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Cape Town - Culture |
 Cape Town, Africa's southern jewel, is more than just a tourist paradise offering exquisite beauty, flawless beaches, and a backdrop of awesome table mountain towering over the the vibrant metropolis at its foot. It is a place of historical riches and diverse cultures and people that date back to the seventeenth century. Cape Town is a unique city, often called one the most beautiful in the world. As South Africa's mother city Cape Town has a special place in the hearts of South Africans and the many visitors that arrive on these shores every year to enjoy the unique views and vibrant energy that Cape Town offers. The Cape is probably best known for Table Mountain, which forms an imposing backdrop to the city. The Table Mountain Reserve stretches from the city, right down to Cape PointTable Mountain was given its name by Antonio de Saldanha in 1503, and it is now one of the world's most famous landmarks. The Table Mountain Reserve is some 6000ha. It encompasses Lion's Head and Signal Hill on the northwestern side, and extends all the way south to Cape Point. In 1957 Table Mountain was proclaimed a National Monument, and it is now also a National Reserve. Various initiatives are currently underway to ensure that this beautiful landmark is retained in its unspoilt form for future generationsOther attractions at Cape Point include the Homestead and a replica of the Cross planted by Bartholomew Dias when he rounded the Cape in 1488. There are closed tidal swimming pools at Buffels Bay, and a launching ramp for boats. Fire places are available for braais.
Cape Town is affectionately known as the "Mother City", a reflection of its status as the oldest city in South Africa, and its warm, open welcome to visitors. Most of Cape Town's population lives on the Cape Flats, a vibrant and eclectic mix of smallholdings, light industry, shantytowns and upmarket residential suburbs.
Out of Hout Bay the road joins Chapmans Drive, a scenic coastal road that takes you through the seaside villages of Kommetjie and Scarborough and on to Cape Point. The Cape is famous for its winelands, which produce some of the finest wines in the world. Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl are probably the best known names, but there are also a host of smaller towns that are well worth exploring.
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There are over 300 footpaths on the mountain, with something to suit everyone's fitness levels and tastes. The mountain is also home to a wealth of flora and fauna, including many species of fynbos found nowhere else in the world. There is also a wealth of wildlife, including numerous species of birds, Grysbok, porcupines and dassies.
False Bay is home to some of the best swimming beaches in the Cape, the most famous of which is Boulders, just outside of Simonstown, which comes complete with a colony of jackass penguins. From Camps Bay, the coastal drive winds beneath the Twelve Apostles (the eastern face of Table Mountain), past Llundudno and into Hout Bay, home to hundreds of fishermen who carry out their trade in sturdy little boats, using hand-lines to catch snoek, a Cape delicacy.
Dozens of restaurants and pavement cafes line the streets, and you can sample cuisine from practically anywhere in the world: Greek, Italian, Portuguese, French, Chinese and Japanese. At midday the noon gun booms out over Cape Town, startling the pigeons into a flurry of wings in Greenmarket Square, and old Cape Town residents glance at their watches to check the time. It's a ritual that has lost its meaning in a world of digital watches and radio time-signals, but it is very much part of the changeless traditions of Cape Town, South Africa's oldest and most beautiful city.