The last few days in Cape Town - Camp Bay, Robben Island, and the V&A Waterfront

And just like that, 3.5 weeks have flown by and tomorrow I continue my journey. Yesterday was all about relaxation. Due to my intense muscle soreness, I took it easy. The day before yesterday, in the heat of the moment, I had the crazy idea of climbing Lions Head. Lions Head is 'only' 600m high and is considered the little brother of Table Mountain. But when I woke up, my thighs clearly said no! So I started the day slowly with a long breakfast. Then I took care of some organizational tasks and drove my car to the car wash around noon. It was still covered in dust from Kruger Park and it was time for a thorough cleaning. After that, I drove to Camps Bay. This is the coastal area that I could see clearly from Table Mountain, only covered by some small clouds. The area looks very affluent and huge beach houses line the streets. I was able to climb onto the rocks in front of the beach and had a beautiful view of Lions Head and, right next to it, Table Mountain. I could also see the Twelve Apostles very well from there. The Twelve Apostles are a mountain range that extends along the coast of Cape Town from the Table Mountain plateau. You can see them very well in my new cover photo. After that, I drove up Signal Hill again and watched some paragliders take off. The atmosphere was very relaxed and I enjoyed the view of Cape Town. Then it was time for me to go home. However, I had saved one highlight for today: a visit to Robben Island. I had to book tickets for this two weeks ago, as there is no chance of getting them at short notice. Luckily, a friend had suggested this idea to me. Robben Island is an island about twelve kilometers away from the mainland, Cape Town. Due to its geographical location, it used to be used as a prison island, similar to Alcatraz. The most famous inmate was none other than Nelson Mandela. He spent a total of 18 years of his life on Robben Island. The tour consisted of a ferry ride, a bus tour of the island, and a visit to the prison. So today, I headed to the harbor very early in the morning. The boat set sail at around 9:00 a.m. The tour was very interesting, even though I didn't understand everything in English. But the cool thing was that the prison tour was conducted by a former political prisoner, which gave a very authentic impression of the conditions in the prison. But visiting a prison is always quite overwhelming and gives you a strange feeling in your stomach. Finally, we had the opportunity to see Mandela's cell, and then we returned to the mainland by boat. Afterwards, I took the time to visit the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. This is a relatively new district at the harbor, with many restaurants, shops, malls, and food markets. All in all, a really great and diverse neighborhood, with a cheerful and lively atmosphere among the people. I had a lot of fun looking at the delicious food, browsing through the souvenir shops, and watching the seals sunbathe. In the late afternoon, I drove back to my accommodation because I still have to pack today!