What Else Happened in Cape Town

I know it's not completely belly dance related, but I'd like to share with you some of the other things we did while in Cape Town. We like to do a bit of sight seeing wherever we travel for workshops or shows and I thought it might be informative for anyone travelling to Cape Town.

We went a day early so that we could have a "holiday" day. A break between travelling and our hectic dance schedule for the weekend. Our accommodation was in Fresnaye, a vibrant area at the foot of Signal Hill and Lion's Head.

Signal Hill is where the famous Noon Gun has been fired every day, except Sundays and public holidays, since 1806.

Fresnaye is right next to Sea Point. The whole area is full with shops and restaurants. It's worth spending time walking around Main Street and Regent Street exploring. That is how we found Crumbs and Cream, an amazing ice-cream sandwich shop, on day 3 of our trip. For R35 you get to choose your 2 cookies and your ice-cream filling. There are also toppings to choose from at R5 per topping. It was so delicious. I will definitely be visiting them again next time I'm in Cape Town.

There is also a Kosher Checkers (grocery store) in Fresnaye with delicious kosher ready made food. We went there to supper on our first night and it was worth the 10 minute walk downhill and the 10 minutes (felt like 20) back up again.

On our "holiday" day, we drove our to Blouberg Strand. It is on the opposite side of the bay, giving you a beautiful view of table mountain.

On the beach in front of the Eden on the Bay shopping mall, is this yellow frame where you can take your picture with Table Mountain in the background.

And of course you should take every opportunity to stretch.

After take about 50 photos at the frame, we moved inside the mall to find Habiba.

Lindy sells boho clothing, jewellery, mandalas, and belly dance costumes and paraphernalia. We spent 2 and a half hours browsing, trying on costumes and chatting. We had so much fun there. Definitely worth visiting this boutique.

We found another vintage boutique in the mall, but we had a rather negative experience there where the sales lady was rather rude. She told me that I wouldn't fit the clothes I was admiring and they don't come in bigger sizes because they are one of a kind vintage. I responded that I know they won't fit, but that doesn't mean I can't admire them. I don't remember the name of the store.

Back to the fun...

We travelled back towards the centre of town to Cavendish Square. We wanted to go to Storm in a G Cup to get professional fittings. We each got our own fitter and found some lovely bras. I won't share those pictures.

Afterwards we were starving! It was 4pm and our last meal had been breakfast at about 8am. We decided to go to Primi Piatti. We got excellent service. The waiters had such dynamic personalities and told us what they thought was the best and the worst items on the menu.

The shops at Cavendish Square are open until 7pm, so we did some browsing and bought some sale jewellery from Lovisa.

That brings us to day 3. Melanie was flying in that morning. She was going to take the shuttle into town and then to the V&A Waterfront and meet us there for lunch before going to Sandra's workshop. We arrived a little early and so decided to walk around.

I'm a toy fan. It's good I have kids so that I can buy toys under guise of them being just for the kids, and they are getting to the age where they are into Lego and other cool things. So naturally when I saw Hamley's we made a bee line for it (or I did and everyone else followed).

Hamley's has a train that drives around the Waterfront's outdoor area. I didn't find out the price, but if I had had my kids with me I definitely would have.

After spending more than I was supposed to at Hamley's, we got the text that Mel had arrived. We did our reunited selfie with the Waterfront's Big Wheel and turned our attention to lunch.

There are many lovely places to eat at the Waterfront. How ever after our trip to Hamley's we had to settle on the food court rather than a restaurant.

We went to Sea Point High School to drop off Mel and Termare for their workshop, while Karla and I walked around Sea Point, browsing in little shops, finding ice-cream and taking a stroll by the sea.

There is a kids' play park, an open air gym and a few different artworks along the promenade.

The views are also amazing. People go for walks, run and cycle on the promenade and kids playing soccer on the grass, giving it a real community feeling.

Lastly, we went to Mesopotamia, a Kurdish restaurant where Beverli Al-Masrah (or sometimes another dancer) dances every night. It has a great atmosphere. The seating on cushion round low brass tables, the decor and Beverli, make for an unforgettable experience. The food was delicious and I really enjoyed my mocktail.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on our trip to Cape Town for the Theatrical Oriental Dance Festival. U'm already looking forward to next year's festival.