Reminded of my travel romances: Bo-Kaap!

Written by Nez, Posted in Travel, Comments: 2

It was April and I just blinked and it is May. How is that possible?. Yikes! If I did not document some of my adventures in April, I will swear I did not live the month. Our walk in Bo-Kaap is one of the exhibit that it might seems like I blinked the month away, but I had 24hrs each day of the month.

Colourful picturesque houses, cobbled stoned streets, narrow streets. Tiny houses. You might think I’m describing one of Paris’s exotic streets. No, I’m talking about Bo-Kaap.

It is a hidden jam right in Cape Town City Centre, characterised by the colourful rows of houses in its 17th century architecture. The houses reminds me so much of Le Rue Cremieux in Paris.

Below pic is me in one of the lovely streets in Paris. La Rue Cremieux in Paris. Though the street is not as colourful as Bo-Kaap but the two have some similarities. Like Tiny streets, small houses and the charm.

Me and my baby girl in Bo-Kaap. Bo-Kaap houses are more bold in colour and plus I’m obviously biased because it is my home town. Ha!

In thy days Bo-Kaap was settled by the descendants of slaves, well known as “Cape Malay”. They were brought by the Dutch in the 17th century.

Today, the majority of the residents are still of Cape Malay origin but there are lots of other originalities. Yet Islamic culture is still dominant. There are some restaurants that serve traditional cuisine. It is a beautiful place to take a walk during the day.

You see, Bo-Kaap reminded me of my travel romances. Ok, continue reading because I don’t mean that kind of romance. Ha! My husband knows that I fall in love with basilicas, mountains, chateaux, gardens. I was swept of my feet by Malawi’s landscapes, I am convinced that I am going to build a holiday home in that land.

I guess he suspected that I was falling in love with Bo-Kaap because he gave me space and let me stand up a small hill and feast my eyes on the beauty of the city in peace. Bless his heart, ha!

If you have been following me for a while you know my love of window shatters. I even wrote about my love affair here. I liked this window installed at a lower level.

Falling in love with places is not that different from falling in love with a person. Both love experiences can break your heart. I fell head over hills in love with the amazing span of bridges in Porto only to realise that I might never ever see them again, that hurts. What I like about falling in love with Bo-Kaap is that my heart will never get broken. It is my home town, I can always visit when I want to. There will never be a goodbye between us.