CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA … SHIPWRECKS TO STALLIONS

So back to South Africa … we took a plane from Livingston to “JoBurg” finally arriving in Capetown late evening the night of Day 155. Glamping was great but it was nice to be in our “home away from home” … sleeping in our own bed. Because of the excursion to the Falls we only had one day in this beautiful city and it was on the chilly side as it was the first day of winter here.

South Africa is an amazing country … with 62 million people and close to twice the size of Texas. Pretoria is its capital but most would say … Cape Town is the “crown jewel” … the halfway point for ships going around Africa …. known as the connecting point between the Indian and Atlantic Ocean.

Technically these two oceans meet 90 miles south of Cape Town at Cape Aguihas … ( No idea how to pronounce that name ) but not actually in Cape Town … though it makes great marketing to imply that it is.

Cape Town today is an amazing port city located on the southwest coast of South Africa … the Atlantic side … nicknamed the “Mother City.” Folklore has it that in the 1930’s a local paper claimed it was the only city in South Africa that could call itself a “metropolis” … the name “Mother City” stuck.

Its’ history goes back to 1488 … with the first European explorer to arrive in this part of the world … of course … a Portuguese … naming Capetown “Cape of Good Hope.” The name “Cape of Good Hope” came from the discovery of the “opening of the sea route” to the Indian subcontinent ( Southern Asia ) and East Indies.

It was orginally named “Cape of Storms” because of the rough weather and Seas … and was known in the maritime world as the “Graveyard of Ships” … over 1000 shipwrecks in its history and many “tales” to go along with it.

… a few of these shipwrecks are still on display in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and can be seen from shore.

So aside from all the maritime excitement … South Africa’s history followed the same pattern as every one else … a series of European colonizations … the Dutch followed by the British … until 1961 when South Africa was declared a Republic.

So today Capetown has a growing population of almost 5M … and is known as a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. Table Mountain … an “iconic” geologic formation providing the backdrop of the city’s center … is a major attraction.

Supposedly voted one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” … we must be getting closer to “70 Wonders of the World” with all the claims I keep coming across. At any rate … the name “table”comes from its distinct topography … its’ “plateau” ( Table Top ) … over 3300’ above sea level with 360 degree views of the city. The mountain and the city is surrounded by “Table Bay” … known for its beautiful harbor that forms the city waterfront.

Today Cape Town is known as a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world … voted “Best City in the World” seven years running … including 2023.

So now Tom and I mapped out our “one day” in Cape Town … we knew we didn’t have much time to spend … so we decided to attend a cruise event. Given we missed all the others … we figured we should attend at least one. Fortunately we have been to South Africa before with a group of fellow horse owners … hitting the tourist hot spots along with several wineries and horse farms. We had a chance then to spend a good bit of time in Cape Town … so off to the “Shore Event” we went.

The ship hosts 5 “Shore Events” during the World Cruise. … Each in a unique country with local food and entertainment … celebrating the countries culture. This event was being hosted at an Equestrian Center. Definitely up our alley … and MOST DEFINITELY up Toms.

So off to the countryside … driving through the famed “Winelands Region” … to watch a performance of the South African Lipizzaner Horses … who would showcase their skills in classical dressage with an elite group of equestrian riders. The show was to be followed by local foods, with African Marimba music and native crafts. Who could ask for more.

The Lipizzaners are one of the oldest domesticated horse breeds that are still in existence today … a “man-made” breed originating in 1562… a mix of Spanish, Italian and Arab-Oriental horses. During the Middle Ages they needed horses for battle with unusual strength, loyalty and courage. The Lipizzaner was the iconic “warhorse” of that time.

Today Lipizzaners have become a breed of riding and carriage horse … used to perform by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. They are gray in color as adults … though they are born black or dark brown. As they age they gradually lighten …. usually by 8 to 9 years they adopt their characteristic white coat.

The group we saw in South Africa got there by unusual circumstances. These particular Lipizzaners started in Hungary on a family breeding farm. With World War II upon them … they needed to get the horses out of the country. They did what they had to do … walking with them 400 miles through the bitter cold to Bavaria … but the future there turned out to be uncertain as well. So they decided to transport them by boat to South Africa … and over the years the small group of Lipizzaners became a team of 36 performing stallions.

The Lipizzaners are famous for their advanced movements in “classical dressage” ( Dressage is a style of precise Movements by a Trained Horse and Rider ). They include highly controlled jumps and movements known as “airs above the ground.” It takes an average of 6 years for a horse to become a performance stallion. Riders require many years of discipline … developing strength, balance and coordination.

Today there are 11,000 Lipizzaners in the world, We had seen them perform in Vienna but this event really stood out. The agility of these horses and the elegant movements they developed were spectacular. A beautiful performance choreographed with music makes it hard to believe they are actually horses.

The event was followed by a “luncheon” in another indoor ring … “luncheon” sounds like a bunch of little old ladies siting around siping tea. In this case it was a bunch of old men and women sitting around celebrating South Africa. The training ring was spectacular …completely transformed to an incredible event venue with live local music and a market of native crafts. ( Great space to host an event. )

We can’t think of a better way to spend the day or to end the first half of our voyage around Africa … Now it is time to turn the corner and head north up the western side of the continent and head back over the equator.

NEXT STOP … NAMIBIA … DAY 158 – 159