips by architect Julius Lonstein but it was architect Alfred Harold Honikman (later mayor of Cape Town) who gave the building its iconic Art Deco style.
There are two rows of beach huts along the shoreline. One row opposite the children’s play-park at Surfer’s Corner and the other closer to the elevated walkway that runs adjacent to the Putt-Putt. The soft white sands behind the boxes offer some shelter from the wind in the height of summer and this part of the beach is manned by lifesavers in season, forming part of the Blue Flag section of Muizenberg beach. In the past, this section behind the boxes got very crowded and was known as the “snake pit”.
Layers of paint on the ramp leading up to the Muizenberg Pavilion and yet the rust still seeps through.
FYI: Muizenberg was apparently named after Wynand Willem Muijs who commanded a small outpost on the shore of Zandvlei in 1743. The Battle of Muizenberg was a small but significant military affair that began on 7 August 1795 and ended three months later with the (first) British occupation of the Cape.
I found this mural on the back of the Muizenberg Pavilion.
It took a bit of detective work, but I eventually found out that these tiles were manufactured by Liebermann Pottery and installed on this wall around 1970.
Many thanks to all my Facebook friends for pointing me in the right direction and for Adriaan Turgel , nephew of the founder. for confirmation.
Sammy Liebermann established Liebermann Pottery in Johannesburg in 1956 and in June of 2011, they opened a branch in Cape Town, in Sunnydale, near Kommetjie, on a stunning 5 acre smallholding.( some information from the official Liebermann website. http://liebermannpottery.com/)
Did you know?
Muizenberg was initially a cattle farm and later became a military outpost, under Sergeant Muis and became known as Fort Muys. The Railway Line was extended to Muizenberg in 1822 which was followed by an increase in building in the Muizenberg area. The British defeated the Dutch in 1795 in the Battle of Muizenberg and the Cape became a British Colony. After the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the gold magnates started to build their holiday houses in Muizenberg and Muizenberg became a fashionable resort.
Into the Newlands Forest, which is a conservancy area on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, beside the suburb of Newlands, Cape Town.
It is owned and maintained by the Table Mountain National Parks Board, along with the City Parks Department of Cape Town, and includes a Fire Station, Nursery and Reservoir.
… I’ll buy you tall, tall trees and all the waters in the seasI’m a fool, fool, fool for you…lyrics from an Alan Jackson song.
Unfortunately, none of these trees are for sale, but they offer residents and visitors to Cape Town a place of quiet tranquility to spend time in…
This 6km loop trail is considered a moderately challenging route and can take over 2 hrs to complete. It is a popular trail for hiking, running, and walking, although, if you time your visit correctly, like we did, you can still enjoy the solitude and beauty that nature has to offer without large crowds.
One of a pair of juvenile African dusky flycatcher that I found sitting in the middle of a pine-needle strewn pathway.
One of the youngsters had already left the path and the adult female was keeping an eye on both from a distance. I stayed until this one had hopped off into the vegetation on the side of the path as I did not want some well-meaning hiker to pick in up.
Looking for a reliable shuttle service while you are in Cape Town? Looking for someone who is reasonably priced and ahead of schedule? The I have done your homework for you! Check out this company that used when I was in Cape Town recently to get me back to the airport. Click on the logo to be directed to their website.
For those that were not aware, there is an extension to the Travel & Things Blog in the form of ‘In conversation with‘ a YouTube channel hosted by David Batzofin and filled with a plethora of interesting interviews with a variety of people.
To visit the channel, click on the ‘In conversation with’ image above.
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For this trip I decided to leave my professional Pentax equipment at home in order to be able just to carry hand luggage onto the Safair flight.
All the images where shot on a Samsung A32 that is almost 3 years old. I was astounded by the quality of the images, especially in low light conditions.
