Robben Island

Oh the joy of being awakened by the hotel fire alarm.  Fortunately it went off just as we were getting up.  Even better, it was shut off almost immediately and we were not asked to evacuate.

Having purchased our tickets about a month ago to be sure that we could go at the time and date of our choice, we left the hotel shortly after 10 AM for the five minute walk to the ferry terminal for Robben Island.  We had been told that it was wise to be there no later than 10:30 if we did not want to be at the back of the line to get aboard. Thank you to those friends who told us to buy or tickets early and get there early, both of which were good pieces of advise.

I got my hopes up when I saw VAVA II tied up to a pier, but we were destined to make the trip to Robben Island on DIAS, which started to board soon after 10:30. 

Seated behind the wheelhouse, we had a good vantage point during the forty minute trip to the island. 

There is a great deal written about Robben Island so click on the link to learn the facts of its long, varied and mostly dark history as a place of incarceration. I will limit my remarks to some of what we saw during our tour. 

We saw pictures of former political prisoners, read their stories and saw some of the items used to communicate ideas [e.g. the "cement bag newspaper"].

Reminder:  You can click on an image to see a bigger version of it.

What really brought everything to life was the fact that our guide through the prison had been an inmate for five years, arrested by the apartheid government when he was a student. It does not get anymore real than such a first-hand account of the conditions, treatment and mindset of the political prisoners held here.

After our visit to the prison concluded, we were taken on a 30-minute bus tour of the island. 

As we had learned during our visit to the prison for political prisoners, common criminals were also incarcerated on Robben Island.  Unlike Alcatraz, there was a community on the island larger than just the guard population.  The small town had a bank, post office, grocery store, etc., although in recent years better ferry service from the mainland resulted in all be the post office closing.  Oddly, the church in the picture below still does a bang up business in Valentine's Day weddings.

During the Second World War, Robben Island had guns to protect Cape Town's harbor approaches. The guns could lob a shell 22 miles.

These two ladies looked like they were tensed up expecting it to fire.

Robben Island has an important lighthouse.  We could see one of the shoals that extended from the island over a mile out to sea.  The Cape of Good Hope / Cape Town area has amassed over 400 known shipwrecks. 

A quick stop to look back at Cape Town, then we returned to the ferry, this time boarding SEA PRINCESS.  It was a faster, but lumpier ride.

Before we could return to the hotel, we had to wait while the swing bridge swung to accommodate so boat traffic.  This was not a bad thing as Pam had wanted to see it open.  After it closed again, we held back until a stampede of pedestrians had crossed.

After a few minutes in the room, we wandered off our separate ways for a while.  Later, we headed for the Wheel of Excellence. 

It was not as impressive as the London Eye or Singapore Flyer, but it was a lot of fun to get a bird's eye view of the area.

After the ride we proceeded to down the V&A Waterfront to a restaurant called Karibu which featured South African dining.  During our meal an a cappella group came by and sang a couple of traditional songs.  

To hear a snippet, click on the picture or go to https://youtu.be/G46eEVCRdb4.

After a good meal that including tip set me back less than $50, we walked by VAVA II.  Impressive!  The anchors have doors to cover them when not in use.  The bridge wings retract.  The helicopter on the top deck was a nice touch. 

We wended our way back to the hotel along the promenade. 

Tomorrow we depart the Victoria & Alfred Hotel to board INSIGNIA.