Anyway, enough of that - have you stayed at The Cape Grace? If so, what did you think of it? Did it suck? Was it more than you expected it to be?
Tag Archives: v&a waterfront
Sunset at the docks
The V&A Waterfront is built directly alongside Table Bay harbour - Cape Town's fully functional commercial harbour. I guess this is part of the attraction and what makes the Waterfront so darn attractive. In one basin you'll see sleek yachts, in the next small run-down fishing vessels and in the next large cargo ships.
One often finds old ships in desperate need of attention in this particular dock yard. You'll often see large scaffolding surrounding the vessels with workmen clambering all over with large sanders, grinders and welding machines. It's actually quite interesting to watch them work as you make your way along the footpath to the Clock Tower and the rest of the V&A Waterfront.
A red robot at the Waterfront
I watched for a while as a few workmen constructed this Coca-Cola robot at the V&A Waterfront. They've used red scaffolding and Coca-Cola crates to build the figure. I'm not sure what they plan to do with it, but it's clearly part of their marketing campaign around the World Cup football.
The company has put such a huge marketing drive behind the football that I'm sure you've seen it, but on the off chance that you haven't, here's a short animated television ad that I think somehow must tie in with the robot.
The first day of the Football World Cup
I left work at about lunchtime, collected Kerry-Anne from home and headed into Cape Town to join thousands of football fans at the V&A Waterfront to watch the 2010 Football World Cup opening ceremony.
The Waterfront was alive with people excitedly preparing to watch the ceremony and first match. We watched the ceremony at the amphitheatre, very proudly reflecting on what our little country at the tip of the large African continent has achieved in so little time. I don't think any of us really comprehend the amount of effort, planning and expertise that went into organising every detail of this event. From the stadiums and the roadworks to the planning of dance routines, coaching of kids, and preparing to receive thousands of foreign visitors... it's all been executed pretty darn awesomely!
From our restaurant table at Wang Thai, Kerry-Anne and I proudly watched our team, Bafana Bafana (ranked 83rd in the world), play a great game against Mexico (ranked 17th), drawing 1-1 after 93 minutes. We left the packed restaurant after the match, had some coffee at a nearby coffee shop, and then slowly walked over to the Cape Town Stadium for the match between France and Uruguay.
This was the first time that we'd visited the stadium, and I have to say to the team who put it together: wow, you did good! I didn't realise that a stadium could be so beautiful!
Silhouette in the morning light
Looking at this one I can almost feel the cool morning air and warmer rays of orange light. This sure was a beautiful morning at the Waterfront. Wouldn't you agree Beverley? (At the time she was shooting a similar photo slightly behind and to the right of me.) :)
Charter a boat in beautiful luxury
Of all the things that you could do in Cape Town, chartering a yacht must be one of the most luxurious experiences. I guess something even more luxurious would be to charter a yacht overnight and invite a few friends for a party while moored off Clifton 4th beach.
I'm not sure of the name of the vessel in this photo, but while trying to find out, I discovered that the large boat in the photo in this previous post appears to be the Princess Emma, one of the most luxurious charters available at the Cape Town Waterfront.
Given the overnight rate of approximately R40 000, I assume that it would most often be companies that would charter the vessel to either treat their employees (most likely the directors ;) ), or to impress prospective clients. Nevertheless, if you have a mere R40 000 to spend on a night's entertainment, and if you'd like to be super-popular with your friends, this sure is the way to go. :D
Sushi at Sevruga
Sevruga (map) is one of the pristine restaurants of the V&A Waterfront. Their steak is good, their fish is great, and the sushi, well, darn near perfect. Visiting isn't exactly a cheap outing, so when our impromptu sushi club caught wind of the half-price sushi afternoons (14h00 to 17h00), it was a no-brainer - Sevruga would be the venue to host our next meet-up.
The restaurant certainly didn't disappoint... as I'm guessing you can see from the photo above. :) And, just before you think I made an absolute pig of myself - this was the plate that Kerry-Anne and I shared. I doubt many would actually fit this entire plate of sushi in for dinner!
Bumper boats!
The Enseleni (at the back) was built in Durban in 2001 and has a bollard pull of 50 tons, while the Pinotage (just in front of the Enseleni) was built way back in 1980 and has a bollard pull of 43 tons. Bollard pull is basically an indication of how strong a tug is and how much force it can exert on another vessel (although my research tells me that it is a little more complicated than that).
So just remember, if you ever get invited to play bumper boats, make sure you get the boat with the greatest bollard pull.
A flag of convenience
Of course, being a girl, I'd probably just pick the flag that best matched my pretty ship's colour scheme, and get the vessel registered in that country. Which is probably why Paul won't let me have a sailing ship.
Silversea’s Silver Wind
The ship pictured here is the Silver Wind, the second-oldest of the fleet belonging to Silversea Cruises. If you feel like escaping reality for a few minutes, you can create your own virtual voyage aboard the Silver Wind.
The Argo Sea|mester training vessel
You can follow the activities of the students on board the Argo, by reading their regular blog posts and listening to their audio updates here.
An empty milkshake glass
I stopped off at Fego Café at the V&A Waterfront for breakfast a few days ago. The restaurant/bookshop is fairly well tucked away from the general hustle and bustle of the other Waterfront restaurants, which makes it perfect for just sitting back and relaxing.
Alas, this empty milkshake glass wasn't mine, so I presume that the other patrons cast their querying eyes in my direction as I jumped up to capture this photo before the waitress took the glass away. :)
I'd have to go with chocolate, but what is your favourite milkshake flavour?
The One&Only Hotel’s private yacht
Of course, you could walk (it's at most a 10-minute walk to the best shops and restaurants), or take a taxi (probably 2 minutes by car), but this is far more genteel, don't you think? And besides, if I were paying around R20,000 a night for my hotel suite, I wouldn't be inclined to expend any more effort than absolutely necessary either. :)
The Atlantic Adventures speedboat
I'm so curious as to whether the companies in Cape Town, like Atlantic Adventures, offer the same thrilling, adrenalin-filled experience as the ones in Sydney. Have any of you been on one of these boats at the V&A Waterfront, and if so, how was it?
An empty Robinson Drydock
I posted a close-up photo of the Robinson Drydock filled with boats once. So, when I passed by and saw that she was empty, and since the ambient light was so exquisite, there was no question, I had to take a moment to capture this photo.
This photo was taken from the other side. The Pumphouse, mentioned in this post, is also on the other side, but off to the left of this shot.
This is really a beautiful time of the year to be in Cape Town, wouldn't you agree?
Jazz on water
I'm not much of a jazz fan, but I have to admit that the AquaJazz show at the V&A Waterfront's Aqua Festival was pretty good. I took this photo to the right of the stage, a little while before the show - as the light was fading. Isn't the yacht basin just beautiful? It must be awesome to own an apartment that's part of such a beautiful view... even more, it must be awesome to own that huge yacht in the middle of the photo!
The seals that you see on the jetty are interesting creatures. For each show that I've attended they've sat on the jetty talking to each other in their dog-like grunts and barks. The jetty connects to a landing that the performers use to walk to the stage, and often the stage security guys have to spray water on the seals to encourage them to move off the landing so that the performers can make their way to the stage without being pushed into the water by a huge lumbering seal.
It's really entertaining to watch the little dance between the seals and the security people. :D
Edit: I've just published an album for the AquaJazz show here.
Do New Year’s with ABBA at the V&A Waterfront
"I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay - Ain't it sad?"
After the brilliant performance by Johnny Clegg on Saturday we found ourselves at the Aqua Festival's AquABBA show at the V&A Waterfront. What a spectacular spectacle it was - especially with the likes of Amra-Faye Wright (cast as Velma Kelly in The Broadway Company's musical, Chicago), Jody Williams (winner of SA Idols 2007) and the members of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra gracing the stage. Other artists taking part were Craig Urbani (known, amongst many other things, for his role in the SA soap-opera Isidingo), Chrissy Caine, and Alistair Izobel.
They sang all ABBA's best-known hits, as well as a few songs from the musical Chess (which was written by Benny and Bjorn, of course); and by the time they got to "Thank you for the music" the crowd was on their feet, singing and dancing along. Kerry-Anne pointed out that the setting was absolutely perfect for an ABBA tribute show, as the harbour backdrop was very reminiscent of Mamma Mia.
If you don't yet have plans for New Year's Eve, (and especially if you're going to be at the V&A Waterfront anyway), consider booking your seat for AquABBA - I believe the ticket price includes not only the show, but the NYE afterparty at the Aquarium as well.
I've put together an album of photos from the performance. Check it out here.
Music, lights and performance at the V&A’s AquaFestival
Isn't this setting just beautiful? Unfortunately the sun had fully set by the time that I got away from the photographers' area down below and up onto the grandstand. At night it's really difficult to capture the beautiful lights and Table Mountain in the background, but can you imagine the ambience of watching such an awesome performance in the fading Waterfront light from this vantage point?
Check my previous post or the AquaFestival website for more details about Johnny Clegg's show later tonight, and other shows that you may want to see later this week.
On a final note, have a look at this iconic shot of Johnny floating both on water and in the air. :)
Johnny Clegg at the V&A Waterfront AquaFestival
Kerry-Anne and I were invited to watch the legendary Johnny Clegg performing at AquaFestival at the V&A Waterfront last night. This year is the first AquaFestival, and if last night's performance, vibe and setting were anything to go by, I can only imagine that the performances over the remaining week and a half will be magical, and that the festival will definitely be back next year!
You can't see it in the photo above, but in this photo you'll see that the entire stage on which the band performed was floating about 5 metres off the pier in the V&A's yacht basin. Table Mountain, the setting sun, beautiful yachts, and the city lights filled the background to make the setting comparable in beauty to that of the Kirstenbosch concerts.
Johnny Clegg is performing again on Monday night (at 20h30), and I think there are still a few tickets up for sale. Even if you can't make that show, check out the circus that's performing at 14h00 every day until Thursday, or book tickets for the evening ABBA or ballet shows; tickets cost between R60 and R250, depending on the show.
P.S. In case you're concerned about the persistent wind we've been having - I can't speak for the shows that I haven't been to, but there was only the slightest of breezes in the yacht basin last night, which was a freakin' fantastic break from the wind we've been enduring!
Do the tourist thing!
Kerry-Anne and I took a ride in a similar boat to this one in Singapore, but to date I haven't ever taken a ride in one of these Waterfront boats. We always seem to do the fun things in other people's countries, but I guess we all tend to get too caught up in day-to-day life when we're in our own cities.
So the aim of today's photo is to remind you to explore the place where you live, and to remember to also do the fun things that visitors to your area get to do!
Canal to the Waterfront
In a post about the Westin Grand Hotel a few days ago I mentioned the canal that leads from the hotel and the CTICC to the Waterfront area. And voila, here you have it!
The canal is known as the Roggebaai Canal, and apparently water taxis depart from the Westin Grand Hotel every hour on the two-kilometre, 20-minute trip. From the hotel, the taxi takes passengers under the freeway, past a fresh sea-water waterfall, and then past the City Lodge Hotel. After the City Lodge the taxi heads on under more bridges, past the West Quay offices and under two lifting bridges, through the marina lock, and then to moor at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
The one-way trip costs just R20 for adults and R10 for kids, and as soon as the weather clears up, we're definitely going to take the trip! Take a look at the route map that I've plotted on Google Maps.
The Pumphouse
Paul mentioned The Pumphouse in a previous post about the V&A Waterfront. Built in 1882, the building originally housed the dynamo that powered the first set of electric lights in the Table Bay Harbour. According to Eskom's website, there were sixteen 2000-candlepower arc lights at first (you can read more about the use of arc lights in the 1800s here - it's pretty fascinating). The Harbour Board's report to the Cape Colonial Parliament for the year 1882 said that the light "... proved of great service, not only in minimising accidents, but in facilitating the working of vessels at night."
More recently, in the 1990s, The Pumphouse was a popular pub and live music venue, one that it seems a lot of people have really fond (if somewhat foggy ;-)) memories of. The reason the building is called The Pumphouse, by the way, is because it contains the pumps used for draining the water out of the Robinson Dry Dock.
Procreation
Stats SA estimate that by the end of the year the Western Cape (the province in which we live) will hold about 11% of South Africa's total population. That's about 5.4 million people! An interesting fact that I've noticed is that many young couples (such as Kerry-Anne and myself) don't yet have kids and many aren't planning on doing so. I wonder if this is a world-wide trend.
I'm dedicating this blog post and photo to all the parents of Cape Town and the surrounding areas who've had kids and are thereby ensuring the circle of life in the Cape. I often marvel at parents' ability to deal with screaming babies, hyper-active toddlers and the plain naughty kiddies. I simply don't know where you find the energy and how you manage to do this - respect!
Careful with your cash
I'm not saying that the subject in this photo is a conman, but I have often seen someone who looks a lot like him wandering around the V&A Waterfront area, apparently asking people for money. I don't think it's common to see this at the Waterfront, so it's kinda weird and unexpected when someone asks you for cash. I think people are often taken by surprise and hand out their money to guys who use this as a regular form of income.
Perhaps it's bad of me, but I've become a lot more skeptical of people asking for money than I previously was, and the internal battle rages on, as I try to decide who's just a chancer and who deserves a break.
Watching people pass on by
While we were sitting at Java Jive Cafe in the Waterfront, an older couple came to sit down at a nearby table. They stayed for just a few minutes, seemingly to take a break whilst watching all the people walking past.
Do you ever sit in a public place and just watch people passing by? I find it interesting to watch what people do and how they interact. One Christmas eve Kerry-Anne and I spent an hour or two sitting at a local mall just watching the harried shoppers rushing to and fro with grim expressions on their faces. Amidst the Christmas rush it was in a way refreshing to sit down, withdraw from the "mob mentality", and just relax.
Cheap food at the Waterfront
Buying lunch at Waterfront restaurants is normally fairly expensive - not unreasonably so for the most part, but proper meals certainly tend to cost more than at other locations. We discovered a place called Java Jive Cafe, near the Blue Shed, big Musica store and the Waterfront's famous Pumphouse.
Although we didn't indulge in the R28 curry, we did share pancakes and a cup of coffee. Well... no, we each had our own coffee, but shared the two scrumptious bacon, mushroom and cheese pancakes, which left us with a total bill of around R60 - not bad for a quick snack at the lovely Waterfront!
Cape Town drydock
As the title suggests, this photo is of a small drydock at Cape Town harbour. For those who perhaps don't know, a drydock is used to perform ship repairs that cannot be done while the ship is in the water.
Essentially what happens is that the vessel enters the drydock (which is still filled with water). The wet drydock's gates are closed and after securing the vessel, huge pumps pump every little bit of water from the huge swimming-pool-like container. I'm guessing that the process is carried out fairly carefully, as one would have to ensure that the vessels are properly supported as the water is drained. Imagine having one of these topple over in the dock...
Loving the dancing
We made it through to the Blue Shed (that big blue building next to the Waterfront's aquarium) to watch dancers perform at the International Oriental Dance Festival.
These two guys were selling these bright eastern clothes right next to where the ladies were performing - which was lucky for them, as they seemed to be enjoying every minute of the show. While everyone else either sat or stood to watch the performances, these two guys danced along the whole time, donning huge smiles and blowing kisses of appreciation, which it seemed the dancers greatly appreciated. :)
Waterfront shopping
This is the Barrow Mall on the first floor of the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre at the V&A Waterfront. At these barrows you can buy anything from pet's clothing to jewellery, and from sporting merchandise to mugs. This is presumably a slightly cheaper option for retailers, offering them a space to sell their products at a very popular mall, but without the high costs associated with renting an actual shop. Of course, it means they miss out on some of the luxuries of a shop too, like, say, a door...
As someone who used to sell products at a craft market, I think it would be awesome if these barrows were actual trailers that could be towed behind a car - you'd be able to sell your products anywhere you liked, without having to pack and unpack every time. Of course, with the way I take corners in my car, I'd have to tape everything down with duct tape, or stick to selling soft, non-breakable items like cushions. ;-)
No apparent danger
The area around this signpost is littered with dolosse - big concrete blocks used to break the force of the waves hitting the retaining wall of the V&A Waterfront's parking area.
Even if you were a strong swimmer accustomed to braving the icy water, and even if the ocean looked particularly calm, the small waves ebbing and flowing would quickly crash you against the barnacle-covered concrete dolosse, making your swim at best rather unpleasant, and at worst, fatal.
It's strange how apparently calm waters can actually be very rough seas for humans, when combined with immovable objects like these dolosse. This sort of "apparent safety" is presumably also the reason that I see parents driving with their young kids unrestrained in their cars. If you do on occasion allow your kids unrestrained in a vehicle, imagine for a moment running as fast as you can into a sheet of glass. It takes a lot to make me angry - but this does.
If you're a parent, take a moment to visit the Childsafe website and read the Arrive Alive article on ensuring that your children are kept safe while in transit.
Thank-you to Mandy for helping out with photos, including this one, while we've been touring around the country for the Confederations Cup.