I love the smell of Cape Town in the morning. It smells like… possibility!
Those of you familiar with Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore will know where I pinched that line from. You’ll have to be around my age, though! It’s true, however. I prefer mornings to napalm anyway. I have always been a morning person. I enjoy the freedom and possibility of a new day. I am sharper in the mornings and more alert. I like the feeling that anything could happen and that the whole day is still ahead of you.
When I was last in Cape Town a few months ago, my flight arrived very early. I collected my car and drove straight to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront to have breakfast and get some trousers tailored. It seemed like a good use of time. I couldn’t check into my accommodation until 10:00 a.m., I was hungry anyway, and I wanted to have a Spur breakfast.
More on that in my next post.
Spur is a restaurant chain in South Africa and has always been a big part of my South African life. I have always enjoyed going there and have lots of happy memories of visiting with my family when the children were young. So, I was quite excited about going back. When I arrived at the Waterfront in the morning, it was almost empty, apart from the workers opening the shops and getting everything ready for the day.
The tailor didn’t open until 10:00 a.m., so that didn’t happen. But I had my breakfast, then sat in the amphitheatre and looked out at Table Mountain.
It felt like home. It was just awesome to be back and so great to breathe that Cape air again after the grind of London.
Cape Town feels fresh.
The wind hits the Cape from the southeast, coming all the way from Antarctica, and I think it’s good for your body and good for your soul. A lot of Capetonians dislike the wind, but I’ve always liked it. I like storms and rain, so it has never really bothered me. Then again, I don’t have any hair, so I can understand why it might be an issue if you’ve spent ages making your hair look nice.
Early in the morning at the Waterfront is just so peaceful. In fact, early mornings are the perfect time to be almost anywhere in Cape Town. There would be nobody at the Cape of Good Hope. Nobody at the penguins. Nobody at Signal Hill.
It is a great time to be out and about. I wandered around for a while and then drove to my hotel. I think I only went back to the Waterfront once after that, to finally get my trousers tailored, and that was it.
But I’ll be back in February. So, I’ll be back at the Waterfront.
But will I be going back to Spur?
