Oct 3: Arrival in Cape Town, South Africa



Port at Cape Town, Table Mountain with
 "Table Cloth" of Clouds



We arrived in Cape Town at 0600 in time to watch the sun rise over Table Mountain.  The ship was docked in the Harbor Area of Cape Town.  An area that has been in the works for about 4 years, but really got the final touches and the upgrades to coincide with the start of the World Cup in July.  The centerpiece is a shopping mall that is anchored by a 5 star hotel at one end and a local craft market on the other.  The area surrounding is full of shops, restaurants, pubs, local tour guides and performing musicians.  It is the starting point for many tours such as one to Robben Island were Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years.  We spent the first day wondering the markets and mall shops and restocked some items and bought a few things as well.  We decided to eat off the ship tonight and sample from South African cuisine.  The City Grill seems to offer something for all of us in our party of 4 – Kudu, springbok, wart hog, Ostrich and Crocodile.  We tried a little of everything.