Castle ? . . or . . Fortress ?
The DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY in Cape Town
. . built a defense for the city . . ( in the style of a European "Castle" - late 1660s ).
( They had been 'tipped off ' . . that "the English are coming!" )
It was a Replenishment Station . . for their 'ships' going
. . FROM Europe . . TO India . .
Surrounded by a Moat . . . ( still today )
Greeted by . . numerous Cannons . . and Armed Guards
Table Mountain . . is 'right there' . .
One Hour Guided Tour comes with . . the 30 Rand entrance fee ( $3 )
She introduces South Africa's " OLDEST COLONIAL Building " ⏎
. . and sketches its' various uses over more than 3.5 Centuries
Today it's the . . Seat of the Military . . as well as a . .
Public Service Institution . . ( including Tourism )
From the Entrance to the Living Quarters . .
Public Announcements were made . . Visitors were welcomed . .
The DOLPHIN POOL has come and gone over time
. . even re - discovered at one point after years of abandonment
. . Steps descending into the pool are the only original pieces left today
( Important for Ladies - full dress - swim suit at that time . . skirts would float to the surface ! )
ARTILLARY GUNS . . line this Exterior Wall.
In the 1600s . . Table Bay waters . . came right up to this barrier
. . & to portions of Table Mountain.
➤ What happened ? ( Don't tell me ! )
. . CLIMATE 'changed' . . ( NO! Say it isn't so ! Who / What . . to blame !? )
Today . . several blocks of High - Rise Buildings . . and Railroad . . fill that dry land space
Table Mountain's proximity to the Castle
. . Bay water used to occupy much of that land
( There is a 'FIRE' on the other side of the mountain today
You can see Smoke . . . We can smell it and . . hear sirens )
Into the Torture Chamber we go . .
A circular space . . lined with several small rooms
. . 1 room for "Drunken" Sailors
. . 2 rooms for men Shirking their work Responsibilities
. . 2 rooms for men who had committed Minor Offenses
. . 1 room for Serious Offenders etc.
SIZE of the room had nothing to do with How Many were put in there.
More recently the . . Skylight Roof has been added and . . dirt Floor has been Surfaced
This is not for . . 'decoration'
Some were HUNG . . by their feet until they 'confessed'
. . Some met DEATH . . hanging here
An almost pitch black room . . adjacent to here . .
was used for Recovery of those who were BEATEN . . Some died
Upper level Dining Hall . . of the Living Quarters
. . Imagine yourself as . . Host and Hostess
. . Imagine the buzz . . in the Kitchen !
. . Imagine being . . the Guest . . seated in one of these chairs
( Which 'Topics of Conversation' would . . YOU . . choose ?? )
A 17th Century ( A.M. ) CLOCK idea
. . arrangement of numbers varied . . depending on . . which wall . . it was hung
( P.M. ) CLOCK on another wall . . We've never seen anything like this . .
During darkness . . an 'Hour Glass' was turned . . every 60 minutes
. . ( monitored all nite )
During the 24 Hour period . . a city BELL was rung . . ON every Hour. Fascinating!
Well, what do you know ! We expected a "RUIN" . . lots of surprises instead . .
( A small cafe awaits . . We move on )
Now . . who are you again . . RUSTY ?? or WRINKLES ??
Big and little people . . get a kick out of passing through . . this small Exit . .
Remember . . this is currently a Military Base
. . Isn't there a Tune with . . "I'm in the ARMY now" . .
Well, I'm not in the Army . . but my door - mate IS! We're both headed "outta here" . .
These days "the Base" is NOT . . ON THE WATERFRONT
( remember that ' climate change ' thing ?! )
. . It's now close to City Center . . and . . "What a Setting" !!
Across the street . . from The Castle of Good Hope . . are the Parade Grounds
We're hungry . . V & A are happily on our way back to our Green Point lodging
. . What a pity . . We love another excuse to spend a couple more late afternoon hours
. . getting lost . . wandering around that great place . .
We can walk "home" from the Waterfront . . about 1.25 mile
. . I might add . . a lush and "lovely" ( as local Brits say ) walk back
Not too shabby . . From our room . . and . . from the upper deck level just outside our room
this View . . Three Anchor Bay
. . is "right there" . . waiting to be toasted !
Rusty and Wrinkles . . "Wish you were here !"
____________________
No comments:
Post a Comment