Robben Island Trip

Back on the blog. We have been so busy running around Cape Town I got behind on blogging, but I am back. Since it is Sunday today many businesses are closed except down on the waterfront. I don't know if you know, but cape town has funny weather. This time of year you can count on overcast in the morning and the winds blow the clouds away and you can see Table Mountain. Those were the pictures I posted last. Anyway, we went to Robben Island today. This is home to where Nelson Mandela spent many years of his prison life on this island. Think of it like the rock in SF, that used to be open. Before it was a prison in the early 1900s it was used as a castaway home to those who had leprosy and mental illness, and a training ground during WW II. Other famous political leaders imprisoned there included Raymond Mhlaba, Ashley Forbes and James Mange to name a few. Don't be mistaken. It was not a nice place and the conditions were horrible. The place is only about 3k in either direction. Something I did not know is that it was also called the university, because this is where both prisoners and guards got their degree. Thus many intelligent and inspiring men were locked up because of their political beliefs and color of their skin, along with regular old criminals. I believe the last political prisoner was released in 1994 and the last prisoner of any type in 1996. Oh, it takes about 25 minutes on the ferry to get to the island. Also, in one picture you can see where Nelson got the idea for his book Long Walk to Freedom. That book was written by him while he was in prison and he found a way to sneak most of the manuscript pages out. As you can see we were not all smiles on this trip. It's depressing and inspiring at the same time.