A haunting in the city..

It is hard to imagine a ghost roaming amongst the hubbub of the City of Cape Town, with its trend setters on every side walk, night clubs in almost every street and everlasting traffic. However, we must bear in mind that the City of Cape Town is where it all started and it is where we find South Africa’s oldest building, the Castle of Good Hope. In most old buildings, the perceptive will find lost souls wondering around looking for a way to the other side...

There many stories about ghosts haunting the Castle of Good Hope. One of the most infamous ghost stories told is that of the Lady in Grey.  It is said that she was often seen with her hands covering her face, as though she is weeping. Other sightings of her have been made at Government House. Apparently, there was once a passage that linked the Castle and Government House.  During a recent excavation,  the skeleton of a women was found. This is thought to be the remains of the Lady in Grey as her ghost has not been seen since the skeleton was found. Hopefully now she can rest in peace.

There is a tale of another ghost, Governor Noodt who is also thought to roam around the Castle of Good Hope. He was known as a unsympathetic disciplinarian. One night, four of his soldiers were caught trying to escape and so he sentenced them to death, a punishment perhaps a bit too cruel. The Governor did not care for human life. The night before the executions of the four soldiers, they sat and prayed with their minister. The following morning the Governor didn’t show up for the executions. Even the last man who was brought out to be executed cursed the Governor and demanded him to come out and witness his death. Still he did not show up. The man challenged him to appear before God to answer for what he had done to these four men and then was hanged. The officers came to report that the sentence had been carried out and found Governor Noodt dead in his room with a look of horror on his face. Apparently he had died of a heart-attack and his soul still roams the Castle at night. Spooky stuff!

Taken from plpinfo.org

Touring Cape Town, tourist-style!

A few weeks ago, when the weather was still sunny and brilliant, I went with my sister on the City Sightseeing bus. You know, that big, topless red one that all the tourists take... Well I just have to say WOW! What a professional service and such a brilliant experience. I would recommend that everyone (whether you are local to Cape Town or not) experiences the magic of Cape Town from the top of the City Sightseeing bus! Their slogan is ‘The best way to see Cape Town in 2 days” and I agree.

Taken from citysightseeing-blog.co.za

The buses depart from the V&A Waterfront and take one of two routes: either the Blue or Red route. Each route covers a different spectrum of Cape Town. There also 1 day and  2 day trips. Prices range between R110 –R210 for a ticket, depending on what you want to do. The bus takes you on a tour with headphones, explaining the background of every part of Cape Town as you drive. It also stops at all the tourist destinations such as Table Mountain cable car and Camps Bay where you can climb off, enjoy the experience and be picked up later. The bus runs like public transport and there is a bus within 25minutes at each stop.

I learned things about Cape Town I never knew and took awesome photographs. Do yourself a favour and give it a go! You won’t regret it! For more information on routes and prices, please go check out their website: http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/home.

• The Castle from the bus.

Driving passed the Purple Turtle in Long Street. It has more history than you think!

It's here folks!

If you live in Cape Town, you may have noticed that the days are getting shorter, the sun rises later and sets earlier. There is that snowy bite in the air and raindrops and grey skies are making their appearance more often . The South-Easter has died down and the fashion in the shops has changed. Summer dresses have been replaced with coats and scarves. Yup...you guessed it, winter is upon us!


Taken from franto.com

Winters in Cape Town are rather chilly and often wet. The seas are rough but water sports such as surfing and body-boarding are considered winter sports as the Cape’s water is warmer and waves better in winter months. Also, Great Whites, monsters of the ocean, flock to our shores and Shark Cage Diving becomes Cape Town's greatest attraction. After the initial shock of the cold Capetonian’s finally come out of their hibernation and continue to party it up at all the hotspots in and around town. Restaurants near the ocean offer you blankets and turn on their gas heaters. Ships stay out in the bay longer as storms make it dangerous for them to dock but they create quite a scene as they dance in the waves with their heavy cargos swaying.

To the pleasure of locals, prices come down as the tourists all leave back to their warm countries. Shopping malls and cinemas suddenly become fuller as the beach is not an option in the rain. People eat hot scrumptious food and waistlines expand. Traffic increases as Capetonians suddenly forget how to drive when it is raining.

The point is that winter can become depressing and I believe many Capetonians feel somewhat out of sorts while its cold and rainy, but I would have to say that I would choose a Cape Town winter over any other South African winter. It gets cold but not as cold as other places like Guateng and there is always a party, a vibe and excellent wining and dining. There is always something to do, plus, we still get to enjoy our beautiful ocean with its bobbing ships!

Table Mountain hides a lot during winter: Taken from imod.co.za