A quick trip to town

Popped over to the Waterfront for a bit of bustle late yesterday afternoon. Sometimes it's nice to leave this sleepy village and catch up with fashion trends, who's in town, what vessels are in Cape Town docks and just generally enjoy the view of the front of Table Mountain.

This must be one of the most photographed scenes in the world. A postcard of this view was pinned to the staircase behind the counter in the movie Notting Hill (I always look at the backgrounds to see what's up), but it really is one of the best angles of the mountain. Although the quay doesn't look busy, there were lots of boats coming and going, most notably the Jolly Roger and is a popular attraction along with the other cruise boats, taking tourists and locals alike along the Atlantic seaboard for a view of our spectacular mountains and coastline, dropping anchor briefly off Clifton for those who might care for a dip in the chilly waters, and sundowners on deck. 

There are two sides to the Waterfront - what I call the 'family' side, where the franchised restaurants are, and the 'other' side, where I like to eat! Life is too short and there are too many good restaurants to put up with mediocre, but my son wanted a seafood platter from a franchise and I trailed in his wake with a heavy heart. To be fair, it was not a bad meal, but to discover that the butter sauce was margarine was quite a shock as I didn't know that kind of thing was still served (I live in a world of reading labels and selecting my ingredients with pedantic care) - I thought it was accepted that margarine is a no-no! That really placed it firmly in the 'family' category and it will be back to the 'other' side next time. I'm afraid I have become a food snob and cannot accept certain things on my plate. In fact I often find myself unable to find anything to eat on a menu - now there's a thing!

The demographics have changed over the years and it's good to see such a cross-section enjoying Cape Town's premier attraction, although to be sure many are just window shoppers (like me). Live music blared out from the amphitheatre - not unpleasant, but rather overpowering conversation-wise - probably a good thing it was down at the 'family' end as the fine diners might have got indigestion from the volume, if not the prices! I suppose that's the penalty of advancing years - we have a reduced tolerance for loud music unless it's our own.

The only thing that the Waterfront fell short on was the strange lack of wi-fi - even a small coffee shop offers automatic connection these days - and I really did want to share that photo of Table Mountain while I was there!