PADDY'S SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR
CAPE TOWN

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Monday February 15, 2010.  Upon arrival to the Cape Town Airport, we were met by a representative of Tauck Tours, who took us to the Cape Grace hotel, in the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. We had our first look at the harbor, and then checked into the very nice hotel.

We walked all over the Harbor, a very busy one.  There were seals in the water, entertaining the public. There was a flurry of activity everywhere. People were shopping at the numerous African crafts open markets. And there were musicians and dancers on the streets. Table Mountain provided a very awesome backdrop.

We saw a very interesting sculpture of a gun with its barrel tied up in a knot. It was a replica of a UN Non-violence sculpture. South Africa is one of the world's most crime-ridden countries. Pat & I posed for posterity in the Cape Town Victoria & Albert Waterfront

We continued exploring the area the following day, Tuesday Feb.16, after we went back following our excursion to Robben Island. We were struck by the allegorical statues that were all over.

The first thing that caught our eye was the Gothic-style iconic Clock Tower, that was the Port's Captain office in 1882. There was also an abstract named Blue Cheese Earth's Sphere. And an emblem of the Board of Executors nicknamed Twanky.  Then there was Unity Out of Struggle in South Africa. And also a statue to Bartholomeus Diaz, who discovered Cape Town in 1488.

Not to be forgotten were the soldiers that fought & died in WW II and the Korean War. And finally, in Laureates Square, there were four giant statues representing the four Nobel Peace winners from South Africa: Albert Luthuli, Bishop Desmond Tutu, F.W. DeKlerk, and Nelson Mandela.

Afterwards it was time to explore the more commercial section of the town. African trading posts abounded, and it was good to see all the different crafts and souvenirs that were for sale. Paddy posed next to a rattan elephant.  We saw a ship being re-fitted and there were some very modern buildings and pretty fountains. We also learned, in the course of our walking around, that the stop lights are called "robots".

Part of our tour was a visit to a vineyard, Groot Constantia. South African wines are exported all over the world, and the visit was very informative. We were able to see the different stages in the production of wine and had a chance to taste diverse ones. We posed in front of some rows of grapes.

On the following day, Wednesday, February 17, we went to Table Mountain.