The Dutch East India Company is a huge part of the history here. So it’s appropriate that we take a walk down through a pedestrian bazaar area to the Company’s Gardens. I bargain for a hat, first $20 each, I settle for a $7 porkpie that will do for the time being til I get a proper safari number!
Here when sailors were stopping en route to the orient, ships needed to refuel. Small vegetable gardens were set up, tended by slaves originally then eventually granted to free burgers, from whom it bought fresh produce.. The drought now has rendered the gardens dry and unimpressive but they have been restored to show what was once a very valuable asset to the Company.
The National Gallery borders the gardens so we enjoy a tour of the mostly modern African art collection.
A cab across town is about $7 for 10 minutes back to the waterfront and another feast of oysters from Namibia! And a nice rose for me and a beer for Ted at the sit-up oyster bar. We then stroll along to a much more tony place with white tablecloths right on the waterfront by the tour boat touts - and enjoy people watching with some sushi (not great tasting but looking beautiful) and a nice Chenin Blanc.
Food here is relatively cheap, especially restaurant meals. The sushi place was half price from 12-5 every day, maybe just for now which is out of the main tourist season.
Here when sailors were stopping en route to the orient, ships needed to refuel. Small vegetable gardens were set up, tended by slaves originally then eventually granted to free burgers, from whom it bought fresh produce.. The drought now has rendered the gardens dry and unimpressive but they have been restored to show what was once a very valuable asset to the Company.
The National Gallery borders the gardens so we enjoy a tour of the mostly modern African art collection.
A cab across town is about $7 for 10 minutes back to the waterfront and another feast of oysters from Namibia! And a nice rose for me and a beer for Ted at the sit-up oyster bar. We then stroll along to a much more tony place with white tablecloths right on the waterfront by the tour boat touts - and enjoy people watching with some sushi (not great tasting but looking beautiful) and a nice Chenin Blanc.
Food here is relatively cheap, especially restaurant meals. The sushi place was half price from 12-5 every day, maybe just for now which is out of the main tourist season.
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