"Let’s go for a Drive"*

*Warning: Bandwidth-chewing pics ahead

It’s a long time since I’ve gone ‘for a drive’.

Saturday morning saw us doing just that. We made our way to
Signal Hill, and I was rather impressed how it has been upgraded. There is a proper lookout deck, a manned information kiosk, and toilets (seriously stinky, but toilets nonetheless). There was even a fire extinguisher mounted on a pine tree, which was a bit puzzling, so I crossed the car park to inspect it. Halfway there I got the mutters, because it looked like it had been vandalised. But when I got really close, I felt like a right twit. It’s made of wood.

The label is a list of do’s and don’ts on fire safety.

On the way back down, we stopped on the side of the road to see how the construction of the 2010 soccer stadium was progressing. Yho, it’s so beeeeeg!

The Twelve Apostles were looking particularly spectacular.

The road up to the Noon Gun is very narrow and surrounded by derelict graffiti-splattered buildings. Not a good first impression.

There are two lions ‘guarding’ the entrance, one of whom has had his nose vandalised. Poor chap.

We were the only people at the Lion Battery (at 11am). There wasn’t even a security guard.

The plaque next to the gun at the bottom says: “Cast at the arsenal of Nantes, this cannon was placed in battery at Woodstock by French forces in 1782. At the request of the Dutch Government, the French forces contributed to the defence of the Cape colony between 1787 and 1787”. So now you know.

The noon gun (and its backup) are top left. Below is a sign which declares that Saturday’s firing number is 63516.

There are quite a few guns scattered about the battery. Some look like they are still in working order. They are probably used for ceremonial purposes.

This one must be popular with the kids – there is a seat inside, and there are parts that move - the turrets can be raised or lowered. My 54-year old kid certainly enjoyed giving it a test drive.

There are lots of interesting, unused buildings in varying states of decay.

Here is the 2010 stadium as seen from Lion Battery, which is lower than the lookout point on Signal Hill. From this angle you can see how many cranes are being used to build the stadium. If you scrunch up your eyes and look very closely, you can sort of see Robben Island. It’s that smudge on the horizon, on the left.

We had to leave before noon, so missed the firing of the gun. But this is what I imagine it looked like.