Leaving off from the last post, my mom and I got to see even more sights the rest of the week. Wednesday morning, we went to several different museums, starting with the Castle of Good Hope. The castle is located in the city center and is the oldest building in Cape Town. It was built by the Dutch East Indian Company between 1666 and 1679.
After the castle, we walked to the District 6 museum. District 6 used to be a vibrant community, holding almost 10% of the population of Cape Town. In the 60s and 70s, the Group Areas Act was used to remove most of its residents to make it an "all-white area." Homes and businesses were bulldozed, and families were sent to live in townships far from the city center. The museum commemorates the rich history that the area had before the Group Areas Act and allows residents to share their experiences so that history will not repeat itself.
After visiting the museums, we went to the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront. The Waterfront is a great place to visit, as there is so much to do in the area. This day, we visited the Watershed for some shopping. The Watershed holds over 150 businesses selling a range of different products, all locally made.
Thursday, we went on a safari at one of the game reserves close to Cape Town. From beginning to end, it was a great experience! We chose the Aquila Game Reserve which is about 2 hours outside of Cape Town, located in the little Karoo. The drive to the reserve was beautiful, with sights of the mountains the whole way. Upon arrival, we got breakfast, and then head out for our game drive. We saw tons of animals, including elephants, zebra, giraffes, elands, rhinos, and lions! After the safari, we head back to town for First Thursdays to see the free art galleries.
The next day, we took a trip to Observatory, which is the suburb of town where UCT's medical school is located. We toured the medical school, and then walked along Lower Main Road for some thrift shopping. There are lots of vintage and thrift shops along the street, along with nice restaurants to try. After lunch we came back and took a walk around Rondebosch Common. The Common is a conservation area for several species of native plants, and is a popular place for walkers and runners.
Saturday, we visited Oranjezicht Farmers Market. The market is huge, with so many food vendors, artisans, and local fruits and vegetables. It is open on weekends only, and can get quite packed but is well worth it to visit. In the afternoon, we walked to the Waterfront where we had lunch at the V&A Food Market. It was a bit rainy so we visited the Two Oceans Aquarium and the V&A Mall.
Although we were lucky for most of the week with good weather, Sunday was a bit rainy so we took a trip to an indoor mall, Cavendish. On our last day, Monday, we visited the South African Museum and had lunch at a nice café before my mom headed out to the airport. Overall, our week together was such a great time, and I'm so glad we got to experience all of these different places together!