Another Trip to Africa (in search of lions)

We went to Africa a few years ago and had a great time. We saw a lot of wild life and made wonderful new friends, but we didn’t see lions. Bob REALLY wanted to see lions and was definitely disappointed. We take turns choosing our trips, so when it was Bob’s turn to choose again he chose Africa. He Really, Really wanted to see lions!

We asked our Florida friends, Doris and Jess, who are actually from Illinois, if they wanted to go along and they said YES, so Bob started planning. He worked on it for a long time and did a great job. I’m so proud of him!

We spent three nights in beautiful Cape Town. Our hotel, Table Bay Hotel, was located at Victoria and Albert Waterfront. We found these little treats in our room and they served everything you could ask for at breakfast.

Before we left home, Bob made arrangements for a half day tour of Cape Town and a full day tour of the Peninsula. That’s Henry, our tour guide, talking to Bob, Jess and Doris. Henry was great and he made sure that we saw a lot.

In the top picture on the left, Bob is standing in an area the size of Nelson Mandela’s prison cell that he lived in for 18 of his 27 years in prison. We visited a beautiful botanical garden in Cape Town, saw apartheid era benches outside City Hall that were clearly marked Non White Only and White Only, and visited The Castle of Good Hope. The Castle, which is the oldest building in the country, isn’t a fairy tale castle. It’s a fortress built between 1665 and 1676 and was surrounded by a moat. No shots were ever fired from its ramparts, except ceremonially.

Our guide took this picture of us in front of the fake background at the Castle.

I just couldn’t resist taking a picture of this yacht docked beside our hotel. The fence around it made me laugh. They definitely don’t want company!

Our full day tour took us along Chapman’s Peak Drive, which is billed to have views rivaling those of California’s Pacific Route 1 to Big Sur. The road was surveyed in 1910 by Charl Marais, a mining surveyor, and was completed in 1922 with the help of 700 convicts chipping and blasting the road out of rock.

We stopped at a little country store along the way where Bob and Jess enjoyed the swings. 😁

I bought a cinnamon roll, of course, and it was delish. No picture, you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

We stopped at an ostrich farm, saw baboons along the road, and admired a protea, which is the national flower of South Africa.

We didn’t hike up to the Cape Point Lighthouse this trip, but the view from down below is just beautiful. On a side note, the last time we were here our tour guide told us that a little further north we’d be able to see the Indian Ocean. I believed him and made sure to wade into the surf. This time our guide said that was impossible. It was False Bay and still considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Well, I decided to believe that first guide!

How could we resist a stop at the penguin colony? They’re so cute! Can you see the egg his mommy penguin is sitting on? Our last stop on the peninsula tour was the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and it was so beautiful with so many plants and flowers to see. The bird of paradise always reminds me of my sweet Grammy.

So, this is it for Cape Town and we all had a grand time. Next stop: wine country.