History Old and New

Although discovered and named by the Portuguese, Cape of Good Hope had its first European residents from the Dutch East India Company.  These businessmen saw the advantage of having a place for their ships to resupply during the voyage from the Netherlands to the East Indies and back again. After all, the less supplies you carried, the more room for trade cargo. Of course ships from other nations were welcome to stop here too - for a fee.

As was typical of the 1600’s, the opinion of the people originally living here was neither requested or required. Armed conflicts between the Europeans and Africans were predictable resulting in the building of a fort to protect both European lives and profits.

Called the Castle of Good Hope this fortress was originally located on the coastline of Table Bay, but due to land reclamation the fort is now located inland. The yellow color and five point design reminded us of other colonial fort/castles we have seen in the Caribbean.

We were lucky to arrive in time to see a reenactment of the key ceremony. The ceremony is performed three times a day accompanied by narration broadcast over a loudspeaker. Soldiers in period Dutch uniforms march to the front of the commanders home. There the sergeant receives a key from the Commander. The unit marches to the gate, rings a bell and unlocks the outer gate. A patrol is sent out to insure that all is well, then the gate is fully opened and the key is marched back to the Commander.

The fort was reinforced when the British took over with the addition of three feet or so of brick on top of the walls. We were able to walk on top of the walls as well as go into the prison cell torture area. Many kings and leaders of the native people were imprisoned here prior to being executed or taken to Robben Island.

one of the rulers imprisoned here

After lunch at a tavern named for explorer Bartolomeu Dias, (delicious swordfish), we visited a museum of more recent history.

The District Six Museum tells the story of the forced removal of over 60,000 people of color from their homes between 1966 and 1982. The city’s apartheid government decided the area needed to be bulldozed and rebuilt as a white neighborhood. Ironically, much of the area demolished was not rebuilt as there was no demand to live in the area by the whites. Many believe the intent was not for “urban renewal” but merely an effort to breakup a thriving community.

street signs of the neighborhood

These two sites,( among many others,) tell a cautionary tale, that although centuries apart no good can come from one group of people believing and acting superior to others. It is a lesson that some in this world still have to learn.

Saturday in the Park

In addition to being near the V&A our apartment is also near the downtown. About a mile or so away is Cape Town's answer to Central Park; the Company’s Garden.

This park was actually first built as a garden in the 1650’s by the Dutch East India Company. Ships from all nations stopped to purchase fresh food as they sailed trade routes from Europe to Asia. Some of the park is still being planted with vegetables, mostly as a historic reference.

Surrounding the park are art and history museums as well as hotels and some embassies. Inside the walls are rose gardens, an aviary, fish ponds and playgrounds. We saw a wedding taking place on one of the lawns as well as wedding parties coming by for photos is a beautiful setting. But mostly we saw people: old, young, families, couples, singles and groups enjoying a beautiful day.

Our wandering led us to a cafe in the garden with plenty of outdoor seating. it was the perfect place to take a break, have a drink and take in the simple beauty of nature.

On The Waterfront

It is our custom to get out and explore our new neighborhood as soon as possible. It's also a terrific antidote to jet lag and time zone adjustments. Here in Capetown we are GMT+1 which is about 10 hours ahead of Southern California.

Day one of exploring revealed that we have a number of cool looking cafes and pubs connected to or near our apartment building but today's objective was to head down to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (know as the V&A). It is an easy walk of about a mile, a good stretch of the legs after being seated in coach for the long flights.

 The waterfront was first built at Table Bay  by the Dutch East India Company as a place for their ships to restock with fresh food and water on the way to and from the East Indies. Later with the arrival and subsequent takeover by the British, the waterfront was expanded and a breakwater created to protect the ships from storms.  Over the centuries the V&A has expanded to meet the needs of the city. Today it serves the needs of both commercial and cruise ships as well as many personal watercraft. The historic docklands are a mixed-use area with a focus on retail, tourism and development with a working harbour at its center.

Although touristy, the atmosphere is festive with street performers around every corner and beautiful restored architecture from the early 1900’s. It feels a bit like EPCOT center without the actual Disney characters.  our lunch in an old Victorian building with a harbor view was very inexpensive by U.S. standards, promising even more value in other sections of the city.

With the threat of rain looming we cut our exploration short and took a cab back to our apartment.

2019-The Adventure Continues

As we enter our fourth year of travel it has become evident (to us at least), that the goal is now to see the world. 2019 arrives with our most ambitious and exotic itinerary by far as we set out for a 7 month adventure to explore parts of Africa, the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula. While Spain and Portugal may not seem that exotic, as they were once part of the Muslim Empire under the Moors the culture has many similarities to both North Africa and Europe.

And so we began on January 8 with a suitcase, a backpack and over 30 hours in transit ahead.

Ready to Go

 A 13 hour flight to Istanbul brought us to an 8 hour layover. This was obviously a moment of planning miscalculation. We did not realize that Americans could once again get visas to Turkey. Had we been aware (or if I had checked) we would have stopped there for a week or two. Instead, it was back on a plane for an 11 hour flight to Cape Town, South Africa.

Even in our sleep deprived state (cat naps on the plane and on couches in the Lounge hardly replace a full night in a bed) we were struck with the tapestry of diversity that made up this city.  Thankfully a prearranged driver transported us to our apartment with a brief but informative narrative of landmarks, weather conditions and tips for enjoying the city and surrounding area.

our balcony overlooks the cruise port

We checked in, walked to the market a short block away for some bottled water and groceries then returned for some much needed sleep.

Time flies

I am sure you noticed. but in case you didn't let me point t out for you. I am WAY BEHIND on blog posts! over a year in fact. So far behind that it only makes sense to post the current trip while writing the posts for the previous ones the posting them.  So if you were excited to read about Asia or greece or the Midwest United States you will have to wait a bit longer. In the meantime, welcome to Africa.

Water, Water Everywhere

Taking a cruise ship across an ocean was fashionable once. In fact it was the only way to get from the Americas to anywhere else. While some may see transatlantic or Pacific cruises as slow, expensive or a waste of time they are anything but those things.

Having done a transatlantic out of Florida last year we knew what to expect and we looked forward to it. It does take days instead of hours but you do not suffer any of the irritations of flight. No jet means no jet lag. Time zones change one day at a time so you are not disoriented upon arrival at your destination. You are not forced to try to sleep in an upright position locked into a chair and eating microwaved food whenever the flight attendants get to you. You don't have to share a bathroom with numerous other people. You get privacy, space and countless food options available virtually 24/7.

Cruise ships are moved from place to place depending on the weather and season. Our ship had concluded the Alaska cruises for the year and was going to Asia for the Winter months. There are fewer ports so the price is considerably cheaper. If you have the time to spend getting to your destination a repositioning cruise may be less expensive than airfare.

With almost no opportunity to leave the ship the activities available on board are extensive and varied. Movies run in the theater and the staterooms, games and contests are in all the lounges and the casino is open all the time (that may not be an advantage for some).Culture lectures, art classes and auctions and of course on board shopping are held almost daily. But perhaps the best thing is the ability to do absolutely nothing. There is no place to go, nothing to see, nothing to do unless you choose to. If you want to get away from it all( with someone else doing the cooking and cleaning) repositioning is for you.

And so we are off. One port at the beginning 3 ports at the end and nothing but time in between.

My daily cup of tea

North by Northwest

And now for something completely different. Our travels to this point have been limited to two continents: North America and Europe,( although we have cruised some Caribbean islands and in his single days John did hit a few places in North Africa.) But those were vacation destinations, not part of our wandering lifestyle. So now we are headed for uncharted territory-Asia. It started with an offer we couldn't refuse. Celebrity Cruises was repositioning a ship to Japan at a price well below our $100.00 a night lodging target. It is a Trans-Pacific so we won't see land for a while but if you have the time it is a great way to travel long distances. Because of this, to go east we must go west. And not just west but north west. The ship leaves from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

We decided to come up a week early for a few reasons:

1. It is 107 in Southern California. Canada HAS to be cooler.

2. It is opening weekend of college football and we want to see as many games as possible without completely taking over someone else's televisions for 5 days.

3. Vancouver is a cool city and we have not been here since 1992.

It was easy getting here. We were able to fly out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County instead of LAX. After about a 3 hour flight we caught the Metro train to downtown where our apartment was a short walk from the station. By early evening August 31 we settled into our high rise downtown apartment to watch Ohio State play Indiana,( John had recorded on his computer.)

Unfortunately, our apartment does not have air conditioning. This would not be a problem except that Vancouver is experiencing a heatwave this week. They are expecting the temperature to hit 90 degrees. We are on the 21st floor and hot air rises so it is more than a bit warm in here. Thankfully there are two large fans that we are running day and night.

Friday September 1 we headed out to see the neighborhood before the evening games came on. Our walk took us about five miles around the waterfront and over to Gastown, where the city was established. A light lunch at Flying Pig http://theflyingpigvan.com/ then back to the apartment for

steam powered clock

dinner and Washington vs Rutgers.
GameDay Saturday. If you know us you know that for the last few years this is how we spend Saturday in the Fall. Luckily the television here picks up feeds from Seattle so we were able to get the games on ABC and FOX while we watched others on the computer. Both Michigan and Penn State were victorious so it was a good day.

Since location is close to great restaurants we decided to go for Sunday Brunch. Not quite a mile away is Forage http://www.foragevancouver.com/ a farm to table restaurant. I had a duck confit and Kale frittata, John went for the local speciality Shakshuka which is eggs in a pepper and tomato sauce.

Like many major cities Vancouver has a large permanent farmers or public market. Here it is on Granville Island, which is really a peninsula. Just a short city bus ride

away this was the perfect place to shop, have a quick lunch and people watch next to a harbor. A hike in Stanley Park ended our visit here. TIme to board the ship and sail into the great unknown,

Windsor

Our last full day in England took us to the granddaddy of castles-Windsor. Named after the town where it is located WIndsor Castle was built on order of William the Conqueror to provide protection for London and a part of the Thames. A luxurious palace was added in the 13th century making it the longest occupied palace in Europe. With our love for castles it was a must see.

But we didn't. Not the inside anyway. After so many lovely days visiting beautiful places with hardly any other visitors we were somewhat horrified by the mobs of tourists surrounding the castle. We just didn't want to fight the crowds and stand in line for hours. Instead we walked through the town, seeing the real Windsor.

We ate lunch in a pub, visited a park with a statue of the Queen and her corgis and stopped in at a butcher shop to discuss spring lamb (one of the most delicious things we have ever eaten). It seemed fitting that we end our time in this country we had come to know so well not as a tourist but as a local. The castle has stood for almost a thousand years; I’m sure it we will be there when we return.

Windsor Lady inn Bachelor Acre, WInndsor

Battle

As a former history teacher I can honestly tell you that memorizing a lot of dates and names is almost always a waste of time if you want to learn about history. Almost. There are some dates and names that you must know and they usually are connected in some way. In the United States one example is George Washington and July 4, 1776. For the English there is not a date or person more significant than October 14, 1066 and William the Conqueror. So naturally we had to visit Hastings to see the place where WIlliam and his Norman forces triumphed over Harold and the Saxons.

  The battle actually took place a short distance from the seaside town of Hastings in a field

surrounded by woods. This place is now known as the town of Battle. Self guided tours around the battlefield come with wood caeved knights next to signs that indicate significant moments in the battle. An outline remains of the church William had built to honor the dead of both sides. He specifically directed that the altar be built over the sight where King Harold had died,(an arrow through the eye, ouch).

This battle was the last successful conquest of Britain. It also introduced new language, culture and systems of government that spread worldwide as a result of British Colonization. This one day has had a tremendous impact on much of the world making it a date worth remembering.

A plaque marks the spot of Haeolds death

A Day at the Beach

With apologies to Neil Simon, our Brighton Beach Memoirs bear only the same name. As well they should. I am not sure most Americans realize just how many places in America are named after places in England and not all of the have a “New” in front of the name. While many of these places in the United States bare little resemblance to their name inspirations Brighton has some definite similarities. A pier with boardwalk style games and eating establishments, crowds of people with children clamoring to go on carnival style rides and of course the beach.

That is where the similarities end. The beach here is stones, uncomfortable to walk on and impossible to lie on. Thankfully there are beach chairs and umbrellas available to rent for your day at the seaside. I think the umbrellas were to provide protection from the rain rather than the sun. It was quite windy the day we were there so no one was sitting on the beach. The water is the English Channel which ranges from 59°-65° in the summer. Brightons American cousin has the same type of temperature range in summer but is warmest in early February-up to 81° in England that time of year it would be 46°. In any case that is too cold for me to do more than put my toes in the water.

The pier itself was clean with large areas to walk and free chairs to sit in and watch the water or people. We were there midweek so many of the rides were closed which meant it wasn't very crowded. Venues were there that have live music on weekends. Hungry? Fish and chips, ice cream and candy floss (cotton candy) stands are numerous as well as nicer restaurants to dine in. It is worth a short train ride from London if you are looking for something different to do. http://www.brightonpier.co.uk/.

Neil Simons Brighton is an area in Brooklyn next to Coney Island. It is a section of the borough where many Russian and Slavic people have settled. So many so that today it is often called Little Odessa. This Brighton has immigrants also but just like the rest of the UK these are mainly people from former or current commonwealth nations. The town itself is filled with gastropubs and cafes as well as museums, galleries and gardens. The streets are very walkable and the beachfront accommodations are reasonably priced. We had one of our few apartment problems here; what we booked was not what we received so we were able to cancel but that left us truly homeless for the night. Fortunately we found a hotel on the beach with rooms available in the summer at an acceptable price, about ¼ of what the same type of room would cost in the US in a resort city during the summer.