last full day in Cape Town

We started out at Greenmarket Square.  Lots of stalls with mostly African wares.  The merchants are pretty aggressive so engaging in conversation unless you plan on buying something is not wise.  Once you decide to buy something, use cash and negotiate.  There are a few vintage type booths walking down to the square.  This guy had sunglasses and a random skate.

I didn't do a great job of capturing this woman but I tried.  

This booth was where we ended up buying a bunch of random bracelets for gifts.  

We went over to the art school of UCT afterward.  There is a small gallery there called Michaelis.  The exhibit was called Threshold, about climate change and environment concern.  Really wonderful pieces from students and I believe alumni.  

This is called Oil Painting by Alexandra Karakashian.  She is using canvas that is dropped into used motor oil.  My guess is over time the canvas will get blacker and blacker as the oil seeps up into the canvas.  

This piece is called Landscape by Carolyn Parton, reconstituted reclaimed paint.  It is really cool how she was able to take thick pieces of used paint and manipulate it to sit inside a frame to create this piece.

Carbon Cloud by Lindi Sales was my favorite.  This entire structure is about climate change and global warning which is happening because of carbon emissions known as greenhouse gases.  The most common carbon emission is carbon dioxide which is increases because of our dependence on fossil fuels.  

This reminds me of old style paintings although it is actually pigment ink.  This is called Hottentots Holland: Flora Capensis 2 by Andrew Putter.  Many of the plants are becoming extinct, endangered or rarely seen because of carbon emissions.  Cape Town is one of the six floral kingdoms in the world.  There are more kinds of plans in the Cape Floral Kingdom than there are in the whole of the northern hempisphere.  Table Mountain alone supports 2200 specifics which is more than the sum total of specific in all of the United Kingdom.  Pretty amazing.  

We returned to the Biscuit Factory where I picked up the cheese platter made of the wine barrel top.  Had to have it.  After we went to the Goodman Gallery and saw a very cool installation.  The artist is Siemon Allen.  He started collecting South African music years ago and this project represents a fragment of that history.  Each label in this collection of 5400 images is a memorial to all the artists.  It is so beautiful how it is hung with the plastic curtain with the light shining through it.

Here is another one of his pieces in the exhibit that is called Reggie.  This was a cover of an album.  I love this piece.  

We went and had lunch at Loading Bay, one of Jessicas lunch spots.  I love the indoor/outdoor feel and part of the restaurant is a store that carries mostly Acne and a few Swedish labels.

They love their juices here.  Jess had apple/ginger and I went for the boring orange juice but so good.

For lunch Jess had the carrot/orange soup.  

I had the salad that they love here.  Butternut squash, beets, feta, pumpkin seeds and rocket.  

We drove over to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that are just so old and beautiful.  The land was purchased by Cecil John Rhodes in 1895 for 9000 pounds to protect the eastern slopes of Table Mountain from urban development.  He left is to the nation in 1902.  This garden is dedicated to the cultivation and study of indigenous plants of South Africa.  This is the first view we got when we walked into the place. 

Aloe everywhere. 

Views and more views.

A great climbing tree although you are not supposed to do that.  

More aloe.

Flowers

Lilly pads.

A fun filled day.  A few hours left before I get on the 18 hour flight home.  Jessica has truly taken advantage of what Cape Town has to offer.  What an incredible experience.  

Just gorgeous.  We were really glad we did the walk.  Last time Jessica came it was in the dark.  Back to the hotel to get ready for my last evening in Cape Town.