MIND CHANGE IN SIMON’S
TOWN
28-31 MARCH 2009
What is the good of having a mind if you can’t
change it?
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A business meeting in Cape
Town on Monday, 30 March – Hein asked me if I wanted to go down to Cape Town for the
weekend. I was quite keen, but told him
I’m so tired of Bloubergstrand, can’t we go somewhere else?
Somewhere … maybe Simon’s Town? Google gave me
quite a few options – we opted for Simonsview.
4 Self-catering units just outside Simon’s Town. Not a big sun-on-my-face-lover, I normally
ask for a patio. Or I thought I did
… And for R500/night per self-catering
unit, it sounded perfect.
Saturday 28 March 2009
Waking at 4am Saturday morning, we quickly
gulped down a coffee while packing. Left
at 5am for the airport. Walking to the
counters, we saw Marius Weyers, a well-known Afrikaans actor. Eating breakfast in the Wimpy, I saw Rina
Hugo. And when seated on the airplane,
Francois Pienaar came down the aisle – and were somewhere behind us in economy
class. I nearly asked him for a Lays
chip.
A very friendly guy sat next to me. Very talkative and told me he works on oil
rigs and is now on his way home for 4 weeks.
They work 4 weeks, then 4 weeks off – all expenses paid. With a house in Pinelands, a stay-at-home
wife, 2 kids and garages boasting a yellow Hummer (with a monthly petrol bill
of R11 000), a GT40, a Cobra and his new toy to be picked up – a Harley
Davidson, he sure seemed well-paid.
Talking non-stop Afrikaans with quite a few
strong words in-between, the travel time was pleasantly short. Oh, and he’s also the nephew of ‘Charmaine’
from 7de Laan (the local Afrikaans soapie).
She’s the coffee shop owner/manageress.
Landing at 9am, Hein went off to Avis and
luckily our bag was 2nd on the conveyor belt. Simon’s Town, here we come!! It was overcast and while driving through
Constantia, a few drops dirtied the windscreen.
The sun was shining on Simon’s Town’s sea – we
find the self-catering unit and the weekend screeched to a sudden stop – our
unit, although lovely furnished, had no patio.
No shade whatsoever, except a sun umbrella. Some miscommunication over the phone and the
thing was – we’ve already paid for 3 nights in full. We also thought it appropriate to be out of
town – the yearly Navy Festival was in full swing and we thought the town might
be too noisy.
Driving into Simon’s Town for a cold one traffic
was slow. People were streaming off the
train and hurrying towards the activities.
Phoning around trying to find another self-catering unit with a shaded
patio, we saw a place called The British Hotel self-catering apartments. But at R2000/night we opted out.
Luckily we found a parking spot and walked to
The Central Hotel – b&b, situated right on the main street. Hein spoke to Malinda – a friendly Afrikaans
lady. She offered us the Honeymoon Suite
for R600/night. Being a bit wary now, we
asked for a look-around.
What a lovely room – real old wooden floors, a
4-poster bed, old-fashioned furniture and chaise lounges. Also a small fridge and a wonderful shaded balcony
overlooking the harbor.
And that’s when we changed our minds – from
self-catering to bed-and-breakfast.
Driving back to pick up our bags was a slight
mistake – when we came back, parking was non-existent. But Malinda assured us that over such a
weekend, the traffic cops won’t give tickets – we trusted her. Phoning Simonsview’s owner, we cancelled the
weekend with them and managed to be partly refunded. Tip for
the future: if you’re not 100% sure of
the accommodation, only pay the deposit and the rest on arrival.
After unpacking and changing into ‘walking
clothes’ (which means shorts for Hein and flip-flops for me), we walked to
Bertha’s for lunch.
It’s a
big restaurant right on the harbour’s front. There’s a small beach in front of the
restaurant, but with high tide, it’s all covered with water. My calamari burger was yummy – the calamari
steak so tender. Hein ordered fish and
chips but wasn’t so impressed AND it cost more than mine!!
Halfway through our meal, 5 colored guys
rocked up with music instruments and played some lovely
songs. We were sitting next to the sea,
the sun was shining, we didn’t have to drive anywhere … what perfect bliss.
Walking down the quay, Hein took photos of the
small boats and these moss-covered steps.
Leisurely we walked back to our suite for a
much-needed nap.
The Sharks rugby game was on at 5pm. I had a
lovely bath (I rarely bath at home, but enjoy it when away for a weekend/holiday),
grabbed my book and we strolled off, looking for a nice pub. Somewhere comfortable and cosy. The first pub was made of beautiful sandstone
bricks – although the inside was sparsely furnished with metal chairs. The next hotel/pub was only showing the
soccer game. Retracing our steps, we
found an Italian restaurant, Café Pescado.
Grabbing a table, Hein watched the game while I read my book ‘Travels
with Fortune, by Christina Dodwell - Christina was born in Nigeria, West Africa, and educated in England.
Her life of remarkable adventure began by chance in 1975, when she made a
20,000-mile journey round Africa by horse,
camel and dug-out canoe.
What a courageous woman! While reading, the Sharks played quite good,
won and we shared a small focaccia pizza. At the suite, we sat on the balcony
watching and listening to the local dialect.
The buzz was unbelievable – I wouldn’t want it every day, but for a
once-in-a-while-experience, absolutely recommendable.
For dinner we decided to stroll
down to The Salty Dog – a fish-and-chips shop.
Fishcakes and coleslaw for me, Russian and chips for Hein. Real slap chips with vinegar and salt. The evening was balmy and calm. It was just such a novelty walking anywhere
at night. Hein moved our car to a legal
parking spot.
Sitting on the balcony, eating
our take-aways, we watched a few miserable attempts at fireworks. Apparently it’s usually quite a good show,
but not that night. Watching a guy
trying to parallel park, we were in stitches.
Clearly some booze played a part – he was nearly in, then decided to go
forward – missed the Golf in front of him with centimeters. Not feeling good, he drove out into the road
– then reversed again into the spot. It
probably took him 10-15 minutes. And all
that effort only to draw money at the ATM.
With Earth Hour scheduled for
20h30, we obeyed and went to sleep.
Although cars were still driving around and the odd pedestrian loudly
chatted to the guy on the opposite pavement, we had a wonderful night’s sleep.
Sunday 29 March 2009
At 7am Sunday morning, we awoke –
I had some tea (there was no real coffee in the room), Hein had coffee and then
we lazed around and read till 9 for breakfast.
The breakfast room is decorated
in gold with lovely copper kettles and rose teacups. Malinda offered us mince
on toast with an egg, cheese and tomato.
This sign caught my eye and I just smiled. While having some lovely filter coffee, we
could see the sailboats and army ships in the harbor. Also loads of white horses on the sea. (The waves when the wind is blowing.)
Armed with a red peak hat, we
strolled through the army ships, took photos and at some places,
seriously struggle to stay upright in the wind.
Tours were done on the boats, but
we were a bit too early and didn’t want to hang around.
Spotting a tea garden inside a
huge building, we escaped the sun and wind.
After walking around battling the wind, our throats were very dry.
Lovely filter coffee was served
and little cakes – 3 for R7,50!
What a bargain! We only had 3 small(!) ones – so that I could
take photos for this review, of course.
They were a custard slice, a coconut cupcake and a small doughnut. Absolutely delightful.
Cannons were parked inside the
building, Hein took some photos and then went outside for the
cannon show. Each team had to dismantle
the whole cannon, lift it over to the other side and re-assemble
it again.
The shots were so loud, I felt
like crawling under the table! Hein said
one of the kids at the cannon show did actually fell down with fright.
People were everywhere and
parking was almost non-existent.
Crafters were pitching their wares, candy floss were selling like hot
cakes, hmmm, or like hot sugar?
Just Nuisance Memorial
- The Unique Tale of a Unique Hound
Visitors to Simon’s
Town in the Western Cape of South Africa
may be surprised to see an impressive statue of a dog near the Simon’s Town
Naval Base. This is the Just Nuisance
Memorial, a memorial dedicated to a member of the Royal Navy – Able Seaman
Just Nuisance, the dog.
Just Nuisance the Great Dane was born in Rondebosch of Cape Town on 1
April 1937 (not the exact day). Benjamin Chaney bought the Great Dane puppy and
then moved to Simon’s Town so as to run the USI (United Services Institute).
Sailors from the Royal Navy would often visit the USI and quickly took to the
dog offering him treats, taking him for walks and giving him plenty of
attention.
The Great Dane
believed that every matelot was his friend and treated them as such. He began
following the matelots around wherever they went whether it be the naval base,
dockyards or even ships. The dog loved to lie on the deck just at the top of
the gangplank, often getting in the way. That is how he got the name Just Nuisance. Just Nuisance also
became quickly known on South
Africa's train system as he would join the
sailors as they travelled to various destinations. Several times he was dropped
off at a station on discovery, but the clever dog he was, Just Nuisance would simply wait for the next train to come along.
Eventually they threatened to have him put down, however a vast number of
sailors strongly objected to this.
To solve this problem Just Nuisance the Great Dane was
enlisted into the Royal Navy on 25 August
1939. He was registered with the Christian name of “Just”, his trade was “Bone
Crusher” and the Religious Denomination assigned to him was “Scrounger”. As a
full fledged member of the Navy Just
Nuisance received the same benefits including a sailor's bed and seaman's
hat. Later on he received a promotion from “Ordinary Seaman” to “Able Seaman”. Just Nuisance did much good for the
morale of the Royal Navy seamen as well as stopping fights between men and
assisting drunk sailors back to the base.
Sadly Just Nuisance
was involved in a motor accident which resulted in a thrombosis causing
paralysis. He was therefore discharged from the Royal Navy on 1 January 1944.
On 1 April 1944 Just Nuisance was taken to the Simon's Town Naval Hospital where he was put down. He was
laid to rest at Klaver Camp with the full military honors with a firing party
from the Royal Marines and a Bugler.
We decided on a light lunch. The main road of Simon’s Town has quite a few
delightful shops. There are art
galleries, antique shops and a ‘one stop convenience shop’. It’s easy to stock up with all your basics –
the one shop even sells coffee plungers and Illy coffee! The bakeries and deli’s are not to be ignored. Fresh breads, cakes, light lunches,
decorative houseware …
We bought a fresh baguette, some
tinned Wildebeest pate (it was really tasty and although a bit pricey, well
worth it. Other flavours are crocodile,
kudu and ostrich), smoked salmon pate and nougat. Left-over coleslaw and soft drinks completed
our ‘balcony lunch’. Hein tried the
nougat, but was quite disgusted when he discovered it has softened in the heat
– after a few hours in the fridge, it tasted like nougat again.
After a short nap, we had a drink
on the balcony and watched sun burnt people and irritable children slowly making
their way back to the train station. The
train arrived a few times during the day – this eliminates the need to drive a
car. The Navy girls and boys were all
seen hurrying from the train station – neatly dressed. Hein nearly had a fit when some of them
carried their bags in their right hand – it was a Navy/Military offence, he
said. The right hand is for
saluting. We even saw a Navy guy in a
wheelchair.
We tried the Harbourview Café for
dinner. Also looking out over the
harbour (photos above), I had a mussels on white wine & creamy rice and
Hein some flavoursome Springbok curry.
With coffee, I tried the Banoffee cheesecake. Yes, your eyes haven’t deceived you – it’s
actually spelled like that and I’ve googled it and found tons of recipes. The name is a mixture of banana and
toffee. Chante kindly gave me the recipe
and although I’ve not tried it, it sounded quite easy.
First, a crust of biscuit crumbs
mixed with melted margarine/butter. Then
a thinnish layer of caramel condensed milk.
Then a layer of sliced bananas (dipped into lemon juice). Then apparently you whip cream cheese and
fresh cream together for the topping.
Put it into the fridge and when you serve, drizzle some toffee sauce on
top. It was not too sweet, not too rich
(well, not for me anyway).
As you can see on the photo, the
cream cheese & cream topping is very white – not off-white. I will
make this pie over the weekend and will then give you an update on the precise
ingredients and procedures. Hold
thumbs!!
I finished my book in bed, while
Hein was watching TV.
Monday 30 March 2009
Waking at 05h30 on Monday morning,
we left at 06h30 for the airport to pick up a business associate. The weather was a bit nasty, so I wrapped
myself in my Pashmina. Pashmina is a
large scarf, usually made of wool or silk.
A handy travel tip – folding up small, keep a Pashmina in your hand
luggage or handbag. If a bit chilly,
wrap it around your legs or arms to ward off most of the cold.
We were a bit early for the
plane, so had breakfast there. With
the meeting just outside Durbanville, Hein dropped me at the Tygervalley mall. Forcing down a horrible cup of Lipton’s Earl
Grey tea, I paged through the You and the People magazines, catching up on
gossip. After 3 hours, we left again for
the airport to drop off the guy. We were
already on our way back to Simon’s Town, when we had to turn back – he left his
car keys in our car. Grrrr.
We had a lovely leisurely afternoon
driving back through Muizenberg though.
Trying another restaurant, The
Seaforth, we drove there, parked at the back and were told by the manager that
in future we should park up front - although we didn’t see any signs
proclaiming it to be private property.
This restaurant was right on the
sea.
And in the distance on the rocks, you could see small penguins walking
up and down.
Starters were spring rolls and
Portuguese sardines. Now I’ve had
sardines quite a few times before, but these were soft as butter – well, room
temperature butter, not fridge butter!
Hein had pork belly with veggies, I had linguine pasta with tomatoes,
parmesan, spinach & feta. Very
flavourful. Coffee and ice cream with
chocolate sauce.
On our way to our car, we saw small
penguins walking around. I managed to
take a pic of this one. They’re quite
tame.
Tuesday morning 31 March 2009
Our last
morning! We’ve decided to have breakfast
in Hout Bay.
Unfortunately Chapmans
Peak was closed, so we
had to take a detour. It was chilly, but
the drive was beautiful. At one stage, I
really didn’t know where we were or where we were going.
Arriving at Hout Bay,
the restaurant on top of Snoekies, The Wharfside Grill, had a bright
fluorescent sign stating they’re open.
However, when we walked inside, the manager informed us they were closed
for breakfast. Some hoo-ha and the other
– I walked to the bathrooms and stomped off to where Hein was waiting in the
car.
Driving back towards Clifton, we
stopped at Camps Bay. With a huge Illy
coffee sign, we decided on the Sandbar for breakfast. What a charming little place. The most divine ceiling décor (white painted branches)
and the weather was perfect – no wind, not chilly at all.
Hein had the usual English
breakfast option. I had a fresh ciabatta
with spinach, tomato salsa and poached egg.
And heavenly Americano coffees!!!
We stopped next to the sea and watched
an elderly lady on a bench, basking her face in the sun while chatting to a
neatly dressed gentleman.
Sadly we waved goodbye to the
ocean and headed to the airport. By
changing our minds from self-catering to b&b, we spent an amazing weekend
amidst the hustle and buzz of a quaint seaside town.
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