Simon's Town

Taking a respite from our soccer/football watching, we took a little day trip down the False Bay coast to Simon’s Town. This historic town is about halfway between Muizenberg and the famous Cape Point. We hopped onto the Metrorail for a ride to Fish Hoek (not pronounced as you might think, less “hook” and more “hoe-ek”) where we caught a bus transfer for the rest of the way. The ride down was gorgeous as the train skirted along the coast with great views to the north and south parts of the Bay, skimmed over by a light fog.

The towns all along the coast are primarily fishing oriented or serve as ports (in the case of Simon’s Town, as a naval base). To me, everything was vaguely reminiscent of the North Shore of Massachusetts, or perhaps it was just the common smell of the brisk ocean breeze. Anyways, our first stop turned out to be the tiny Simon’s Town Museum hidden away down a small driveway off the main road near the transit station. Meaning only to stop and ask for directions, we ended up striking up a conversation with the elderly lady at the reception desk. We managed to confuse her into thinking that the boys were my brothers, she asked, “So which one is really your brother?” To which we had to answer none were in actuality, but of course, we are all siblings in spirit! We meandered through the very humble but intriguing museum, entirely put together by volunteers in Simon’s Town to tell the story of their history and their people.

As one of the earliest settlements in Cape Town, the history of this town harks back to the days of the Dutch East India Company, which used to use the area as a port. As time went on, it became a naval base during the South Africa Anglo-Boer War by the British, and continues on today as a naval port and base for South Africa. Besides it’s military history, it seemed from the museum that the town also prides itself on it’s extensive multiculturalism, featuring profiles on their residents both white, black, Afrikaans, and Muslim Indonesians, just to name a few. The resistance that the town felt against the notorious redistricting and zoning laws under apartheid were apparent in the hand-pasted exhibits and information boards; an admirable display by the local townspeople. However, personally, it’s hard for me to pass any judgment or assessment on the racial atmosphere of South Africa as I am a) a tourist, hence only see a few parts of the country, and b) have no measuring stick to compare the current atmosphere to, whether in-country or based on my own experiences. One can hope that these early stirrings of equitable sentiments have persisted and evolved for South Africa. From a day’s stroll through Simon’s Town, we saw the beautiful historic Dutch architecture, read an account of their history and their townspeople, and enjoyed the cool ocean breeze coming in from the Indian Ocean. From this limited glimpse, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the town and it was great to get an idea of their extensive and complex history, like much of the country. We continued on through the village and made our way to Boulders Beach to see the African Penguin.