We departed our hostel in Gordon's Bay Friday morning with the plan to drive down the east side of the Cape Peninsula, see the point, then head up the west coast to Cape Town. We thought we'd be to the hotel by 3:00 but the fantastic scenery kept us at the Cape longer than expected, and we clearly didn't see everything the towns and national park has to offer, but we were happy to see what we saw.
Because the view from the car was so good, we debated whether we should climb up the big hill to the lighthouse that overlooks the two points. We wanted to get to the city and I was a bit under the weather (doing fine now), so Barry didn't want to push me, but I insisted I didn't want to miss the view.
We would have been considered absolute fools had we not made the effort to see what felt like the top of the world- worlds end - the deep end of the ocean - the tip of the continent - the meeting of two oceans - the route to the East Indies - the home of the ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman - an explorer's hope - the most southwesterly point of Africa... you get the idea: it's significant and not to be missed!
The irony is I didn't even know this view was on my bucket list, but I simultaneously added it and checked it off. The feeling of seeing this mountain range, which starts at Table Mountain in Cape Town, disappear into the ocean with such certainty was a thrill I didn't expect.
Because the view from the car was so good, we debated whether we should climb up the big hill to the lighthouse that overlooks the two points. We wanted to get to the city and I was a bit under the weather (doing fine now), so Barry didn't want to push me, but I insisted I didn't want to miss the view.
We would have been considered absolute fools had we not made the effort to see what felt like the top of the world- worlds end - the deep end of the ocean - the tip of the continent - the meeting of two oceans - the route to the East Indies - the home of the ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman - an explorer's hope - the most southwesterly point of Africa... you get the idea: it's significant and not to be missed!
The irony is I didn't even know this view was on my bucket list, but I simultaneously added it and checked it off. The feeling of seeing this mountain range, which starts at Table Mountain in Cape Town, disappear into the ocean with such certainty was a thrill I didn't expect.
My expression doesn't show how thrilled I am - The tip of land over my shoulder is the Cape of Good Hope
Molly overlooking Cape Point and the endless Atlantic Ocean
George at the cape lighthouse - he's not nearly as impressed by the heat and scenery as I am
The land on the other side of False Bay behind us is where we drove a few days ago
We stopped for lunch at a chic cafe in a little town on the coast. I had a open face veggie sandwich - ciabatta bread slathered in hummus, grilled squash, grilled peppers, pesto sauce, spinach, more hummus, and topped with shaved parmesan and pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It was delicious and easy to make - try it!
We arrive in Cape Town via the west coast road which was truly beautiful. The sun was shining and we could see Table Mountain from a long way off. The beaches along the way were speckled with sunbathers, swimmers and surfers, though surprisingly less populated than expected for the Christmas holidays. It really isn't that busy here.
After checking in to the hotel, we walked 2k to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, South Africa's most visited site. It's a a working wharf surrounded by fabulous restaurants, shops and stylish people...and us.
We ate a Thai dinner, at Molly's request, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the very posh side of South Africa.
We arrive in Cape Town via the west coast road which was truly beautiful. The sun was shining and we could see Table Mountain from a long way off. The beaches along the way were speckled with sunbathers, swimmers and surfers, though surprisingly less populated than expected for the Christmas holidays. It really isn't that busy here.
After checking in to the hotel, we walked 2k to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, South Africa's most visited site. It's a a working wharf surrounded by fabulous restaurants, shops and stylish people...and us.
We ate a Thai dinner, at Molly's request, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the very posh side of South Africa.
Saturday, we did a very middle class touristy thing by boarding the red Hop-On Hop-Off bus. Even though we have our own car. This bus route that circles Table Mountain and explores a lot of the city core and it's suburbs came highly recommended, so we took advantage, once again, of SA's reasonable pricing and did the tour. It was worth it, especially for Barry who didn't' have to be concerned with driving and trying to catch glimpses of beautiful things out of the corner of his eye. The kids weren't so impressed, but we reminded them that just two days ago we let them pet cheetahs and caracals and went on water slides...they humbly went silent.
Barry gets a chance to look around
The bus tour price included a half hour inner harbour tour, which was a nice bonus. Yachts, an Arctic explorer ship, tour boats and cruise ships all make this harbour their resting place.
Notice the seals in the water, the working ships and cranes, and the unwelcome cloud over Table Mountain
Now the disappointment of the day was that Table Mountain remained blanketed in a heavy cloud (see above photo). It looked like a cloud dragon decided to rest on the plateau for the day guarding it like a treasure and laughing at the waiting tourists below. Hopefully it'll find a new home tomorrow so that we can explore on of the 7 natural wonders of the world before the planned boat trip to Robben Island. The weather is known for being fickle here, so we'll have to wait and see.
RSS Feed
