We couldn't have asked for better midwinter weather to take my in-laws out to do a breakfast run on the Biggsy's Restaurant Carriage & Wine Bar.
Biggsy's is something of a legend on the southern line between Cape Town and Simon's Town. Apart from Mondays when it is closed, it provides a haven for commuters wishing to avoid over-crowded carriages, as well as the occasional over-zealous preacher men who sound more like horserace commentators than men of God.
For the regulars, Biggsy's provides a perfect way to start or end your day. With the smokers safely fumigating each other in the pub section, the rest of us relish an hour-long train journey while being served our tea, coffee and breakfast. We enjoy the world passing by and watch the sunrise over the Hottentots Holland Mountains.
I love the quiet thrill of travelling along some of the most stunning coastline in the Cape Peninsula. I'd bet that there aren't that many cities that can boast a seaside railway that affords some of the best rail-based whale-watching in the world. If, for some benighted reason, I've had to work a bit late, there is, once again, nothing better than catching that five-forty-eight and enjoying a few cold ones with my buddies.
We joke and laugh while watching suburbia give way to wetlands and then yes. The sea. By the time we reach Fish Hoek, we're warm, merry and we've left the cares of the day somewhere behind us. Probably stumbling around blindly in Salt River.
Be aware, as easy as it is to step on and off the Biggsy's carriage during the week, you'd best be sure to make bookings for it on the weekends. The owner, assures me that he's fully booked up to a week or two in advance.
We witnessed a number of disappointed walk-ins during our journey. The restaurant section was full of happy faces travelling both ways.
This is an opportunity to see the Mother City in all her glorious contrasts. From Kalk Bay's quaint colonial-era architecture, to the graffiti-coated squalor of Retreat and Salt River, to the leafy suburbs of Rondebosch. This is a way to absorb some of Cape Town's many moods and faces from the relative safety provided by a glass window.
You can meet the train at any one of its many stops, but we preferred to begin and end our journey in Simon's Town. The journey to Cape Town station and back lasts for around two hours. When you book, you either book for lunch, in which case you'll have to linger in the pub section while other passengers break their fast.
Or, enjoy breakfast and then hang out in the pub with the smokers and a beer or two on the way back. The general Biggsy's vibe is that of relaxed friendliness. It's not uncommon for perfect strangers to casually strike up a conversation and become firm friends by the time they reach their destinations.
For my husband and in-laws, who rarely, if ever, take the train, this trip was a treat.
For Biggsy's bookings, call 021 788 7760.
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