Take A Twitter Tour of Cape Town
Destination & Tourism David Cogswell May 31, 2014

We flew into Cape Town at sunset. The sun's rays were burning through the misty atmosphere at a horizontal angle creating an orange tinge over the city. It was a beautiful sight.
Table Mountain was shrouded with a cover of thick clouds on its top, its tablecloth. The Lion's Head and Signal Hill cut out their characteristic silhouettes against the horizon. I took a deep breath. We had arrived at The Mother City. It felt like the ultimate destination.
Our trip to Cape Town began with a flight from Durban to Cape Town. We arrived at The Mother City at sunset. pic.twitter.com/Jf61LFzMEJ
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Shaheed Ebrahim, the founder of the destination management company Escape to the Cape, met us at the airport. He was to be our escort for the time we were in Cape Town. He was mellow and calm, with a congenial air of confidence that made you feel that you were in good hands and everything was going to be fine.
He drove us to the Mount Nelson Hotel in the heart of Cape Town, a regal hotel that was to be our home for four nights. At that moment, four nights stretched out before us as if it were infinity. By the time it was over it would seem to have gone by in a blink.
We stayed at the glorious Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. pic.twitter.com/lR7atK9u9o
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
That night we had dinner at the hotel's Planet Restaurant. It was one corner the hotel that seemed glitzy and modern, like a small section of W Hotel inside the grand old Mount Nelson, vintage 1899,
The entry to the Planet Restaurant in the Mount Nelson is like a little space age section of the traditional hotel. pic.twitter.com/MGMvyDlDOS
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 30, 2014
We arrived in Cape Town on Friday night. On Saturday morning we took a tour of the city, led by Shaeed of Escape to the Cape. We went to one place it seems every tour includes, the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.
The next morning we toured Cape Town, stopping at Bo-Kaap, a neighborhood w/brightly colored homes. #CapeTown pic.twitter.com/RhzgeRotwX
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
The name of it is Dutch, meaning "above the Cape," which it is, as it stretches up the slopes of Signal Hill. It is recognized as the spiritual center for the Cape's Muslim community.
Bo-Kaap is a neighborhood identified by a strip of houses that are beautifully colored with bright tropical pastel shades that seem to have been coordinated as a single work of art.
The core population of the area is descended from slaves brought to the Cape from Malaysia, Indonesia and various countries of Africa. The slaves had become referred to as Cape Malays though it was actually a melting pot of Asian, African and European ethnicities.
The City Bowl Market in Cape Town was full of great fresh food delights. #CapeTown pic.twitter.com/Q4jOz61HnV
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
The City Bowl Market was a local market for fresh vegetables, fruits and a variety of foods, drinks, flowers and other products.
Wherever you are in Cape Town, Table Mountain Looms over you. pic.twitter.com/bjZnU2RXhQ
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Lunch at Bo Kaap Kombuis, a delightful restaurant with Indian-style Cape cuisine. pic.twitter.com/03stB4nd3y
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's church. pic.twitter.com/qnpnRPXo1N
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Long Street is a great strip to walk along, full of fascinating stores, restaurants and bars. Madam Taitou, an Ethiopian restaurant and craft store, was a great find. What an enchanted place! I wish I could go there now. A very kind couple, Solomon and Helen, came from Ethiopia and opened it about a year and a half ago.
Madam Taitou's Ethiopian Restaurant on Long Street in Cape Town - great food, ambiance, crafts and music. pic.twitter.com/l6ROhgPEjV
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Inside Madam Taitou's. pic.twitter.com/hlBZWznFtW
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Mama Africa restaurant and bar on Long Street in Cape Town. http://t.co/9k8odNiqZK pic.twitter.com/GJmefTqG6r
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Long Street, beautiful Long Street in Cape Town. Timbuktu, another Ethiopian restaurant. #CapeTown pic.twitter.com/e4yhylou8B
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Richard's Supper Stage and Bistro was fun! The food was good and the actor/singers portrayed themselves as a family and succeeded in making the audience feel like we were part of the family. They were talented singers and musicians as well. Under the silliness was a lot of polish.
Fun time at Richard's Supper Stage & Bistro in #CapeTown. http://t.co/RJdNI4E9Pd pic.twitter.com/7gDGFEONVg
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
The Cape Winelands are something not to miss if you're in the Cape. The scenery itself is worth the trip, and if you like wine there are plenty of opportunities to taste the offerings of different wineries. Many let you taste for no charge.
A trip around the Cape Winelands in the Franschhoek Wine Tram. http://t.co/Tp2gLzpTI7 pic.twitter.com/7FvS7rZoae
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Lunch at the Rickety Bridge Winery in Franschhoek. http://t.co/VxB0wRKn12 pic.twitter.com/iQSoqtrFhG
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
On Sunday we took an electric bike tour of Cape Town with Cycology. Our guide gave us a good short overview of Cape history and how it all came to be the way it is. And the bikes were so much fun. You can pedal if you want or engage the quiet electric motor and just ride. Great way to tour the city.
Electric biking around #CapeTown with Cycology is a great way to take in the Mother City. http://t.co/VOZt5hcD7E pic.twitter.com/FnzQM553Vb
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Another thing you have to take in when you're in Cape Town is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Fantastic place. It is the place where the ferries launch for visits to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela's home for many years, another must-do in Cape Town.
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in #CapeTown is glorious and fabulous. pic.twitter.com/LdwETaXbHZ
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
And of course the cable car to the top of Table Mountain is indispensable if you are visiting Cape Town. Gotta see it, experience it.
The cable car to the top of Table Mountain, something you have to do in #CapeTown. pic.twitter.com/oOwqryzSYL
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
View from Table Mountain, with rainbow. pic.twitter.com/bbPWwV44fp
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
The Mount Nelson Hotel was a piece of artwork itself and was also an exhibition space for many fine, intriguing pieces of art, both paintings inside and sculpture on the lawns.
Great sculpture on the lawn at #MountNelson in #CapeTown. pic.twitter.com/kNIWsKwpTy
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
more lawn sculpture at the #MountNelson in #CapeTown pic.twitter.com/xy8LMNjpv0
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
The Victoria Wharf is one of many great things to see at the waterfront.
Victoria Wharf in #CapeTown -- sooo nice! pic.twitter.com/88MRAuSU3N
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Great shopping at Victoria Wharf in #CapeTown. pic.twitter.com/zZ7pSYiovw
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Bye bye #CapeTown, next stop #Madikwe. pic.twitter.com/nXHkNXjIGp
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 29, 2014
Shaheed Ebrahim, the operator of Escape to the Cape, took very good care of us when we were in Cape Town. He was the facilitator. He made everything happen without a whimper or a hitch. Besides mastering the operation of our tour of the Cape region, he is a fun person to be around. He has many good stories to tell.
Shaneed, our man in Cape Town, took care of everything while we were there. One very solid dude. @escapetothecape pic.twitter.com/x7f1T3CbdP
— CogswellTravelPulse (@CogswellTravelP) May 31, 2014
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