Cape Town and its region: African California

Cape Town borders the coast of Africa. It's one of the country’s “white” cities. It doesn't seem to be part of the same country as, for example, Kwazulu Natal or Soweto. If it's not part of Mandela’s Africa as we imagine it, it represents its ideal of a rainbow nation.
There reigns a scent of carefree, Californian or European villegiature, due to the architecture of the buildings, the climate, the seaside, and the population...

Cape Town

 

The Waterfront

It's essential to walk and eat in one of the many restaurants on the seaside to taste the particular atmosphere of the city, and to be surprised to be in Africa…

Cape Town
Cape Town
Waterfront Cape Town
Waterfront Cape Town

Robben Island, not to forget.

The prison island or Mandela spent 16 years of his life, is located off the Cape from where it can be seen. Today transformed into a Museum of Tolerance and Human Rights. Departure from the water front, by ferry.
THE place of memory of the country. Essential.

Robben island

 

Kirstenbosch National botanical garden,
a southern eden

One of the most beautiful in the world, especially in October/November during the southern spring.
528 ha of exotic plants, trees and flowers: papyrus, water lilies, gingko, baobab, pelargonium, amaryllis, aloe: the fauna of southern Africa, first arranged by English (settlers). Of course it did !

Jardin de Kirstenbosch
Aloe vera
Jardin de Kirstenbosch
Jardin de Kirstenbosch
Jardin de Kirstenbosch
Jardin de Kirstenbosch

Don’t visit it at the race track, take the time to wandering around.

Jardin de Kirstenbosch

 

 Bo Kaap, the Malaysian touch'

The most colorful area of the city, the descendants of slaves from Malaysia, India and Indonesia. This Muslim population has made this district a truly separate area, with its typical architecture made of pink, yellow, orange, parma houses, and its small minarets.
A festival of colours is a sign of protest during the apartheid.

Bo Kaap
Bo Kaap

 

Hout bay, seal island

A small fishing port in this village of the Cape Town's region, from where one embarks to see the seal colony gathered on an island.

Hout bay
Hout bay
Otarie
Otarie
Hout bay

 

Boarding a boat to reach the island. Although the seal is not, strictly speaking, the rarest and most impressive animal, it may still seem surprising to cross a colony in Africa.

Hout bay

Boulder’s beach

This beach to the east of the Cape is home to a colony of penguins. Very touristic area, small colony, but so cute…
Pengouins du Cap
Boulder's beach
Penguin du Cap

Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point : the African finistere

Here, at the end of the continent, at the point of passage of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, many sailors stranded on these steep rocks, when others found hope :" Ship to shore !! "
The site is not exactly the southernmost point of the continent, but let’s not be a party pooper…its view is magnificent.

Cape point
Cape Point
Cape Point
Cape Point

The mythical site of Cape Point.
One end of the world...

Cap de Bonne Espérance

 

Table Mountain

One of the seven new wonders of nature. The best (and most beautiful) panoramic view of the city (360°).

Cape Town

 

It can be reached on foot (for the bravest) or by cable car.

Téléphérique Table Mountain
Signal hill

 

Chapman’s peak road

Southern Cape

Chapman’s peak

 

Often ranked among the most beautiful scenic roads in the world, its 9 km winding offers a 180 degree view of the Cape Coast,
between Hout Bay :

Chapman’s peak
Chapman’s peak

 

... and the beautiful beach of Noordhoek.

Noordhoek
La plage de Noordhoek
La plage de Noordhoek

On the Wine Route in Franschoek and Stellenboch

About 50 kilometers from Cape Town, there are two cities with an old-fashioned charm, where wine-growing regions have a special way of life.

Vignes Afrique du Sud
Vin sud africain

The “Cape Dutch” style of the houses gives the impression of walking in a Dutch village in the middle of August, on a background of French vineyards.
And for a good reason : after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the subsequent massacres (including the infamous one of Saint Barthelemy) in the 16th century, 1,200 Protestants decided to flee to South Africa. Some of these Huguenots have thus exported their know-how to the country, particularly in the area of wines. The Dutch settlers, well aware of the exceptional climate (Mediterranean type) of the region, had begun this culture, first in Stellenbosch, but not with the same success.
The region now has 15 wine roads, whose estates produce red, white, rosé, brandy, etc.

Cape Dutch

Bergkelder

The visit to the Bergkelder winery in Stellenbosch is a must!
Walk in the domain, tasting in the cellars, stop at the wine bar.
Change of scenery !

Fleur du Cap
Domaine de Bergkelder
Fût de Chêne Stellenbosch
Domaine de Bergkelder
Domaine de Bergkelder
Bar à vins Stellenbosch

Big crush for the «Barrique Restaurant» of the Vredenheim domain, which often serves as a reception place and can be easily understood. Their bobotie is delicious, and their garden is simply idyllic. Nickel lawn worthy of an English garden, small bridge of Japanese wood, floral alcoves where the varieties of all colors blossom. Even a field with a few zebras. An enchanted parenthesis.

Barrique Restaurant

 

Bobotie is a South African dish made from spicy ground meat, broiled in the oven with a topping made from egg and bread soaked in milk. A delight.

Bobotie
Ferme auberge
Ferme auberge
ferme auberge

 

First meet with zebras.

ferme auberge

 

Franschhoek, the french corner 

Of the four European Protestant ships that landed at the Cape, some of them were French. Franschhoek was the village of choice for these exiles in search of a new life. Elephants roamed the land that was granted to them. Their flag will be made: an elephant on a red blue white background. It's thanks to these families that South Africa has its own Wine Route 300 years later and ranks 7th among world producers.

Die huguenote

 

The French Huguenots gave the city its name : Franschhoek.
They even have a flag : red white blue with an elephant in the middle.

Drapeau huguenot

 

The city has a museum and a monument in memory of the Huguenots.

Huguenot memorial museum

 

Although the use of the French language has now disappeared, the names persist (sometimes in Afrikaneri forms) and are widespread in the region. Notably that of the actress Charlize Theron, descendant of the French Huguenots.

Charlize Theron
Stellenbosch

 

 Post Tenebras Lux  :  The light after the darkness

Die huguenote

Oudtshorn, the ostrichian capital

LITTLE KAROO

Autruches

South Africa alone accounts for 75% of the world’s ostrich farming. A very profitable activity since in the animal, like the pig, nothing is lost or almost: its meat, less fat and with more protein than beef, is consumed, as well as its eggs, to made lamps and decoration accessories, and finally its leather, incredibly resistant.

autruche

If ostrich cobbles have an exotic image in our country, the South Africans eat as much as beef or lamb.
Still used today for the manufacture of feathers and carnival caps, the feathers of the animal, worn on hats and fans, were highly prized in the 19th century, and sign of social success. The Europeans then massively imported feathers from Africa and made the fortune of the Little Karoo region (there is also the Great Karoo region).

Oudtshorn

 

In Oudtshorn you can visit a farm where everything will be explained to you about the feathered animal, and do your shopping : bags, boa in feathers,

Autruchons
autruche
Autruchons
Oeuf d'autruche
autruchons

 

... or an ostrich egg painted or turned into a lamp, ideal for a very “curiosity cabinet” decor.

Oeuf d'autruche

The ostrich in a few figures

“ Four nostrils, three eyelids, a stomach that digests as much gravel as alfalfa to make egg shells, and eyes that are bigger than the brain. »

→ The largest bird in the world, can weigh up to 150 kilos
→ It produces a 20 cm long egg, the equivalent of 25 hen eggs. It takes ¾ of an hour to cook one in the shell.
→ Its skin is very resistant, it can withstand -10 to 40 degrees

→ Its eyes are 5 cm in diameter, bigger than its brain…

Autruche

→ It can run up to 70km/h, during 30 min, thanks to its powerful legs, both long, muscular, and light (its knees are located under its plumage).

Autruche

It's literately a dinosaur with feathers! Its sharp claws are 10 cm long, a kick of leg is enough to shoot his opponent. If it’s you, lie on the ground and hide your head!

Autruche

→  The expression « to hide one's head in the sand » comes from the animal’s attitude that it spends his life withits head on the ground since it picks up nearly 30,000 times a day and plunges it into the holes where it lays his eggs, but not to hide from danger. It's rather the ostrich the danger !

Autruche


Graff Reinet, to appreciate the "Cape Dutch" style

The city is famous for its Protestant monuments, of Dutch architecture.
Again, it's hard to believe that we are actually in Africa.

Cape Dutch

 

….And its Valley of Desolation

With the Blyde River Canyon Roundavels and Table Mountain, this semi-desert valley is one of the country’s most beautiful views of unspoilt nature.
A bird’s eye view of the relief plains in a palette of orange, yellow and red.

Vallée de la désolation
Afrique du Sud