The Harts Honeymoon in South Africa: Cape Town Waterfront
Well it’s been a while. My only excuse is the holidays. And school. And, well, life. But let’s go back to South Africa. Specifically to the spectacular coastal city of Cape Town. The first incredible week of our honeymoon too quickly over, I was thankful we still had another week of adventures.
We awoke Saturday morning with no concrete plans. After a week of early mornings and itineraries, sleeping in and having a wide open day before us was lovely. We eventually rallied ourselves to leave our amazing hotel room and set out to explore the nearby Victoria & Albert Waterfront.
A quick note about safety. If you look at the statistics, you will see that South Africa has one of the highest rates of crime in the world. Obviously it’s a place where extra caution is warranted. I would recommend talking to someone at your hotel about safety. For instance, before we walked the 2/3 of a mile or so from our hotel to the waterfront, we checked in at the front desk. We were informed that it was perfectly fine to walk back and forth in the daytime, but to avoid doing so at night - we could take the free shuttle. Ubers were also really affordable and a great option if there was even a hint of discomfort. Frequently throughout our time in Cape Town, we rode places we normally would have walked. In busy places, it was important to be aware of belongings and to expect pickpockets (I was glad I had my Pacsafe bag). In general, do the things you would normally do to stay safe in a city and be clear on the areas of Cape Town to avoid. And definitely don’t let this be a deterrent - Cape Town was amazing!
So back to the waterfront. It was a gloriously sunny day. There is something just so alive about a sunny day by the sea. Especially when all of this is set against the backdrop of Table Mountain.
We had no clear agenda, but after days of sitting, walking outside on a beautiful day was all we needed for happiness. Unsurprisingly, we ended up at V&A Food Market, making our way from stall to stall for an extended lunch.
I also loved the Watershed - a collection of local artisans selling South African goods. Although there was so much I wanted to buy, we settled on the single purchase of a carved ostrich egg that now sits in our loving room.
We spent the rest of the morning doing a whole lot of nothing. Certainly there was plenty we could have done - the aquarium, an art museum, countless more shops and restaurants. There was much more to do than could possibly fit in a single day.
That is exactly how I felt about Cape Town - for every incredible thing we ate or did or saw, there was so much more to eat and do and see. As much as I hoped to make it to the The Old Biscuit Mill on Saturday, as well, we simply did not have time. There were so many difficult choices to make, but it was so perfect to spend a day just making them as we went, simply being together in a beautiful place.