Exploring Cape Town, Simon’s Town, and the Cape of Good Hope

Today was a day of unparalleled beauty, wonder and awe. We woke up and went up Table Mountain early in the morning. The views up there were absolutely breathtaking. It has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! Everywhere you looked was another spectacular view of mountains rising from the sea, deep gorges, and jagged shorelines. It was the perfect way to start a wonderful day.

After we got down the mountain, we took the rental car over to Simon’s Town to have lunch with a couple of my father’s colleagues who will remain working there for another month. We ate some melt-in-your-mouth mussels, calamari, prawns and hake at a restaurant whose proprietor they have gotten to know well. She was so sweet, kind, and took very good care of us. It was good to relax as we sat overlooking False Bay. Simon’s Town is a wonderful little village that probably hasn’t changed since it was first established over 100 years ago. Interestingly, it was a town who was united against apartheid from the beginning.

We felt the need to continue walking and exploring all the gifts this area has to offer, so we took a seaside stroll to view the penguins who are now breeding and molting. There were hundreds of them scattered along the coast hovering in bushes and laying on rocks. I have always had an image of penguins living in the cold and frigid temperatures of Antarctica, but these little guys were just lounging, and were very mellow as we passed by. They were the perfect models for their photo shoot!

We also saw a “dassie”, which is a furry little creature that is the elephants closest relative. Who would have thought!

I have to say, that the highlight of my day was probably when we drove into Table Mountain National Park’s Cape of Good Hope. I didn’t think I could see more beauty than I did in the morning, but what I saw was what nature always does to me. I was filled with awe, wonder, inspiration, and utter humility at the power and beauty that nature offers. I was able to see the untouched beauty of the ocean waves crashing and spraying against the shore and the wind beating the side of the craggy mountains.

These are just a few of the photos that we took today - I’m still old-school and have a film camera that I won’t be able to develop until I get back!

Just look at my hair to see how windy it was - it literally almost blew us over!