Day 4 - Kirstenbosch Gardens & Cape Town

Monday, the 13th, we drove to Kirstenbosch Gardens - a really spectacular botanical garden. We've never seen a botanical garden to match it! We enjoyed walking for over 2 hours through the gardens and could have happily spent all day there. It was a little cool with some low clouds (the garden is the back side of Table Mountain so gets the mountain clouds) and even a few sprinkles now and then. We took the lovely and stable canopy walk, saw many parts of the garden, but spent most o the time with the proteas and fynbos gardens.

Mandela Bird of Paradise

Canopy Walk with Rebecca, Cherrie, Jennifer, Dan & Beth

Dan & Jennifer on Canopy walk

Pincushion flower - a protea family flower

Protea

Cherrie with a Protea, a favorite flower

Old building

Old part of Cape Town with a Red Bus, see the Dutch style small building

Old part of Cape Town

Cape Town was our next stop where we got on the Red Bus tour to take us to the old area of the town. We caught a "local" red bus tour for old Cape Town. Rebecca & Beth got off to see the District 6 Museum and then Dan & Jennifer got off to see the Cape Castle. Since we were a little tired we stayed on and got back to the main area of old town where we had lunch. We then hopped on the red bus to follow the path we had gone on Saturday before returning to the harbor area. It was a good day.

Back side of Lions Head from Beach

Nobel Square in harbor area

Nobel Square

Old Clock tower in Harbor area

Rebecca & Beth in front of Christmas Tree - Victoria & Alfred Wharf Mall

Some of the gardens in Kirstenbosch

Day 3 Church, Penguins and Light houses

Us at the Cape of Good Hope

Sunday morning, November 12th we drove to Fish Hoek ward building to go to Church. After that we went back to Simon's Town to Boulder Beach to see the penguin colony there. We then went back to our accommodation, Penguinden about 5 minutes form the beach to change before going to Cape Point part of the Table mountain National Park. We drove through the fynbos plants and up to the light house area at Cape Point. We took the funicular to the highest point it went and then most of the family walked the remaining stairs to the old light house while Cherrie stayed below and looked at the various scenery from a lower point. After the hiking to the 2 light houses, Dan & Jennifer, Beth and Rebecca hiked to the Cape of Good Hope with a stop on the beach while we drove around to pick them up.  It was a beautiful area to visit. On the way back to Simon's Town we saw an eland and also the Dias'Cross to show he had once been there.

Us in front of the Fish Hoek ward building

Boulders Beach Penguin Colony

Penguins!!!

Dan with a penguin

More Penguins!!!

Us below of Cape Point Lighthouse

Cape of Good Hope

Eland

Ostrich and Ocean

Baboon in park

Day 2 Visit to Cape Town

On November 11th we took an early flight to Cape Town and then drove to the harbor area to get a Red Bus Tour to take us to Table Mountain. We took the tram up to the top and it was a good day to be there - windy but sunny. The tram is interesting because it rotates 360 degrees as it makes its way to the top. After spending some time on the top we descended after a long wait to catch the bus again. We drove by Camps Bay and then parts of Cape Town. We also took a short harbor tour that afternoon before heading to our accommodation in Simon's Town - Penguinden.

Arrival in Cape Town on Kulula Airlines

Cape Town from Table Mountain base

Us on top of the mountain

Flowers on top of the mountain

Walking paths on the mountain

12 apostles to the east of Table Mountain

Old lighthouse near Cape Town

Harbor Tour of Victoria & Alfred waterfront

Beach at Camps Bay area

Tour of the beaches, Robben Island in distance (right)

Tram to Table Mountain

Going up

Table Mountain

Lions Head

Day 1 of Family Visit

Dan & Jennifer, Beth and Rebecca arrived in Jo'burg the morning of November 10. We barely got them here before we were off to catch the Red Bus Tour from Rosebank Mall, We saw an overview of Johannesburg and then caught an additional small bus tour to Soweto. There is a photo of a shanty town in Soweto, but even thought there are no photos there are some very nice large homes in the township also.

Apartheid Museum - Nelson Mandela sign

Dan & Jennifer on the bus

Beth & Rebecca on the bus

Children singing in Soweto

Hector Pieterson Museum - Remembrance of the school 
 children riots to end Apartheid

Shanty town in Soweto

In front of the Orlando Towers

Huge Soweto Soccer Stadium

Jo'burg from the bus

Jo'burg

Jo'burg with rainbow