Cape Town, South Africa

Hello Everyone!

Today is day 90 of 121 on the cruise. It is Easter Sunday, 5 April, 2026, and we're at sea after leaving Cape Town last night. We're on our way to Lüderitz, Namibia, a place I've never been to or even heard of before! We'll arrive there tomorrow morning. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First I need to catch you up on the three excursions I had in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a wonderful stop.

Cape Town is a beautiful city - very well-developed, clean, modern and vibrant. Traffic is heavy but manageable, and the people here are very friendly. The economy seems to be doing well. The weather has moderated now that we're well south of the equator, and we enjoyed highs in the high 70s with much lower humidity than when we were in the equatorial zones further north. It was cool enough that I wanted a jacket when standing outside to watch the sunrise the other day.

Sunrise At Sea, 2 April 2026

We're now officially in the Atlantic Ocean, having left the Indian Ocean behind after passing Cape Agulhas on the southern tip of the African Continent. We passed the Cape of Good Hope, the traditional halfway point between England and India, at about 2:00am before arriving in Cape Town early in the morning of 3 April. The cruise terminal, though not the fanciest one we've been to, was modern, neat and well-equipped.

Cape Town Cruise Terminal

Table Mountain Cable Car Ride

Skies in the city were largely clear but there were clouds obscuring Table Mountain, the beautiful, flat-topped mountain overlooking the city. Conditions improved somewhat by noon, and I left on my first excursion, a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, a little after 1:00pm. I spent my morning before that doing some laundry and finishing up filing my taxes. I guess you can only partially escape reality on a trip like this!🫤

Here's what Table Mountain looked like yesterday in clearer skies.

Table Mountain on a Good Day

However, as we ascended on Friday the 3rd, conditions at the top were completely fogged in.

Cable Car Ascent

We spent a little more than an hour up there, and that was good from two standpoints. First, crowds were nearly non-existent because many others avoided the trip due to the weather. Second, the clouds parted periodically and we were treated to some fabulous views from the 3,000'+ mountain.

Dramatic Clouds and Mountains

Flora and fauna were abundant on the mountaintop. Here's a daring dassie (rock hyrax) sunning him/herself on an outcropping.

Daredevil Dassie

Wildflowers were everywhere, although the plants were stunted and hardy-looking due to the harsh conditions prevalent on the mountain.

Wildflowers on Table Mountain

The mountain is very rocky and offered some beautiful vistas.

Rocky Landscape on Table Mountain

Our patience was rewarded when, just before it was time to leave, the fog lifted and we were able to see Cape Town some 3,000 feet below.

Cape Town Vista from Table Mountain

I zoomed in on the picture above and found our cruise ship, the Viking Sky, moored in the harbor. You can see it in the center of this picture.

Viking Sky Moored in Cape Town Harbor

And just to prove I was really there, here's a selfie I took overlooking the city below.

Yours Truly with Cape Town Behind Me

African Dinner and Drumming

We had about a two hour break after the cable car ride before heading into the city for an African dinner and drumming experience at a local restaurant called "Gold". They offered a 14-item tasting menu along with several African drumming and dance performances. We each had a small drum placed at our seats and were able to join in on some of the more simple patterns. But the performers rapidly upped the game and showed us just how accomplished they were, executing some mesmerizingly complex rhythm patterns. It was great fun. 

African Drums for All My Friends!

The place was a tad touristy and very crowded, but the staff were very friendly and helpful. About halfway through though, I had the thought, "What would happen if fire broke out?" I looked around and could only see two ways out of the large room we were in with what looked like more than 200 others. There were no signs pointing to emergency exits. Visions of headlines about nightclub fires briefly passed through my head before I had another sip of wine and "hakuna matata" won the day.

The tables were very nicely dressed. Here's what my place setting looked like.

Colorful Place Setting

There was a young woman who was doing face painting for men and women alike. Here's what she did for Elizabeth, my dining companion, and for me. She finished each in less than a minute.

Elizabeth Sporting Fresh Face Paint

My New Bling

Throughout the evening (three hours total) we sampled 14 different dishes. They were passed family style and provided small bites of each, so we didn't get too stuffed. I was too busy enjoying myself to stop and take pictures of each, but I can say I liked all of it. Some things were a bit spicy but not "rip your lips off" spicy. It was just a pleasant zing. The highlight for me was a salad made with grilled and thinly-sliced ostrich filet on top. The dressing was made with lots of sesame seeds and tasted marvelous. We also tried some peri-peri chicken wings. Peri-peri is a local hot red pepper that, when used in moderation, provides a pleasing heat that I very much prefer to jalapenos. There was also a lamb stew which was simmered to perfection and perfectly seasoned. Dessert was passion fruit ice cream and a shortbread cookie shaped like the continent of Africa.

There were song and dance presentations all evening, and it was impossible to sit still during them. The rhythms and singing just made your hands and feet move! It was an enjoyable event.

Costumed African Dancer/Puppet

African Musicians

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Constantia Winery

On Saturday the 4th, I went on my last excursion here, a trip to see a beautiful botanical garden followed by a wine tasting at a very historic winery nearby.

The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is stunning. It's the nicest one I've seen so far on this trip. It was established in 1913, which is actually pretty early for a conservation-focused garden. What made it unusual from the start was its mission. Instead of collecting plants from all over the world Kirstenbosch focused on native South African flora. That idea was championed by botanist Harold Pearson, who pushed to preserve the unique plant life of the Cape region, especially the incredibly diverse fynbos ecosystem. Fynbos is a dense, low-growing, shrubland ecosystem—tough, fire-adapted, and extraordinarily rich in unique plant life.

The land itself has a longer, layered history. Before becoming a garden, it was part of colonial farms, and even earlier it was used by indigenous Khoi and San peoples. The name “Kirstenbosch” likely comes from an early settler named Kirsten combined with “bosch,” meaning forest.

Over the decades, the garden grew from a modest scientific project into a national treasure. Today it’s part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute and plays a big role in conservation and research.

What I liked best, though, is how natural it feels. This isn’t a manicured European-style garden. It blends into the mountainside, with winding paths through all manner of flora. One of the standout features is the elevated “Boomslang” canopy walkway, which snakes through the treetops and gives you a great view of the gardens and the mountain backdrop.

Elevated Boomslang Walkway

As I did previously in this blog, I'm just going to let you enjoy several pictures of the flowers and plants I saw, without trying to identify each. I'm just not good with names of plants and flowers, and I chose instead to simply revel in their beauty.

There was more to see than plants though! The garden is nestled in the foothills of the back side of Table Mountain, and the views were stunning on this bright, sunny morning.

I had to chuckle at this, though. The lawyers managed to get a word in with a disclaimer about using plants for medicinal purposes...

Medicinal Plants - YMMV

Groot Constantia Winery

Groot Constantia dates back to 1685, when Simon van der Stel set up a wine estate in what turned out to be prime grape-growing country. It didn’t take long for its sweet Vin de Constance to become a global hit—favored by the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte—but the estate later fell on hard times in the late 1800s thanks to vine disease and shifting markets. It was eventually restored in the 20th century and today is both a working winery and a historic site, where you can still see the classic Cape Dutch buildings and get a feel for how South Africa’s wine industry first took root.

We spent about an hour there and sampled six wines, ranging from a light rosé to a robust red blend called Gouverneurs Reserve 2022. Each was paired with a small piece of chocolate that complemented the wine exceptionally well. They suggested that we taste the wine first, then let a bite of the chocolate melt in our mouths before tasting the wine again. It was remarkable how much the chocolate changed (and improved!) the flavor of the wine.

I ended up buying a couple bottles of the Gouverneurs Reserve to take back and enjoy with meals aboard the ship.

After visiting the winery, we took the scenic route up along the coast, a road often called the "Platinum Mile". The views of the Atlantic coast from the highway were stunning. Some of the city's most exclusive real estate is located here. I did some quick Googling during the drive and found no property listings under USD $1.2M. Most were $2-$3M and up. Of course, now I'm being bombarded with ads for Cape Town real estate...

Back aboard the ship later in the evening, I was treated to this beautiful sunset off the port bow. Very nice.

Sunset, 4 April 2026

That evening, a friend and I dined at The Chef's Table, the Avant Garde restaurant onboard that specializes in fancy, destination-inspired tasting menus and wine pairings. Tonight's theme was South African cuisine and wines. Six courses in all, it was an amazing journey through the country. But the star had to be the main course - roasted loin of venison. But not just any venison - this was Springbok, fresh from South Africa! It tasted wonderful, with a beefy yet robust flavor like no other meat I've had before. Not at all gamey, it was lean, firm, yet tender, and cooked to a perfect medium rare. It was served with potato and a very dark and rich jus reduction. Amazing.

Roasted Springbok Loin

Sea Day Today

As I said at the outset, today is a sea day enroute to Namibia. Apart from writing this blog entry, I've been taking it easy and enjoying a relaxing day. I'm planning to attend a lecture this afternoon on the German colonial influence and legacy in Namibia, something I know little about. Being Easter, we all found Lindt chocolate bunnies in our rooms, and there were Easter eggs and chocolates hidden all around the ship. There will be a chocolate buffet this evening that I'll try to get pictures of for you.

Stay tuned,
Jim