Cape Town

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Chapman’s Peak Drive

Chapman's Peak Drive as seen from Noordhoek Beach.Spending 9 days in the Cape during the Summer holidays I had the  opportunity to drive along Champan's Peak Drive on two occasions and just realised again why it is seen as one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world.  Chapman's Peak Drive winds its was along the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula between Noordhoek (where we stayed) and Hout Bay.  The drive is 9km long with 114 curves and…

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17/04/2012
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Cape Point Vineyards

Visitors to the Cape would normally associate wine with the Stellenbosch and Franchhoek areas, so big was my surprise to discover the Cape Point Vineyard on the Cape Peninsula just outside Noordhoek.  Although some reports show that vines were planted in the Noordhoek area as early as 1752, the Cape Point Vineyard's first vines were only planted in 1998.  The vineyard is situated on a narrow strip of land between the cold Atlantic and the mountain with the warm summers and cool…

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12/04/2012
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Fish on the Rocks

Everybody loves fish and chips and every city or town has a good fish and chips shop on a corner somewhere.  But good isn't always best and for the best fish and chips around one has to head past the harbour at Hout Bay and down to Fish on the Rocks.  Africa's favorite (as they put it) fish and chips shop was started by the Brodericks 23 years ago and has become a very popular stop for both locals as well…

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04/04/2012
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Cruising to Seal Island in Hout Bay

Every morning hundreds of tourists head out on a tour of the Cape Peninsula with most of them making one of their first stops of the day at the Hout Bay harbour for a cruise around the Sentinel Mountain to Duiker Island, more commonly known as Seal Island.  Standing on quay side you have a choice of boats to make the 45 odd minute trip to the island and back with several operators offering tours.  Our choice for the day was…

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03/04/2012
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Hout Bay Harbour

Mention the word "waterfront" in South Africa and everybody would immediately think of the V&A Waterfront on the Cape Town harbour.  What few people know is that the first harbour front emporium in South Africa (actually in Africa) was developed in Hout Bay on the Cape Peninsula.  Fourth generation Hout Bay resident, Stanley Dorman, designed and developed Mariner's Wharf in the Hout Bay Harbour after visiting similar developments all over the world.  Mariner's Wharf opened in 1984 and today is…

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02/04/2012
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Slangkop

Looking up Slangkop Lighthouse in Kommetjie on the Cape PeninsulaVisit Skywatch for some more neck cranking pictures of the sky from all over the world

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30/03/2012
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Slangkop Lighthouse in Kommetjie

I hope to one day have the opportunity tick off all the lighthouses on the South African coast on my list of places visited.  A lighthouse is just such a powerful symbol and the fact that each one is unique means that when you visit one its not a case of saying "just another lighthouse".  In January I had the opportunity to tick the Slangkop Lighthouse in Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula off my constantly growing list of places to visit.  The…

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29/03/2012