Ashleigh Whaley
Our Fun and Fantastic Adventure.
Three Weeks
The children and I traveled to Cape Town, for three weeks, from mid December 2023 until New Year’s Day 2024. Douglas joined us for a week at Christmas. This fun and fantastic experience was mainly a family visit, to my parents who live in Sunnydale, near Noordhoek.
Cape Town is a wonderful place for a holiday. There is just so much to do and so much to see! As we live in Zimbabwe, we don’t have a great selection of cultural and international events to attend, so we took the time to attend as many activities as we could.
Fish Hoek Beach:
The first thing we did, as we arrived for our beach holiday, was to go to the second hand surf shop. Here we purchased wet suits, before heading to Fish Hoek beach, so that the children could swim and boogie board.
Waterfront and Carols:
Before we attended the Carol Concert, at the magnificent Cape Town City Hall, we enjoyed a Ferris Wheel ride at the Waterfront. This was followed by an early dinner at one of the many amazing waterfront restaurants.
We then attended the Christmas Carol Concert, complete with a live orchestra and 2 wonderful choirs (seniors and children’s). This was a wonderful cultural experience, held in a beautiful historical building. What a great way to start the festive season!
Cricket Lessons:
Paula Joy and Murray John had a couple of days of cricket lessons, at the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy.
This they thoroughly enjoyed! They both learnt a lot and were impressed at the quality of coaching. Hopefully, we shall return for more lessons.
Beach Time:
Almost every second day we headed to Fish Hoek Beach, for a few hours of beach time. Whilst the children surf in the sea, I love to walk along the beach, as my daily exercise. As the beach can be windy, it is nicer to walk than to sit on the sand. Before leaving the beach, it became compulsory to have a soft serve ice cream served in a cone.
Yellow Tail Fish Catch.
One morning we were excited to watch local fishermen bring in their Yellow Tail fish catch. They netted these fish, not far from the shore, then pulled the huge nets in, helped by many voluntary spectators. It certainly was a spectacular sight.
Silvermine Hike:
A longtime school friend of mine took us for a lovely early morning hike, up to Silvermine Dam. Along the way we saw stunning views over Cape Town and enjoyed the beautiful landscape, birds and flora. Paula Joy and my friend, the brave two, went for a swim in the cold mountain dam, whilst the rest of us enjoyed the morning sun.
Sound Of Music:
The Sound of Music, held at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town, was outstanding! This truly amazing show, with a live orchestra, had us spellbound, as we don’t have this level of theatre in Zimbabwe. The children had never experienced such a quality production and it really was one of the highlights of our trip.
Cricket International:
We took a scenic drive out to Paarl, to attend a one day cricket international between India and South Africa. It was a fantastic day at the Paarl cricket ground and we thoroughly enjoyed the festive atmosphere, set in beautiful scenery. The children thought it was one of their best days ever, as they spent the day waving South African flags and cheering on their team, even though they ended up losing.
Simon Town Mountain Fires:
Massive veld fires, on the mountains around us, seem to happen whenever we visit the Cape Peninsula in Summer. It really is amazing to see how the fire fighters manage these fires, which often rage out of control, fed by strong winds. Thankfully, no houses were damaged, but many residents had to evacuate their properties as a precaution.
House Chores:
As my parents do not have staff, everyone has to muck in and help with household chores. The children enjoyed watering the small garden, hanging washing, off loading the dishwasher and washing the car. Many hands make light work and more beach time for us all!
Restaurants:
The sea food restaurants around the Kalk Bay- Muizenberg area were fantastic! As Zimbabwe is a land locked country, we rarely enjoy fresh sea food. Therefore, we always head for seafood restaurants, whenever we travel to Cape Town.
Carla’s restaurant in Muizenberg was amazing. It’s a small cosy place, with fresh mussels and prawns on the menu. Our special evening there was certainly one we shall not forget.
The Harbour House restaurant in Kalk Bay is another one of our favourites. It sits right on the rocks, with the waves splashing the windows. Here we enjoyed a superb Christmas Eve family dinner, followed by a walk around the small harbour, where sat some rather well fed seals!
Christmas:
Christmas Day was spent with family and old friends in a lovely suburban garden. We shared lunch in stunning urban surroundings, which made for a wonderful festive day and one very far removed from our Zimbabwe farm environment.
Being able to pop into a shop and purchase whatever we needed, was also a different way of life to what we are used to at home. We really enjoyed all the shopping!
Golf:
We were able to purchase new golf clubs for the children, so they went off for a golf lesson and a round of 9 holes, at Clovelly Golf Club near Fish Hoek. It certainly was a very picturesque course and a very competitive game of golf.
Long Walks:
We spent a number of days going for 10km walks, around Fish Hoek and Noordhoek, enjoying the scenery and stopping for coffee along the way. There was always a different route to take and different sights to see.
All in all, Cape Town is one of our favourite places to visit and we so enjoyed the family time and amazing scenery and food.
Hopefully we can visit again before too long and I suggest you all add Cape Town to your travel destinations!
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be clad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them: let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalms 96 vs 11-12.
Please leave your comment below…..
- Our Victoria Falls Celebration Trip.
- Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for May-June 2024.
- What is a Healthy Homeschooling Culture?
- Our Homeschooling Adventures and Activities for March-April 2024.
- Developing Life Skills through a Houseboat Adventure.
