This is Cape Town [antikvár]

Profile of Cape TownAt midday the noon gun booms outover Cape Town, startling the pigeonsinto a flurry of wings in CreenmarketSquare, and old Cape Town residentsglance at their watches to check thetime. It's a ritual that has lost itsmeaning in a world of digital watchesand radio time-signals, but it is verymuch part of the changeless tradi-tions of Cape Town, South Africa'soldest and most beautiful city.Today there are no rock-breakingconvicts in the harbour to sigh withrelief and straighten their achingbacks at the noon-day lunch signal.But Cape Town without the noon gunwould be unthinkable. Time wasvitally important to the sea captainsof old who called in at Table Bay inthe days of the three-masted sailingships. They relied on such timechecks in order to adjust the chrono-meters necessary for navigation. Aspart of the service provided at theharbour, a 'time ball' was constructedon the hill above the Table Bay Docksto signal the hour of one o'clock. It isstill in action today. For the earlyEuropean navigators to the Cape,there were no such services at all, ofcourse. They sailed into Table Bayafter months at sea, in desperateneed of provisions such as freshwater and meat, and wood for theirgalley stoves. They were met bysmall, yellow-skinned people whospoke in a strange, clicking mannerand who were nicknamed hottentot-ten, meaning 'the stutterers', by theDutch. These little people of theCape traded cattle and sheep foriron knives, cooking pots and beads.After the establisment of the refresh-ment station at the Cape in 1652,voyagers also stocked up on suppliesof Cape fruit and vegetables. And formore than three centuries, the Capehas continued to provide for theneeds of visitors from all parts of theworld, making it truly worthy of itstitle of Tavern of the Seas'.The early history of the Cape islost, for the simple reason that thefirst inhabitants did not leave anyrecords, the only clues to their exis-tence being rock paintings which tellus little about them. Althougharchaeologists can piece together apicture of life at the Cape beforeEuropean invasion, it is sketchy and,for the most part, inaccurate. Thispicture is of people who roamed thebeaches - strandlopers - gatheringfood from the sea. There is also evi-dence of people inland who herdedanimals across large areas. They builtno permanent houses and set up notowns. The Cape was also inhabitedby wild animals no longer found heretoday: lions, elephants, hippos, rhinoand buffalo. All have long since van-ished in the wake of what we like tocall 'civilization'.But the beauty of Cape Townendures; in its mountains, its variedand spectacular coastline, its richflora, and in much of its historicarchitecture; even modern develop-ment has evolved in response to theunique natural beauty here. No won-der Sir Francis Drake described thisspot as 'the fairest Cape in all the cir-cumference of the Earth'.above: In more leisurely times,tromcars and hansom cabs carriedpassengers along Adderley Street.