2009-10-07 - The Mother City

Finally - a trip into Cape Town! Now, as much as we love the city, we don't love the traffic. At all. And things have only worsened because there's a lot of construction and roadworks stuff going on in preparation for the World Cup in 2010. Urgh. And in typical big city style, traffic is plentiful and angry. Not good for the nerves at all...

Our first stop was the District Six Museum. We were there for a very short time in 2006, and wanted to be able to spend more time this year. Getting there was a stressful challenge, and I really wish there was an easier way because everyone should see this museum, yet I can understand how the traffic can turn some people off from it.

Anyway, the District Six Museum is dedicated to the story of District Six, an area in Cape Town whose not-so-shiny-white inhabitants were forcibly moved out by the apartheid regime after the district was declared a whites-only area. You can either google for more information or wait for the edit; it will take too much time to write about this now. The whole thing is quite appalling, but that was then. Former residents of District Six have since visited the museum and written on a linen that is displayed prominently in the museum. These comments are very interesting to read.

Next, the V&A Waterfront. Yeah yeah, we know. Cheesy tourists. But we had to find out how to do the VAT refund stuff, and since it was lunch time, we had a nice seafood lunch at Quay Four, while watching the starlings and seagulls pester lunch guests at the restaurant on the lower level of the area. The starlings were especially über-cheeky, hopping on tables and trying to grab food while people were eating. We both had the chowder as our starter and a grilled calamari steak as our main. Yum.

After lunch, we looked around at some of the shops. Mr. Penguin got himself a Victorian hot towel shave at Mr. Cobb's The Barber. His face was as smooth as a baby's bottom! Mr. Penguin believes that this type of shaving is the kind all men should enjoy every now and then. By then, it was getting late and shopping was boring, so we headed back to Stellenbosch, where we picked up some African silk pillowcases for gifts. Ms. Penguin also found a few interesting necklaces and Mr. Penguin found some interesting cufflinks. Photos coming later.

We ate dinner at 1802 Restaurant at D'Ouwe Werf, and both had the kudu loin stuffed with mushrooms and cheese and wrapped in bacon, served with chocolate and red wine jus and savory polenta and seasonal vegetables. It was delicious! The meat was perfectly cooked and very tender and had a pleasant gamey taste. And being wrapped in bacon was a most excellent added bonus :-D

For dessert, Mr. Penguin had the star anise-infused crème brûlée and Ms. Penguin had the baked cheese cake with vanilla pod ice cream. The cheesecake was one of the best that Ms. Penguin had ever eaten. Really, it was that good! The crème brûlée was also very good, creamy, and flavorful.