My Bucket List for Cape Town

My Cape Town Bucket List: 

1. The Penguins on the Beach!

Cape Town’s Boulder Beach is famous for its penguin colonies, so I have to see the penguins while I am there. I am so excited to get to see African penguins in person after talking about it for months. I am also excited to explore the different beaches in Cape Town. As a native Floridian, I am always at the beach in the summer, so it’s like a taste of home while I am away from home. While it won’t be summer in Cape Town because it will be cold while I’m there, I will still enjoy the ambiance of the beach and having picnics before sunset.

2. Table Mountain National Park

Cape Town is also known for its beautiful landscape because it is surrounded by mountains and water. As someone who lives in Florida, hiking mountains isn’t a thing because Florida is pretty flat, so I am excited to go hiking and see an elevation change. The last time I went hiking in the mountains was for my senior trip in high school, so I’m excited to take lots of pictures while hiking on the different trails. There are also cable cars that bring you to the top if you don’t feel like hiking, which is nice! The Cape of Good Hope is located in Table Mountain National Park, and many people get amazing photos of the beach and the mountains from the Cape of Good Hope.

3. District Six Museum

District Six holds a lot of history when it comes to the history of apartheid in South Africa. It was once a lively area full of different cultures and people; however, in 1966, it was declared a white area, and thousands of people were forcibly removed from the area. I think that it is really important to learn about other cultures and the history of an area when you travel, so I hope to learn more about the history of apartheid and segregation in South Africa, especially because the impacts of apartheid are still impacting the communities in Cape Town today. I hope to educate myself by visiting the District Six Museum. 

Things I am excited to experience:

1. Cooking Class/Trying South African Cuisine

Whenever I travel, I like to go to local restaurants and try new dishes. I want to take a cooking class and learn how to cook a South African dish that I can bring back to the United States and share with my family and friends. Some South African dishes include curries, stews, and braai, which is the South African equivalent of American barbecues. I’m really interested in seeing how Cape Malay curry differs from the curry that my family typically makes. There are many different types of curries, and I love learning about the flavor profiles that differ depending on the culture. Some other dishes that I am hoping to try include malva pudding (I am a huge fan of sweets!), Gatsby, and Bobotie!

2. Taking a Tour of a Wine Vineyard

I am also excited to get a tour of the different wine vineyards around Cape Town. These tours include things from tasting different kinds of wine to touring gardens with lots of varieties of flowers. The Vergelegen Wine Estates have 17 themed gardens, which reflect the history of the wine vineyard. I am personally not a huge fan of wine, but maybe I will be surprised and find a wine that I really enjoy! 

With so much planned and such a short amount of time to experience it all, I am a little overwhelmed, but I think that a bucket list is a great way to list out the things that I definitely want to experience. Hopefully, by the end of my study abroad trip, I will be able to say that I have done everything on my bucket list. If not, it might be time for me to start planning another trip to Cape Town in the future!