The political prison at Robben Island used during Apartheid

 
Our prison guide
- a former inmate

 
Mandela's cell

Today's plan was to go to Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela and many other political persecuted were imprissoned during appartheid.

We cought the 10 o'clock ferry together with Ria and Humberto.

 
Cape Town as seen from the island

 
The query where the political meetings took place

Very interesting tour guided by former inmates who could tell various anecdotes and stories about the day-to-day life inside these walls.

After lunch back on the mainland we split up. Ria and Humberto went to the aquarium while Linda and I went to do a more detailed inspection of the anti-apartheid exibition at the Robben Island museum.

Our hotel, the Tudor (424 1335), is located adjacent to the Greenmarket square where all kinds of souvenirs can be bought. It's actually famous for this kind of shopping. Even locals go here to buy stuff, so Gaby told us. Linda and I can spend quite a while in such a market - looking at various objects, bargaining, leaving the booth, wandering off to the next, returning some time later, seemingly by accident and still looking uninterested, yer bargaining a bit more and finally agreeing on a price. Before returning home we did have to get one of those thin legged and long necked giraffes carved out of tree, that was a given. This market seemed to be the place to get one. Still, we didn't find a specimen that fulfilled our quality requirements. In fact we had to leave the market and go into a standard shop to find a giraffe of our likes.

In the evening we again met up with Ria and Humberto for dinner and enjoyed delicious mexican food (on my request).

   
Cape Town sights