Amazing Views from Table Mountain

On our last full day in South Africa, we visited University of Cape Town - in a spectacular setting partway up Devil's Peak with stunning views of Cape Town - to learn about a project that provides resources for literacy learning in multiple indigenous languages.

And then, after seeing it off in the distance all week (with views of the mountain right outside my hotel room window!), I was happy to find time to ride the round, rotating aerial cable car to the top of Table Mountain. This cableway has been running for over 80 years! I find that astonishing because this was quite a thrill even in today's fast-moving high-tech world.

The plateau at the top provided gloriously panoramic views of Lion's Head, Devil's Peak, Robben Island, Cape Town, Cape Town Stadium, Table Bay Harbour, and other beaches and cliffs along the Cape Peninsula. Since we had already viewed many of these sites up close, this was an especially amazing opportunity.

I could definitely spend a few more weeks here in this beautiful country!

Cape Point, South Africa (!!!!!)

Saturday’s exhilarating excursion was perhaps “the most scenic drive in the world,” according to Peter, our native Capetonian tour guide - and I’m certainly not going to argue!

Views from the coach windows began to be spectacular as soon as we neared the shore going out of Cape Town heading south on the M6 with Table Mountain in its splendid glory dominating the skyline to our left. I kept snapping photos from the moving bus and finally we stopped at the Clifton Beaches for a photo op with the Twelve Apostles peaks in the background.

As we continued on, we drove by boys playing beach rugby, the Misty Cliffs where a steady sea breeze causes a continual surreal mist, and several picturesque harbor towns nestled near the ocean. In these villages, baboons often break into houses and cause a mess, but residents can’t do anything about it because the animals are protected.

We headed inland just a bit on the M65 and entered Table Mountain National Park where we saw baboons and ostriches along the the road as we traveled across the peninsula to join the M4 which led all the way down to the end of the continent.

At Cape Point we hiked 20 minutes up a steep incline to reach the Cape Point Lighthouse for a spectacular view of where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Ah, yes! Now this just might be unsurpassed grandeur. I am blessed.