Cape Town Wineries

Today, we traveled by bus through some beautiful countryside to the small towns of Paarl, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch, stopping at two wineries for wine tasting.

The drive to the wineries was absolutely beautiful (see pics).

We had a lot of fun at both wine tastings. The second stop felt a bit rushed, and there was not enough time to fully enjoy the tasting, but the scenery in the backyard was breathtaking!

Cape Town Tourist Attractions

Our guided tour took us on a long drive along the coast, passing through many neighborhoods — mostly wealthy seaside communities along the oceanfront, along with one or two poorer areas.

I was really struck by how beautiful the coastline was. It was then that I began to understand why so many people are drawn to Cape Town and South Africa.

The first destination of the day was to reach the southwestern point of Africa. To get there, we drove along the beautiful coastline. It was a cloudy day, so the pictures came out a bit dark, but the scenery was still stunning.

The bus stopped at one viewpoint for photo opportunities.

We then continued all the way to the Cape of Good Hope.

After lunch, we walked to the penguin colony (Boulders Beach Penguin Colony, Cape Town) and saw some lovely penguins. It was very cold and windy there.

The last stop of the day was the beautiful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

Robben Island, UNESCO site

One hour ferry ride from Cape Town, take us to this UNESCO site.  Robben Island is one of the most historically important places in Cape Town and one of South Africa’s most powerful symbols of both oppression and freedom. Located about 7 kilometers (4 miles) off the coast in Table Bay, the island is best known for serving as a prison during the apartheid era.

For centuries, the island was used as a place of a prison, a military base, a hospital for people with leprosy.  Internationally, it became famous because many anti-apartheid political prisoners were held there, including Nelson Mandela.

Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island, from 1964 to 1982.  There we saw his tiny prison cell has become one of the island’s most visited and emotional sites.

Table Mountain see on a ferry ride

Prison cells

Cape Town-Table Mountain

Literally, the first landmark you notice when arriving in Cape Town is the mountain itself. Rising over 1,000 meters above the city, its summit offers panoramic views of Cape Town, the Atlantic Ocean, Camps Bay, Robben Island, and the Cape Peninsula.

This is Table Mountain National Park. It was officially established in 1998 to protect the region’s rare fynbos ecosystem and dramatic coastal landscapes.

First, we were taken by bus to the visitor center, and from there, we took a cable car up the mountain. Our time there was very brief because it was part of a guided tour, but you could easily spend hours exploring the area. The views were simply amazing.

Arriving Cape Town

My flight from Frankfurt to Cape Town was full and long, but I survived. It was a direct flight of about 11 hours. Arriving at Cape Town Airport, the passport control line was short and painless, and I retrieved my luggage in no time.

While waiting at the gate in Frankfurt for boarding, I struck up a conversation with a woman who happened to be a local from Cape Town. From her, I learned that there is actually Uber service at the airport, and she recommended that I use it. So, by the time I arrived in Cape Town, I already knew I was going to take an Uber.

After walking out of the terminal, I stopped by an ATM but had no luck with two different machines. It seemed they only accepted credit cards. When I inserted my credit card, the machine asked for a PIN code, which I do not think I even have. So, I decided to leave without cash.

While I was looking for the Uber pickup area, several guys kept approaching me offering taxi rides. I walked back inside the terminal and asked a staff member at the tour desk where the Uber pickup location was. He told me to walk to the next building near the Parking P1 area. I followed his instructions and soon found the sign for the Uber pickup spot.

There, I was able to order an Uber, and the driver showed up in about five minutes. He got me to my hotel without any problems.

The Uber ride cost about $13. Looking back, I had actually tried to book a taxi earlier through Booking.com. I completed the booking process, only to receive a message afterward saying the booking had failed. It would have cost me around $25–30.

After checking into the hotel, I took the hotel shuttle to V&A Waterfront and wandered around inside the mall. This place is a large waterfront entertainment and shopping district with shopping centers, luxury stores, restaurants, bars, and many other attractions.

I was told that the area itself is completely safe, but outside of the waterfront district, I should avoid wandering alone and only use hotel shuttles or trusted transportation.

I had dinner there and also picked up some snacks from the supermarket on the lower level.

Later, I visited the place again with my fellow travelers to tour the outdoor grounds and enjoy the waterfront atmosphere.

Here are few photos taken on the route from airport to hotel in my Uber ride.  The mountain in the photo is the Table Mountain.

Cape Town Waterfront

Out of Africa – 16 Days Traveling Through Southern Africa

I am using this title because "Out of Africa" is one of my favorite movies. After watching it many years ago, I knew that someday I wanted to visit Africa. Last year, I finally made that dream come true.

I joined a 15-day road trip that started in Cape Town, South Africa and continued through:

-Hluhluwe, Eswatini

-Matsamo Village, Eswatini

-Kruger National Park, South Africa

-Johannesburg, South Africa

-Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

-Kasane, Botswana

-Back to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

-Back to Johannesburg, South Africa

The trip took me through four countries and several national parks. It was truly an amazing journey.

My posts will focus on the beautiful landscapes and national parks I visited, as well as the bond I developed with the group of people I traveled with during those two weeks.

Although my visit did not include seeing the famous large-scale animal migrations often shown in documentaries, I still had the opportunity to see many different species in their natural local environments, which was a unique experience in itself.

I did not have much opportunity to interact closely with local people, nor did I experience of using any public transportations since this is entirely guided tour traveling with coach and few intercity by air.

Through my journey, I observed the tremendous contrast in wealth in cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa and well developed and the rest of the countries much poorer and underdeveloped in comparison.

President Lincoln’s Cottage

In the spirit of enjoying and studying U.S. history, I have discovered that there are many fascinating historic sites connected to America’s past. One example is President Lincoln’s Cottage, a historic home used by Abraham Lincoln on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home, now known as the Armed Forces Retirement Home, near the Petworth neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In 2000, it was designated a national monument called the President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home National Monument.

I recently visited the site and was a bit disappointed. The interior of the house can only be visited through a guided tour, which I personally found rather boring. The tour provided very little information about the house itself or the individual rooms. The house contains almost no furniture actually used by the Lincoln family. There were only a few decorative pieces that had no connection to either the house or the family who lived there. The only notable item was a replica of the writing desk President Lincoln supposedly used, located in one of the second-floor rooms.

The tour guide spent nearly an hour and a half telling small pieces of historical stories that, to me, did not flow together very well. One strange aspect of the tour was that the guide repeatedly asked the audience how we felt after listening to short 10-second voice recordings played from an iPad.

Outside, there are almost no gardens, but the exterior architecture of the house is beautiful. The cottage is surrounded by lovely lawn grounds and a magnificent tree beside the building, which creates a peaceful atmosphere.

There are two entrances to the Soldiers’ Home grounds, but only one is open to visitors. We ended up driving around in circles twice before finally figuring that out.

Next to the cottage is Rock Creek Church, a beautiful structure from outside, it is not open to the public.

The replica of the desk that President Lincoln used to write Lincoln the Emancipation Proclamation

Rock Creek Church