The Ramble - Travel & Day 1 Cape Town

Barbara Seith
Jul 6, 2025
2 min read

To avoid Newark Airport and all its travails, I rebooked my flight from Boston to Heathrow to Cape Town -- it was not bad except Heathrow is not a fun airport -- very big and confusing, but I survived. I had an afternoon free once I arrived at my Accommodations -- the same one as the last time I was in Cape Town -- comfortable, good food & nice people.

First sight of Africa from the plane

My Porch at the Greenwood Villa - Cape Town (not Angulate Tortoise under chair on left)

Vince arrived @7:30 and we were off to the Cape of Good Hope. They don't normally take people there, because 1) it is very crowded with tourists and 2) its expensive to get in. Vince got approval (although I would have been happy to pay for it, because I had never been there). We arrived a little after 9am and got a life bird (Black Goshawk or Sparrowhawk) on the way down. It was supposed to be rainy (it wasn't) and windy (oh yes, it was), but Cape Town is almost always windy!

We headed right for the biggest tourist spot which also home to a Cape Cormorant roost - a bird Vince could not believe I did not have from the last trip, but I didn't -- that was life bird number 3, because almost as soon as we entered the park I spotted a Cape Grassbird (number 2) - its a tough bird, because although it sings a lot, it never sings when perched up -- then it is silent.

Cape Grassbird