Captivating cape town and an ode to south africa
Vibrant bar scene at sunset in Cape Town
I defy anyone to visit Africa and not be touched by its magic - as countless others before me have acknowledged, it’s a uniquely special place that stays with you long after you depart.
Beach in Cape Town
In my case I was lucky to have a deep love of the continent passed down to me from my father who spent five years teaching English at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown, South Africa after graduating from Oxford, and his experience in the country changed him profoundly.
Fish River Canyon
He arrived a quintessential English schoolmaster with a stiff upper lip and left having been ‘coloured in’: eternally warmed by the incredible hospitality extended to him by so many and with a deeper appreciation of nature and the great outdoors, the more challenging and remote the better! He led countless expeditions taking groups of St Andrew’s boys to wild and wonderful places like Fish River Canyon and Lesotho (he had been friends with the then Prince, later King, Moshoeshoe of Lesotho at Oxford), forming relationships that would last a lifetime - one of those boys became godfather to my brother and several attended my father’s memorial service in the UK in 2022.
Claire and her father at Boulders Beach, Cape Town, 2002
I had been lucky to spend my childhood listening to him tell incredible stories about his time there and finally, in 2002, while my German mother was visiting her own family in Bavaria, he took me with him to South Africa - the first time he had returned to the country since leaving in 1966.
Lion’s Head taken from midway up Table Mountain
We flew into Cape Town and that was it, I was hooked! The majesty of Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles, the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, the wildlife (he couldn’t wait to show me the inquisitive penguins at Boulders Beach), the hiking, the incredible food (and wine/wineries!).
Penguins at Boulders Beach, Cape Town
The glorious beaches, the overwhelming sense of warmth and welcome and the multitude of ways in which to learn, respectfully, about the issues the country has faced and continues to face today. We travelled the stunningly beautiful Garden Route together, whale watching in Plettenberg Bay, visited Lesotho, hiked in the Drakensberg and went on safari in the Pilanesberg. A truly unforgettable shared experience.
Famous South African wine tram
I’ve been fortunate to return to SA’s Mother City many times, both on holiday and with work, but it’s been ten years since my last visit and I’m ridiculously excited to be heading back there in a few weeks with Lucy and the team, mainly because when each sunset hike, or paddle board session surrounded by dolphins, or long lunch at a wine farm or braai overlooking the ocean feels uniquely unbeatable, it’s impossible to ever feel like you’ve ‘done’ Cape Town - a perfect reason to never stop returning.
View from Chapman’s Peak
