Capetonians Out and About - Slowly

The V and A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa

Covid-19 has placed the entire world in lock-down and we now have to face a new "normal"
Cape Town with empty streets just seems so sad. However, things are slowly returning to some degree of "normal"

Even the seagulls are looking for scraps - with no people eating at restaurants, they are now perhaps healthy without all those chips!

Seagull in the Vand A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa

For us, as Capetonians, this has been particularly difficult, given that we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We so love being out and about, on our beaches, on our beloved Table Mountain, browsing around the V&A Waterfront, watching the boats bring in their catch of fresh fish and crayfish, fishing from the harbour wall in Kalk Bay, walking Sea Point Promenade etc etc..

Kalk Bay Cape Town South Africa

So, with brilliant sunshine and the exercise period extending to 18.00 hrs we, and hundreds of others, took ourselves out! It caused a tad of chaos on the mountains - so much so that some areas had to be closed when safe capacity was reached. This affected the very popular Newlands Forest and Lion's Head

Kalk Bay - access via the Brass Bell in Main Road

Walking with a mask and glasses is a dangerous experience, made even more so with a camera stuck to my eye! With the specs being misted up continually (why do I breather so much??) I was lucky to escape the week-end unscathed. With some beautiful memories to soothe my soul and the gentle, winter sunshine to soothe my body.

Kalk Bay Harbour - waiting for the crayfish

Kalk Bay Harbour is always a delight - there was much activity with a number of boats arriving and offloading all those delectable crayfish that we can no longer afford!

Seals at Kalk Bay Harbour

The seals of Kalk Bay love the sunshine but they sure do move quickly once they hear the boats arriving - diving into the water and going up close hoping for a fishy morsel or two. I don't think they were given any crayfish though!

Table Mountain from the V and A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa

The reflections in the water at the V&A Waterfront were incredibly beautiful this week-end. The boats are not yet allowed to take visitors out so there is no movement in the water which allowed for reflections all around.

Table Mountain from the V and A Cape Town South Africa

Hotels stand empty except for those taking Essential Workers or Quarantine guests.
Some restaurants are now open for take-aways but one has to wonder of they are even making any profit by doing this. We hope so as poverty hits so many on an unprecedented scale.

Cafe Alfredo V and A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa

Kalky's in Kalk Bay is very well known and they were doing a roaring trade - people were happily sitting on the quayside with their fish and chips.

Quay in Kalk Bay Harbour

So we battle on with the effects of Corona Virus on our city and our world. But this will eventually pass, albeit with many fatalities. Do we lay the blame somewhere or must we accept that the earth decided it needed a well earned rest from the millions of tourists world-wide, the packed skies, the clogged highways and the millions of people looking for their next adventure??

Empty Streets Cape Town South Africa

It is anybody's guess at this stage.

Take care and stay safe!

Empty Chairs V and A Waterfront Cape Town South Africa

Once our South African borders re-open, please come and visit our beautiful country.

V and A Boat trips Cape Town South Africa

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

Stop the Clock? Wonderful Famous Quotes

Life as we have known it in recent years, is not the same due to the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. Yet time does not stand still, no matter how many times we wish we could "stop the clock".

Clock Tower, Corfu

However, as the world slowly goes about getting back to "the new normal" we are all starting to breathe a sign of relief even though the outlook for the next 12 months or so perhaps remains bleak.

Pondering on this, I realized that humans have gone through so much over the ages and yet life has always gone on. Perhaps in a different way, yet history has shown us the resilience of mankind, despite the horrors that have occurred throughout the centuries.

The famous quotes below are both inspiring, uplifting, soul searching and will hopefully bring a smile and hope for a new tomorrow.

People Who Are Crazy Enough To Think They Can Change The World, Are The Ones Who Do – Rob Siltanen


Lewis Pugh is one such guy who swims in the coldest of oceans to bring awareness of plastic pollution and much more.  "Sometimes we set boundaries for ourselves in life, or even worse, we allow others to do so. In many cases, these boundaries are just in our mind and need to be pushed away. We have to appreciate that we are part of nature, we must work with nature; the environment is our lifeline"

Another inspiring story is that of Captain Tom Moore, A UK resident 
"To all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment," he said, addressing a British public who have seen life turned upside down by coronavirus. "The sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away."

'Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted for his fundraising efforts after a special nomination from the prime minister.

The war veteran raised more than £32m for NHS charities by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday 30th April, 2020

Boris Johnson said the centenarian had provided the country with "a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus".

As an honorary colonel, his official title will be Captain Sir Thomas Moore under Ministry of Defence protocol.

Courtesy BBC NEWS

Plitvice Lakes Croatia

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.”

– Robert Frost

A journey of a thousand leagues begins beneath one’s feet.”

– Lao Tzu

Watch out for the falling coconuts - Maputo Mozambique

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

– Dalai Lama

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.”

– Roy M. Goodman

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new"  - Albert Einstein

 “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”

– Oprah Winfrey

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

– Oscar Wilde

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

– Maya Angelou

Deep in Conversation - Corfu

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

– Albert Einstein

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover – Mark Twain

So the world will carry on, with or without us.

Take care, stay strong and start planning your next adventure as there is always light beyond the tunnel!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

   

Please share - if you did not enjoy this post .....Shhh - but please still share!

Thanks!

Ramblings from Cape Town, South Africa

Can we travel soon?

PLEASE??

Can we travel yet???
Photo Credit: James Williams

Cape Town (and the world) under Lockdown Covid-19 is something most of us will never forget.
This period in world history will be something that our children/grand-children will most probably find quite boring to read about unless they are currently experiencing life at home with no formal schooling. All those folk who are already living "the dream" on islands, or hidden in forests or mountains the world over, may not even realise that the rest of the world is now also in isolation!!

For those who follow Ben Fogle's TV documentaries about people living "In the Wild" perhaps  isolation on a tropical island or hidden amongst the clouds in the Himalayas now seems much more appealing?

Having said that, this city girl is truly missing the beauty of Cape Town and further afield with my camera slung around my neck.  Our planned trip to Southern Italy was due to start 7th May 2020.
This will now, most probably, remain a dream.

For most of us in the Hospitality Industry life is currently pretty tough but we hope to survive this crisis with not too many scars.  Most of us in this industry also love to travel as and when time permits. One has to wonder if international travel will ever reach the highs of recent years?
Or will many planes land up in scrap yards? We hope not.

Having said all that, we hope that Cape Town will once again be on the bucket list of both local and international travellers. South Africa has incredible beauty and Cape Town is a city like none other.

Kalk Bay remains a village that can be visited over and over again. The harbour is always interesting, the locals even more so, the restaurants are varied, the fishing boats draw photographers and the seals are always on the look out for scraps off the boats.

Kirstenbosch is Cape Town's pride and joy - this Botanical Garden is one of the best in the world and attracts both locals and tourists. Take time out to enjoy a picnic on the wide expanses of lawn, enjoy the summer concerts, enjoy the bird life, marvel at the stunning flora, hike up into the mountain or just sit on a bench and enjoy the mountain views.

Art and Sculpture are part and parcel of the Cape Town scene - visit the Norval Foundation for interesting exhibits and a slow wander around their gardens. The onsite restaurant offers a huge deck for summer breakfasts or lunches.

Norval Foundation

Art lovers can also enjoy the modern Zeitz Museum in the V&A.

The Franschhoek Motor Museum is a classic car lovers delight and also brings you to the Winelands for a long, lazy lunch!

Franschhoek Motor Museum

Capetonians love to exercise and we have all the facilities - indoors or outdoors!

In the ocean, on the beaches, in the mountains, or biking along Sea Point Promenade.

So please, don't be in Lockdown forever - we would love to see you as soon as possible!!

Penguins in Simonstown, Cape Town, South Africa 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradclinphotography

                For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa

                                      www.bradclin.com

Table Mountain from Blouberg

Please share - if you did not enjoy this post .....Shhh - but please still share!

Thanks!