Kim came by in the morning to collect us for our 9 am ferrry ride to Robben Island. We walked through the harbor to the Robben Island museum. Apparently the official ferry to the island is out for annual maintenance, so they have chartered other boats and catamarans in the area to bring people to the island and back. We rode out on Sea Princess and back on the Tiger 2. Tiger 2 was my favorite because it was smaller, faster, and we had great seats on the front of the boat.
Robben Island has a long history. It was originally a leper colony, although the last of the leper population was relocated in the 1930s. Starting in the 1960s it was used as a prison, and at one point had separate prisons for "regular" convicts and political prisoners. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here for several years and was probably the most famous prisoner, although many current South African leaders and subsequent presidents were also held here. Our guide was himself a former prisoner, and able to give a first-hand account of life in the prison. All political prisoners were freed by 1991 as part of the establishment of the new government and the end of the apartheid era. While that has been more than 2 decades, it's very sobering to realize that this all happened during my lifetime!
Robben Island prison
Nelson Mandela's cell. 4th window form the left on the picture from the courtyard.
Today, Robben Island is a national museum. It has been left mostly as it was when it closed in the 1990s. It still offers a beautiful view of Cape Town and Table Mountain:
After a lunch at a lovely cafe in the harbor, we continued on to the Table Mountain cable car station. The engineering of the cable cars is quite impressive. A car holds 65 people, and the floor spins to allow all passengers a view in every direction. The cars are also used to transport water to the top of the mountain, and on a windy day the water doubles as ballast for stability.
Cable car station, from the car midway down to the lower station.
The view from the top is stunning. If you're willing to walk a few steps around the top you are offered views in all directions. You can see Robben Island, Table Bay, and then the rest of the cape and the other cities along the way.
Cape Town in the background.
The rest of the cape and Table Mountain national park in the background.
The trails along the top.
We were very fortunate to have such a beautiful clear day for our trip. We returned home along the coast, passing the World Cup stadium along the way.
Today (yes I fell asleep before writing the day 2 entry...) we are headed to the Cape of Good Hope. We're expecting another day of great weather and beautiful scenery.
Thanks for reading!
-Rachel
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