There are a lot of photos on this posting, but Friday was an incredible day.
After a blustery arrival Thursday evening in Cape Town, Friday dawned clear and relatively calm with just a bit of 'Table Cloth' on Table Mountain. The forecast was for a lot more wind, so we made a beeline for Table Mountain and took the rotating Aerial Tram to the top of the 3500' Landmark. It was beautiful on top with stupendous views down over the city, the beaches, the Table Bay, the Lion's Head and the Atlantic ocean.
Our Cable Car to the Upper Station
Looking down over the Lion's Head, Cape Town, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years.
As we are on the mountain the famous table cloth starts creeping in around us.
Our whole group high above the Atlantic Ocean
Baby Rock Dassies warm themselves in the sunshine.
The temperature drops as the table cloth moves over us, but here we still get a view of the Cape Town 'City Bowl' with the group before it becomes completely foggy. After taking this photo the cloud moved over completely and the winds picked up. As we arrived back at the lower station they announced the closure of the tramway due to high winds! Good call going right away!
The following poem was written by our host at the Sleep Eezy Cottages, where we stayed at the beginning of our trip. It seems fitting to insert it here.
The orange cloud when the late sun sets
is a sight to see when you first get
to view that marvelous mountain sight,
the ‘table cloth’ serene at night.
Surrounded by oceans and forests and hills,
emerald green countryside, vineyards, and stills,
trees waving frantically, blown by the wind,
incandescence on water seems quietly to sing.
It blends a great backdrop to the Waterfront scene
lending majesty, permanence, after you’ve been
to the top where it’s flat, or didn’t you know?
Take a ride up the Cable.... be filled with a glow.
Most other great vistas have nothing on this.
Where else do two oceans come together in bliss?
You can see the Blue Mountains stretching into the nether,
Where once climbed the horses and carts of Voortrekkers.
The sights and the scenery making up this fair Cape
give the feeling of entering through heaven’s great gate.
The days go so quickly and time passes fast,
But this great Table Mountain
The 'Twelve Apostles' have their own table cloth today.
The four sisters at Chapman's Peak Road on Hout Bay
Monkey Valley Resort and Nordhoek Beach
Penguins! There are lots of penguins at Boulder's Beach near Simonstown. These are indigenous African Penguins, formerly known as Jackass Penguins because they sound like braying donkeys.
They are beautiful birds but are especially funny when they walk (waddle!).
They look good with a rock and sea background.
Down on the Cape Peninsula the wildflowers are very different to what we know. Most of the vegetation is Fynbos (fine bush), and among them are several hundred varieties of protea flowers. These sand daises look like straw flowers and are prolific in certain areas.
Leora gives perspective to the size of the flowers.
Protea buttons
WOW!! Maxine leaps high above the Cape Peninsula. What athleticism!
The Cape of Good Hope
An ostrich and a buntebok at the Atlantic Ocean at the Cape of Good Hope
We all pose to prove we were there!
Perhaps I have never been to the Cape at low tide before, but we wandered out on the boulders in the water and were rewarded with the most beautiful tidal pools and sea life. The water was clear and calm and we could have spent hours just looking at all the variety of plants and creatures and rocks. Gorgeous!
As we were leaving the Cape we were treated to another small herd of zebra. How appropriate.
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