A Day on the Red Bus

Red for the double decker 'topless' bus on which we toured the city and surroundings.  We stopped at the 'Green Market,' an area where native arts and crafts are sold.  We'll be visiting more extensively :) later next week.
We also visited St. George's Cathedral. "St George’s Anglican Cathedral, a gorgeous example of Victorian era design with magnificent stained glass windows and a crypt  lies on Wale Street in Cape Town, and is known as ‘the people’s cathedral’ because of its role in the resistance against apartheid." Wikipedia
We also walked through a beautiful garden behind the church.  Magnificent.
From there we went on to the District 6 Museum.  Since we are here in South Africa, we wanted to know much more about Apartheid.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about District 6. "On 11 February 1966, the government declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act, with removals starting in 1968. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to the sandy, bleak Cape Flats township complex some 25 kilometers away. The old houses were bulldozed. The only buildings left standing were places of worship. International and local pressure made redevelopment difficult for the government, however. The Cape Technikon (now Cape Peninsula University of Technology) was built on a portion of District Six which the government renamed Zonnebloem. Apart from this and some police housing units, the area was left undeveloped.
Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the African National Congress has recognized the older claims of former residents to the area, and pledged to support rebuilding."
It was really too much to take in.  The museum is filled with photos and personal stories of the residents of District 6.  It was very sobering.
Next we stopped at 'The Castle.'
"The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving building in South Africa. Built between 1666 and 1679, this pentagonal fortification replaced a small clay and timber fort built by Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 upon establishing a maritime replanishment station art the Cape of Good Hope for the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC (Verenigde Oos-Indische Compagnie). "
We ate lunch at the Castle and took the guided tour.  Very interesting.
From the Castle we rode to 'Table Mountain.'  What an awesome sight.  It is a flat top mountain :)  There was a lot of fog at the top of the gondola ride, so we decided to return later when we can see the entire vista.  From the base of the gondola ride you can see so much of the city's shipping district.  Great pictures.  Hopefully I can put them on Ad's computer and get them on the blog....maybe tonight.
We continued on the red bus to tour many of the beautiful beach areas around Cape Town.  Stunning sights.
A 'catch up' of last night.....We shared dinner with the deBlaeij family.  Delicious Portuguese Chicken.....take out.  It was a Hanneke fave, so of course we had to try it.  Tonight Leon is cooking.  Can't wait!!!
Maybe more later....or after the wedding tomorrow.  What a blessing to be sharing in this wonderful occasion with this wonderful family.