Spending a morning on Kloof Street, Cape Town

Spring has sprung and Kloof Street was our local playground for about two hours. Kloof Street is a buzzing, colourful street. There are so many different restaurants and watering holes that suit various pockets. Parking is difficult to find because it seems everybody flocks to Kloof Street on a Saturday morning.

Basil enjoying his R20 breakfast at Mixas.

Basil and I chose Mixas Restaurant to have our breakfast.  The attraction to Mixas was the big chalkboard that shouted "Breakfast for R19,90". For your R20,00, you get two eggs served according to your tastes, a smattering of salad and two slices of toast. Then you can choose two other items from the menu to complete your breakfast. Both of us chose bacon, I chose a pork sausage while Basil settled for mushrooms.

 Well, let's be fair. Although I had visions of layers of crispy bacon and sausage filling my plate, the price tag justified the miniature portions. The warm service by our waiter, Mike and the beautiful, rustic setting made the experience more than worthwhile.

View of Table Mountain and the upper cable station

After our breakfast, we popped in at Nibbly Bits and then strolled up Kloof Street. As you walk westward, you have a stunning view of Table Mountain and its cable station. Many cars were already lined up on the mountain road  near the lower cable station. I could just imagine what a heavenly aerial view the cable car travellers were going to drink in as they ascend our Table Mountain.

Quirkiness and a sense of humour 

Kloof Street is an artistic blend of various architectural designs. The period buildings with its subdued colours sit side by side with modern brightly, coloured buildings. Even the vehicles with their various occupants is an interesting mix. You would see a minibus taxi with "conductor" protruding from the front passenger seat, confirming loudly that his driver's honking is an invitation to be chauffeured in 'street' style up Kloof Street.

Then behind the taxi, you would see a smart car with a driver who looks like he or she is still in the trance from visiting one of the meditation centers in the road.  Or, perhaps it was the price tag of the Mount Nelson Hotel's breakfast that caused that lockjaw look.

home-on-wheels

Spring also signals that tons of bikers  have dusted off their two - wheelers  and have now started their spring/summer breakfast runs. Helmets have a way of equalizing all ages and you can never say who will emerge from the motorbikes. One lovely couple on a blazing orange and black bike pulled up at one of the restaurants. The biker stopped in the middle of the road and his pillion jumped off.

She grabbed the back section of the motorbike and started pulling the bike into the parking bay. All the while our Superman driver was revving, doing a tippy-toe dance as the heroine pulled him into the bay.  The helmets came off and there we had our "sixty-something" couple grabbing each other's hands and trotting off to the restaurant.

There was another biker couple that had me intrigued. This was also their first bike run and they were making the most of it. Their motorbike with sidecar is like a motorhome. Really, the joys of being free and having access to such luxury!

After this couple packed up all their bags in the various compartments, the young woman got into the side car, waved us goodbye and off they cruised towards the ocean.

Overlooking Gardens and the three pepper pots skyscrapers in the background.

Now we need to work on the next street we want to target as part of our goal to enjoy our city.

Have you explored one of these best-kept street secrets in our amazing city? Let's share!