The prospect of Heathrow is usually as daunting as a journey up the M 6, but it was a very easy through route to the BA flight, I have to say. The overnight flight meant landing @ 7.20 am in Cape Town, in warm sunshine.
Efficient transfer to Pepper Club Hotel, welcomed with a glass of cold, white, wine; earliest ” drink” I’ve ever had! Great room, with view of Table Mountain, from balcony, which is as stunning a vista as you could wish for. A bite to eat and a beer, across the road, specialising in 96 different, bottled beers, plus a multitude of draught pilsners, etc.
Then a walk down the appropriately named Long Street, to the railway station to buy tickets for the next day’s train journey to NEWLANDS Cricket Ground.
After a bountiful, buffet breakfast, walked downtown to the station.All vestiges of yesterday’s festival had been removed and being Sunday, it was very tranquil.Arrived at NEWLANDS and within minutes we were in our seats , enjoying the atmosphere and views from this wonderful sporting arena. Hannah spied David”Bumble” Lloyd, our favourite Sky cricket pundit, being wired up for an interview; she cajoled him into a photo and was very pleased with herself! So were we…
I won’t go into too much detail about what unfolded into one of the most exciting day’s Test Cricket, ever, just some photos.
Really fortunate in our choice of day. The evening was rounded off with dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, where we were served a range of dishes, no knives/forks, scooped up with pieces of spongelike , flat bread; accompanied ( for me ) with Savvanah Cider. So far, we have encountered a great atmosphere, friendly people willing to engage and that undefinable feeling of being in a totally different and fascinating country and in particular the ” Mother City”…aptly named.
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