A Table with a View

Our final day in Cape Town was the day that in a way we had been waiting for since we first laid eyes on the city.  Our first day, we were walking to breakfast, when Fernando suddenly demanded that I turn around.  Behind us, towering over the city was Table Mountain, a 4000-or-so-foot mountain.  Home to a diverse ecosystem of beautiful flora and unique fauna and a popular attraction for climbing enthusiasts, we knew we had to go.  After two cloudy days (which are described as “the tablecloth being set”) the plan was set for a final day climb.  It did not disappoint.  We began our walk from St. George’s Cathedral (see later post) at 8am and decided to walk all the way TO the mountain.  About an hour and a half and a good 2-3 miles in, we were so close but already tired of the steep and winding hills, so we cheated and grabbed a mutate the rest of the way.  Once at the bottom, we began our ascent up the Platteklip trail (a shorter, but steep climb up the mountain).  It took us an hour and 45 minutes (what is estimated to be 2-2 ½) to wind our way up the slope of the front face of the mountain, all the while looking out onto the city and harbor, a beautiful, but reverse view of our discovery of Table Mountain.  Once on top, the view was better than any I’ve ever seen in the world.  To the north, we could see miles away, past Blouberg into the far reaches of the suburbs; and to the south, we were able to point out all the places we had been to the previous day, looking out past Cape Point to the great ocean…and somewhere out there, Antarctica.  After about a hundred pictures and even more sighs and moans at the beauty, we grabbed lunch (again with the best lunch view I can think of, looking onto Sea Point and the turquoise ocean) and took the cable car down, an impressive machine, that holds about 20 people with a floor that spins 360 degrees during the five minute descent from the mountain.  Interestingly enough, the original cable car was built in 1922 and operated until recently (when it was replaced with a VISA-sponsored car) without any accidents.  Once down, drenched in sweat, exhausted, and burning up in our long sleeves and pants (as advised for the “incredibly cold summit”…bullshit), we took our first midday break of the entire trip-much needed!