Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

largest (sharks and rays).If you arrive at the righttime, you can watchwhile the turtles andsharks are fed by divers.And, if you wish tobecome a more activeparticipant, a popularattraction is a dive intothe shark tank.HISTORY AND ARCHITECTUREThe beauty of Cape Town and its surroundings has inspired the building of graceful andbeautiful buildings. Today, the city mirrors the history and architecture of the manygenerations of people who settled here over the ages. Many of the old architectural wondershave been well preserved and stand in stark contrast to their neighbours, imaginativecreations of glass and steel.Bertram House: There are many beautiful houses in Cape Town, which have been restored toreflect the different eras and the lifestyles of those who lived in them. Bertram House is a lateGeorgian red-brick house at the top of Government Avenue and contains extensive collectionsof Georgian furniture, Chinese and English porcelain and English silver. It also has aninteresting programme of exhibitions, craft demonstrations, workshops, lectures, chambermusic and concerts. Bertram House is furnished in the style of a wealthy, nineteenth-centuryBritish residence and the period garden adds to the effect.Breakwater Prison (Lodge): The lodge is located in Portswood Road at the Waterfront andwas built in 1895 to house convicts who were cutting stone for the breakwater. Visitors canstill see the treadmill that was installed in 1890 to discipline the prisoners. Today, this buildinghouses the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and the BreakwaterLodge.Cape Medical Museum: The museum is housed at the New Somerset Hospital in PortswoodRoad, which was built by Governor Sir George Grey in 1859. It depicts the history of earlymedical science in the former home of the superintendent of the hospital.Castle of Good Hope: The Castle in Buitenkant Street is the oldest existing building in SouthAfrica and is one of Cape Town’s landmarks. This stone fort, in the shape of a five-3pointedstar, was constructed from 1666 to 1679 and stands across the Grand Parade from theCity Hall. Its five bastions are named after the different titles of the Prince of Orange of theNetherlands. Its 10-m-thick walls and five corner bastions mark the skyline with the historyof its time. Still used as a military base, its ancient rooms also house a museum with military47