by Debbie Ross
founder of The Womens Travel Network.ca

This morning we travelled by public ferry to Robben Island. The famous island, whose prison was once home to former South African president Nelson Mandela as well as many other black political freedom fighters. It’s now a World Heritage Site and provides stunning views across the bay with Table Mountain as its backdrop. A trip to the island is an unforgettable experience and offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era.

Thankfully it’s warmer today and the harbour is reasonably calm. We still can’t see the top of table mountain. Hopefully the last little bit of clouds will blow over and show us the majestic table top mountain.

Upon arrival we were met by Sparks, an ex inmate who is now happy to share his story about what life was like living in the prison. The coloured inmates were segregated and up to 60 political prisoners were housed in this one small room. They were given 2 blankets which was their bed and they wore shorts and a meager shirt. No shoes.  The conditions were horrific.  They had minimal food rations and worked physically hard in the sandstone quarries.  Sparks was at Robben Island the same time as Nelson Mandela.

Mandela was in a different cell block where he had a prviate cell.  The cell consisted of a blanket for a bed and a bucket as a toilet.  Each morning the inmates had to take their buckets to another cell block to dump it and then out to the courtyard for their food and then off to the quarry. Mandela spent 18 years in this prison. Mandela created a garden in the courtyard where he and his cell block members spent their time. It was in this garden that he hid his manusript for his book “The road to Freedom”. The guards found his manuscript and destroyed it. Thankfully he copied the pages and sent them out of the prison with inmates that were being released otherise his book never would have made it to print. The quarry played a significant role in the lives of the inmates, they would teach each other how to read and write in the dust. Mandela helped many people to become literate. After 1966 the inmates and guards were permitted to learn. Many left the island with 2 and 3 university degrees, including the current president of Sotuh Africa.

Tje island has a very long history of housing people in exile, 200 years ago it was a leper colony and in more recent years there was an lunatic asylum on the island.. Over the years wildlife was introduced, it is now home to  over 200 cats and there are 129 bird species. There are a few churches, homes where the prison guards used to live and a stately home that housed the govenor in the 1800’s.

The rugged coastline is beautifl and the view across the harbour is magnificent the city of Capetown and tabletop mountain. The clouds have clearaed enough to finally give us a glimpse of the mountain.

The afternoon was at our leisure to enjoy the lovely waterfront setting. Still a working harbour, the waterfront is an example of creative architecture and restoration and has become South Africa’s most visited tourist attraction. There are a myriad of shops and cafes here, as well as the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Dinner this evening was at City Grill Restaurant located at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront inCapetown.Once again the food was delicious. I had the line fish, or as e would call it, th catch of the day.Fresh hake, grilled to perfection. The food in Capetown is fabulous!