The Spirit of the Cape
When you wake up with the sight of the Twelve Apostles lit up by the dawning rays, you know, with unquestioned certainty, that you are at the southern tip of the African continent. One of the literally outstanding features of the city is this sight that must have aroused wonder among the mariners who passed this way to the Indies and beyond. Adjoining, and perpendicular to, the iconic Table Mountain are these buttresses that literally oversee the Mother City, the capital of Cape Colony established by Cecil Rhodes and the colonisers who came to stay and not to just rule. Kaspstad, to the Dutch. Our temporary residence at Casa Papi, on the Bakoven stretch, like all houses in Camps Bay and other upscale zones of the city, is well designed and well appointed. Our hostess Ella, whose parentage is Italian and of Florida, works for Sotheby International. She welcomed on arrival with such warmth yesterday that we took to her immediately. As she took us on the familiarisation round of the accommodation, amenities and, not to be missed, the patio with jacuzzi and outdoor cooking equipment, we took to the house too. She lives next door but we are left to our devices and privacy for the next three days that we are here. Sebastian, on his first visit to Cape Town, finds this guest house at this scenic location to be amazing.
A must see is Table Mountain but capricious nature takes the final call on being allowed to. Last year, we were denied that opportunity to stand on the highest point of headland and turn our face into the distance towards the watery wastes and the next, though invisible, landfall- if you can call it that – Antarctica. The sight that signalled human companionship to so many sailors on their lonely voyage down the African coast of the treacherous Atlantic Ocean was not lost to us this year. An unusually glorious sunny day with very hardly any wind greeted us and Simon, our local charioteer, insisted that we do the right thing by the blessing. The legendary ‘table cloth’ was out with the rest of the laundry. Captain Van der Decken, master of The Flying Dutchman, would not have had cause to curse. Signal Hill, the spot from which Naval canons did, at one time, announce the meridian sun for the residents and sound the twenty one gun salute to honoured visitors, was observable from the car as it turned on its itself en route to the flat of the plateau. Lion’s Kopp (or Head), on the left, and Devils Peak, on the right, stand as accolytes in a continuum with The Twelve Apostles as you face Table Bay with its historic harbour and the contemporary styles of the City. Far in the distance, though not visible through the haze and spray, is Robben Island made famous by its most famous inhabitant ever – Madiba of our lifetimes – Nelson Mandela. Simon, the motoring encyclopaedia, tells us that this mountain, standing 1085 metres in its birthday booties, is visible to ships as far away as 150 kms away. Signal Hill, at 350 metres, is the highest motorable point to the high guardians of the city. Together, these elevations comprise the Table Mountain National Park, home to dassies and many endangered species of the Cape Floristic Region, one of the six such in the world.
Then to the city centre with its V&A Waterfront. Like in all colonial outposts, the V is easily guessed as Victoria, the Queen though the A is not the usual Albert, the Prince Consort, but Alfred, the second son and first Royal to visit the headland as a midshipman on board HMS Euryalus in 1860. A working harbour, though used by small vessels and as a dry dock, it is reminiscent, to Indians, of Kidderpore. Today, the Waterfront is a busy commercial centre located on one of the most expensive real estates in the continent. Hotels, shopping arcades, foodhouses and entertainment hold in thrall the 25 million visitors. Most remarkable are the live performances by bands in aid of contributions for various social causes. Indeed, it is the stage for so many of them. Barks invite your attention to an adoption fest for abandoned dogs. One of the elevated platforms has, as a backdrop, the statues of the four Nobel Peace Prize winners of the country – Albert Luthuli, Bishop Desmond Tutu, FW DeKlerk and Nelson Mandela. It is a tribute to the one who though not awarded was no less deserving -Mahatma Gandhi – for their struggle for independence and dignity was inspired by non-violence and peaceful transition. It also my fleeting brush with fame as I posed amidst them for the mandatory shoot.
The Robben Island visit is flagged for another year. We dined on seafood harvested from the Atlantic at Codfather in Camps Buy but regrettably missed the daughter of the founder, Lola, who is always warm and hospitable.And this meal was accompanied, on the recommendation of our amateur oenophile, Sebastian, by a Chardonnay. A fitting finale to a day replete with mingling with the spirit of ages gone by.
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