Simon’s Town: Naval History & Stubborn Seals
The weather wasn't quite so nice first thing today. It was drizzling this morning, although it cleared up by lunchtime. The wind then came up and it was very strong before finally dropping at about 5pm. It's a lovely sunny evening now.
Today we took an Uber to Simon's Town. Mark's dad had visited during the war when his ship, HMS Sirius, called in for repairs after a sister ship struck a mine. We visited the Naval Museum and saw a model of the Sirius, along with lots of information about the ship, including the 31 African Coloured people who served on board. Mark's dad never liked the apartheid system that existed in the town.
We spent around three hours at the museum. It was varied, covering not only the history of the navy but also the present day and how it is now a fully integrated force.
Simon's Town itself is like walking back in time. It is more or less one main street, with many of the buildings dating back to when it was owned and ruled by Britain. There was an excellent timeline called the Wall of Memory, made up of historical information boards telling the rich history and culture of Simon's Town.
We stopped for a coffee and croissant in a lovely café, where I had the best almond croissant ever! While we were there, we met a Scottish gentleman and his wife, who is originally from Simon's Town. He has lived here for 30 years, and we ended up chatting to them for over an hour. As always, the conversation covered just about everything! They had recently returned from Alaska, a similar trip to the one we did last year, so we exchanged stories and travel tips.
One story he told us was about Able Seaman Just Nuisance, the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who served at HMS Afrikander between 1939 and 1944. When he died, he was buried with full military honours and, despite it being wartime, a naval signal was sent to every Royal Navy ship announcing his death. A remarkable story!
The harbour itself first served as a safe anchorage for the Dutch East India Company in the 1740s before becoming the British Royal Navy's South Atlantic headquarters. Today it is South Africa's principal naval base, and there were plenty of navy personnel around the streets.
Even our Uber driver added to the day. He was very chatty and we spent the journey talking about elections, the Middle East, the Royal Family, potholes, and the price of petrol and gas. A lovely guy. In fact, one thing we've noticed throughout our stay is just how friendly and helpful people are here.
We had hoped to visit the Submarine Museum as well, but unfortunately it is closed on Mondays, and the Simon's Town Museum was closed for refurbishment. So, we caught an Uber back to Cape Town and spent the afternoon strolling along the harbour, watching the boats dock in the very windy conditions.
The harbour seals were great entertainment. Two of them had positioned themselves right across the walkway leading from the Robben Island boat to the pier and were absolutely refusing to move for the deckhand. It turned into a very comical stand-off before one of the seals finally conceded and shuffled out of the way.
We also wandered through a few shops and spent some time looking at the amazing historical photographs of the Kimberley diamond mines displayed outside the Diamond Museum, before finishing the day with a drink overlooking the harbour and another excellent steak at the Time Out Market.
Tomorrow we pick up our hire car and begin the next part of our adventure as we head off along the Garden Route and South Africa's east coast.