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10 UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT CAPE TOWN |
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The
vibrant city of Cape Town is alive with a kaleidoscope of colours,
a cacophony of sounds and a multiplicity of cultures and communities.
Most of us know about Cape Point, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and Table Mountain, but there are many other things that are uniquely Cape Town - sounds, sites and experiences you won't find anywhere else on your travels around the globe.
Here are ten of them.
The Noonday Gun
In Cape Town every afternoon starts with a bang - the noonday gun on Signal Hill sounds across the city at 12h00 each day. It once announced the arrival of ships in the Cape Town harbour, whereas today it simply announces that another morning in the Mother City is over.
 The Table Cloth
Table Mountain can be seen from pretty much anywhere in the city and is an icon that symbolizes Cape Town the world over. On some days a thick bank of cloud covers the flat table-like top, trailing lacey tendrils of mist that seem to pour continuously over the edge before melting into the ether. This beautiful phenomenon is known, unsurprisingly, as the Table Cloth.
The Cape Doctor
No, we are not referring to the local plastic surgeons, although Cape Town is one of the top cosmetic surgery destinations in the world. Nor do we mean the Sangoma (traditional healer) from the local township. The Cape Doctor is the moniker given to the South Easter wind that blows up a gale during the summer months. The name refers to the old belief that the wind blew away diseases - and it has to be said on the days that the Cape Doctor visits any city smog is blown far away. But when it blows, be ready to hang on to your hat!
Greenmarket Square
Greenmarket Square, a historical market in Cape Town's CBD, turns 300 in 2010. The city has recently initiated a multi-million Rand rejuvenation drive into the precinct which has been used down the years as a slave market, a vegetable market and a parking lot. Today it is a bustling flea market and plans are afoot to resuscitate Greenmarket Square into a cultural, social and business hub of Cape Town. For now you can expect to find African curios aplenty as well as interesting bead and wirework items, clothing, books and music here. Sitting at one of the trendy open-air cafes and watching the world go by is a great way to spend a Saturday morning in Cape Town.
 Camps Bay Beach
The Miami of Africa - the Atlantic Seaboard which is the stretch of coastline between the CBD and Cape Point, specifically the section from Camps Bay to Llandudno - is the arguably the trendiest area in South Africa. With its palm-tree lined, white sandy beach, Camps Bay is best known of the string of exquisite beaches renowned for champagne-cold aquamarine seas and beautiful bodies. Funky winebars, bistros and cafes spill out onto the pavements of the beachside road. Sipping sundowners here is the perfect end to a Cape Town summer's day.
The Company Gardens
Leafy green branches filter sunlight onto the paths that meander through the historical Cape Town Company Gardens. This peaceful place provides a haven of tranquility for the city workers who enjoy sitting on the benches in their lunchbreak, feeding nuts to the friendly local squirrels, enjoying the street performers who dance near the entrance and wandering through the scented air of the rose gardens below the Iziko National Museum.
Fynbos
Fynbos, the indigenous flora of Cape Town, forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Wkipedia explains: "The diversity of fynbos plants is greater than that of the tropical rainforests, with over 9000 species of plants occurring in the area, around 6200 of which are endemic, i.e. do not occur anywhere else in the world".
Fynbos describes a selection of small, scrubby plants, succulents and grasses, many of which boast beautiful hardy flowers such as Proteas.
 Robben Island
OK so many people HAVE heard of this Island off Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years prior to becoming the Nation's President. However we have to add it to the list as it is indeed unique to Cape Town, and the 30-minute ferry ride plus tour of the island - guided by former political prisoners - is a must for all visitors to the city. Not only is Robben Island of historical importance but the view of Cape Town from the island is also unique. Take your camera.
High Tea at the Mount Nelson
Enjoy tasty mouthfuls of smoked salmon, pastrami or cucumber sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, tea cakes and petit fours, washed down with Rooibos, Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey, Darjeeling and Green Tea in the gardens or on the terrace of this world-renowned gracious hotel at the foot of Table Mountain. This afternoon tea has been voted "Best Tea in the World" by Michael Winner (author and UK Sunday Times columnist), and "Best Tea" by Brian Berkman (Cape Town travel and food critic).
Bo Kaap
Stroll through this quaint, historical multi-coloured neighbourhood where pink, green, yellow and blue houses line the steep narrow cobbled streets, calls to prayer from the mosques wind through the rooftops and the scents of home-cooked meals call the children playing in the alleys to come home for lunch. Many of the locals are descendents of the slaves from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia, who were captured in the 17th and 18th century. While the area is traditionally Muslim, Christians also live in the Bo-Kaap.
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