Day 16: Good-bye, Cape Town

Our final destination in Cape Town is the iconic Table Mountain. We disembark from the ship at 9:00 AM and arrive at the lower cable car station by 10:00 AM. Unfortunately, it's the height of the tourist season, and we find ourselves at the end of a 600-meter-long queue. Patient as we are, we wait for about an hour under the blazing sun with little progress in sight. Tour buses keep arriving, dropping groups of passengers directly into the "fast track" line. It suddenly becomes clear why the priority tickets, costing €30 instead of the regular €15, are so popular. Patience wears thin for many, including us. Since we’ve already enjoyed stunning views from other mountaintops, we decide to let others have their turn and head back into the city. 

Happy people in the long queue: it might be better to come when it is raining.

Still a patient couple

The weather is sunny and hot, and while the stereotypical "good German" approach might call for a long walking tour through the midday heat to explore the city's roads and architecture, we take a different route. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, after all, and opt to indulge in Cape Town’s culinary highlights instead.

The previous night, we discovered an excellent restaurant in a shopping mall near the harbor. Interestingly, Cape Town’s highly rated restaurants tend to focus on Italian or Japanese cuisine, with a strong emphasis on sushi. We chose a Western / Japanese fusion restaurant called Willoughby & Co, and it left such a strong impression that we decide to return for lunch before resuming the ship's standard food. 

The restaurant is bustling, filled with a mix of tourists and local professionals from the nearby offices. The menu offers an intriguing blend of Asian-inspired dishes, sushi, and sashimi, alongside Mediterranean-style creations—all thoughtfully reimagined by a chef with a creative flair and an impeccable palate. Wanting to stay on the healthy side, we start with a few oysters and then enjoy a selection of seafood for our main course. Paired with high-quality local wine, the meal is nothing short of heavenly. We genuinely feel like we’re in paradise.

The photo does not reveal the artistically arrange sushi roles.

At 10:30 PM, the ship sets sail for Port Elizabeth. As Cape Town fades into the distance, we reflect on the city’s unique charm and promise ourselves we’ll return someday to explore even more.

View from deck 14 onto the Waterfront behind a cargo vessel.

Cruisers watching the ship maneuvering out of the harbour. 
In the background the Table Mountain.

***

Today, we’ve arrived at the southernmost point of our route, marking a significant milestone: the midpoint of our journey. A heartfelt thank you to all our readers for following along so patiently and sharing this adventure with us!




Location: Kapstadt, Südafrika

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 1, 2024 at 5:29 PM

    On a sunny, lazy Sunday afternoon and from a safe distance (Switzerland) we are sending our very best regards to you while raising a glass of red (Cape) wine to your health. Enjoying your travel log and looking forward to more days of adventure, Manfred.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RKDecember 2, 2024 at 2:33 PM

      Manfred, thank you for your comment. The wine here is absolutely amazing, though unfortunately, it’s not doing much for my health! Yesterday, we had the pleasure of making new friends from Aargau / Malaysia. It’s interesting how our Swiss heritage is turning out to be more relevant than we had anticipated.

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