Flowers, sea, island

I discovered that that contrary to my previous belief, this is just not true. One of my very own friends had never been to the top! So, even though it was windy as hell (not that I’d know how windy hell may be) I decided that while we were in the city I’d take her on her first trip to the lookout point.

This is one of the photos that I shot while at the lookout point. I’m not sure what plant this is – but isn’t it pretty? The wind was blowing furiously and that’s how I got that cool, more-or-less-in-focus effect on some branches while others are partially, or completely blurred.

The ocean that you’re able to see in the background is the Atlantic ocean that fills Table Bay; and the island that you see out in the distance is the famous Robben Island – South Africa’s own version of Alcatraz Island

Crossing the waters

Perhaps we’re too used to the comforts of large cruise liners or huge jet airplanes. Perhaps we’ve all (although, perhaps not all) become too accustomed to modern living. Do you think we’ve become too soft; too breakable?

Breakwater at Table Bay harbour

The mountain in the background, along with Lion’s Head and Signal Hill to the right unmistakably identifies this breakwater to be part of Table Bay harbour (which is the big harbour where your cruise liner would normally drop you off).

I heard recently, on the radio, that plans are afoot to build a proper arrivals and departures terminal that will cater for tourists arriving on large liners. Currently, visitors normally disembark alongside a commercial (and not very pretty) pier very close to the beautiful Table Bay Hotel – which I have to say is hugely convenient if you plan on bunking in one of the hotel’s 5-star rooms!

The top of Kloof Nek Road

The ride up the hill is really very beautiful at sunrise. From the road you’re able to see the bright glow ascending in the distance over the Boland Mountain Range and the low-lying mist over the city and suburbs that slowly clears as the sun heats the air. The city looks so peaceful from the hill that it’s hard to imagine that there is anything but friendly happy people waking up from their slumber.

A school outing

About once each term, when I was in primary school, our teacher would organise a class outing to some place like the botanical gardens, some historical monument, or once simply to the slopes of Table Mountain (where we learned about geology).

We found this group of school kids seated on the grass at Mouille Point (map), opening their snack packs as two or three very strict-looking teachers ensured that they were (reasonably quiet) and well behaved.

Greenpoint Stadium

Paul took this photo on Friday while we were visiting with friends at their apartment in Granger Bay. What we didn’t realise at the time was that the glass roof that will cover the stands (but not the actual pitch, apparently) is now on its way up, supported by a massive network of cables that are slowly being tightened. The roof weighs around 4,500 tons – that’s a whole lot of elephants.

You can read more about the process involved in getting this roof up to where it needs to be on the Shine 2010 site, and you can see a whole bunch of great pictures from inside the stadium on the official City of Cape Town website.

Can you believe that we are just over a year away from the 2010 World Cup? The first round of ticket sales starts on Friday, and I must say, the reality of the awesome party that awaits us is starting to set in for me. If you’re keen to get your hands on some tickets (and I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t be!), then read this official FIFA information on how tickets will be allocated.

Signal Hill and Lion's Head

On Sunday, after launching our new WordPress version of Cape Town Daily Photo, I caught a flight with four colleagues to Johannesburg (the largest city in South Africa), a mere two hours’ travel time from Cape Town.

I remembered after landing how different Cape Town is from Johannesburg. It seems almost like a different country entirely. We ate lots of good food, stayed in a nice hotel, and spoke with many interesting people, but today I’m really happy to be back in sunny Cape Town.

Perhaps I’ve mentioned it before, but us Capetonians are often teased about how preoccupied we are with our mountains – especially Table Mountain.  Even though I’m aware of this there came a point when I genuinely realised that I missed the mountain – I just couldn’t find my bearings without the landmark. Were it not for a trusty GPS I’d still be roaming the streets looking for our hotel. I really think Cape Town would slip into a huge emotional depression if the earth one day swallowed up our beloved mountain.

We are silly, aren’t we?