We all know about this one.
But very few people know about Cape Town’s other castle, near the waterfront.
This one:
I spotted this Fisher Price Play Family Castle while I was wandering around the canal district near the bottom of Buitengracht. Apparently, it’s been there for a while (although probably not since 1679), and guards the entrance to the Waterfront. However, parts of it were looking a little worse for wear: the drawbridge was missing and at least one of the turrets needed a paint job when I was there.
This sort of specialised restoration work is difficult, and I can understand why it can take time to find the perfect contractor who can recondition the building sympathetically.
And otherwise, things were ok: the roof was intact and the Somali flag was flying proudly from the highest tower. This second castle is yet another big attraction in the Mother City, and further explains why we simply don’t need to market our country as a potential tourist destination.
People will read blog posts like this and just want to come and see for themselves.