Welkom in Afrika!

That’s “Welcome to Africa” in Afrikaans, one of eleven official languages in South Africa – where my African journey began.

I saw my first large African animal before even leaving the airport – although he was made entirely of tiny glass beads!

Cape Town is located in the southwestern tip of Africa near where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

Modern Cape Town was founded by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie – “VOC”) in 1652 to provide a spot for Dutch ships traveling between Europe and the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent) to find shelter and to restock for the long journey ahead.

A few years later, in 1658, the Dutch decided to create a colony in Cape Town and with the hard work of a significant Indian Ocean slave labor force (the first slaves brought to the African continent), built much of the foundation of modern Cape Town. Many of the early colonial buildings remain (including a castle built by the VOC for defense), alongside modern skyscrapers.

Castle built by the VOC

Some of the more recent buildings have plenty of character as well – such as the colorful homes that make up the primarily Muslim neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.

Today, Cape Town is home to more than 3 1/2 million people. The city boundaries have expanded from the waterfront to the base of nearby Table Mountain which forms a stunning backdrop to the city and the bay.

In fact, some of the best views of the city and the Cape can be had from the top of Table Mountain.

While wandering through the city, I noticed this sculpture – an interesting combination of traditional African and modern western influences:

Cape Town, like all cities, is concerned with public safety. I particularly liked this sign by the train station considering the diverse cultures that make up the South African population: an automatic weapon, a tomahawk (or a lumberjack’s axe), a ridiculously large knife, and a sceptre or magic wand(??).

Speaking of different cultures, train etiquette is completely different in South Africa. Despite signs forbidding walking on the train tracks, it seems to be the norm when you need to change from one train line to another.

Although bringing your belongings sometimes requires help.

And when the train gets too crowded, don’t wait for the next one (regardless of what the signs say!), just pile in and hang out the doors.

I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t work on the el in Chicago!

When in Rome. . .

Cape Town is a beautiful city. I’ve already spent a week here and there’s so much more to explore. It was a hospitable “welcome to Africa” coupled with an obvious reminder that I’m a long way from home!

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