Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

Michaelis Collection: The Michaelis Collection contains a valuable, internationally renownedcollection of artworks by sixteenth to eighteenth-century Dutch and Flemish masters. It issituated in the Old Town House in Greenmarket Square. Visitors can also browse through thenearby Greenmarket Square flea market and fashion boutiques.South African National Gallery: Cape Town is the home of the South African NationalGallery. The gallery can be reached via the oak-lined Government Avenue that runs throughthe Gardens, at the top of Adderley Street. The National Gallery’s permanent collection hasoutstanding examples of British, French, Dutch and Flemish art, but recent acquisitionsconcentrate on South African contemporary art. It has an extensive collection of beadwork,indigenous sculpture and repatriated artefacts that had been removed from the country overthe last 200 years. The reference library is open to the public and these beautifulsurroundings lend extra flavour to a cup of tea, which can be enjoyed at the Gallery shop andCafé.CUISINEWine and seafood: The Western Cape is the heartland of the wine and seafood industry ofSouth Africa. Wine estates cover vast areas of the province.Goede Hoop Wine Estate: The establishment dates from 1880 and lies on the slopes of abeautiful valley. Visits by appointment only!Kaapzicht Estate: The estate was originally established as the farm Friesland in 1712 andwas later known as Rozendal. In 1946, the estate became the property of the Steytler family.Today, it produces some exquisite wines.CULTURE / COMMUNITY TOURISMBo-Kaap: The Bo-Kaap ("Upper Cape" orMalay Quarter), with its winding narrowsteep streets flanked by restored earlynineteenth-centurycottages painted inpastel colours, strongly retains the flavourof the past. Originally, this area was usedfor slave quarters, stables and militarybarracks. Slaves from Batavia, imported byseventeenth-century Dutch colonists,shared the quarters with the imams exiledfrom Indonesia for challenging Dutchcolonial rule. Their descendants continue tolive here and the Cape Malay community,which has evolved over centuries, retainsits strong group identity. Most of the inhabitants of the colourful houses are devout Muslimsand the call to prayer is a regular sound in the area. The Bo-Kaap Cultural History Museum at71 Wale Street is housed in one of the oldest surviving buildings in the area, erected in the1760s. The museum portrays the lifestyle of a typical Malay family of the nineteenth centuryand also displays a collection of historical carts and carriages. It is a meeting place for Bo-Kaap residents who also host their own exhibitions about Muslim culture here.40