German Invasion of Simon's Town!

Welcome, travel with me!  I am Mafutha. 

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We took The Trio to Simon's Town via Metrorail with a Tourist Pass each. The three Deutsche mädchen - German girls. We also took others; there were several trips over the years. Kirsten, Kristina & Tanya.

(A Tourist Pass is an unlimited travel ticket valid on the day of issuance. Hop on, hop off. On the Simon's Town line, that is. Prices need to be confirmed but a 1-day pass usually is around R30 and a 2-day pass R50 approximately.)

I'm a bit naughty, so we disembarked at Claremont and went to Nyama. It means meat so they don't sell beer! At Nyama, they have various stuffed animal heads up on the walls. So I told them they could just point at the animal they wanted for dinner and choose from the shelve below it. White people can become very white. But I later did it with an Indian friend living in France and she also looked like Snow White. Even being an omnivorous Hindu. 

From there, we walked across the road to Cavendish Square and revived them with a good breakfast. And back onto the train towards Amuzingberg. Muizenberg earned its moniker from Sergeant Muiz (mouse) who was in charge of a guard piquet to fend off the mighty British Navy. 

A brave mouse indeed. 

I call it Amuzingberg perhaps because of its colourful changing bungalows on the beach, same as at St James. Maybe also because overawed people superstitiously ogle the mountain, searching for a shape of a mouse. Which many convincingly find. Or maybe because of the abundance of a peculiar green tea that causes a blue haze unrelated to the nearby ocean. 

We also find it Amuzing to see Monwa or Rasta spying the waves for sharks. They are the Shark Spotters. 

People serve sharks on platters there. Oh, my mistake, it is Gary's Surf School at Surfer's Corner. Which is also where excellent meals are provided. The Cape Flats Gatsby for the brave & very hungry, otherwise the most succulent freshly fried hake & chips. 

We walk on the pathway between the railway line and the ocean, take a rest at Bailey's Cottage. It has to be the property closest to the ocean in all of Africa. 

On to St James, following the pathway. A little secret: while others enjoy the tidal pool, we watch the Southern Right Whales only metres from us, at the edge of the rocks directly opposite the Metrorail station. This is where we board the train again. 

Whales - no need to travel to Hermanus, I lived there before. As a local Capetonian, I recommend St James Beach's rocky coast. It deepens quickly and the whales come close inshore, just like at De Kelders. But Metrorail goes to St James.

We travel past Kalk Bay is it is another village with such a diversity that it requires a full day on its own.

Our friend Trudie, also from Über Deutschland, appreciated this as more walking lay ahead and she was well over seventy years of age at the time.  

Typically, we disembark at Fish Hoek as one of the best ocean side restaurants, literally on the beach, is found at the Bayside Centre. The Galley is a presentable restaurant, formal even. The BeachComber Bistro is the place to be!  Then there is Drifters Take-Aways as well.

After a great coffee or a refreshing drink, if not the most sumptuous meal enjoyed al fresco, we take Jaeger's Walk for a swim in the rock pool at Skelly's. 

Especially at high tide. Or we dive from the tall rocks into the fairly deep ocean there. Never stay in the deep water and remain very close to the kelp and rocks as great white sharks have been up to mischief there.

Just above Skelly's is the little Sunny Cove Metrorail station. Rounding Elsje's peak, a nice morning hike on its own, we rather now take the train and snake our way past Glencairn, Cairnside, Dido Valley and then Simon's Town. This is where the railway line ends.

We visit Simon's Town Museum, the SA Navy Museum, the Toy Car Museum.....and the picturesque village is home to so many restaurants, pubs & grills, curio shops and whatnots. 

We love to eat at the Salty Sea Dog as there are few places so laid back and near the water's edge that also offer such lovely seafood. Dessert is Malva Pudding, a traditional cape dessert, at Harbourview Restaurant, just opposite. 

So much to do!  Shark cage diving, or the seal colony, but do take the Golden Arrow coach to Boulders to take selfies with the world's most photogenic penguins! They truly enjoy celeb status internationally.

If you do have time left, or if you have a two-day pass, head back to Kalk Bay and discover the amazing world of shopping, dining or just relax in this most attractive Victorian village that even has a Cuban pub! 

By now, it will be time to head back to Cape Town and you will agree that all of this travel experience, costing the same as a Macdonald's burger, will have been well worth the investment. In just one day, there is too much to do. Do this a few more times, hike up Elsje's Peak and discover the abandoned kaolin mine, take a picnic and enjoy the vistas over False Bay and the Atlantic ocean.

If you remark, as did a young foreign tourist recently, that "there was nothing to do for three days", you really need a trained tour guide to advise you. They are at Metrorail on Cape Town Station. Do consult with them prior to setting out.

Finally, if you snooze, you lose. Go early in the day, just after sunrise. Nothing betters a beautiful morning at the coast.  

Life is a beach!