Cape Town

Cape Town, the Mother City. Beautiful vineyards and breathtaking beaches. An old pro at capturing people's hearts.

There is a mountain in Cape Town called Table Mountain. It is 1,086 metres above sea level. The city of Cape Town lies on an imposing peninsula beneath this prominent landmark, with slowly rotating cable cars climbing and descending the mountain everyday.

There are sweeping views of both the city and the busy harbor from this mountain's flat top. It's a significant tourist attraction, many visitors use the cableway or hike to the top. The mountain forms part of Table Mountain National Park, and is even featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia.

Behold. The Lion's Head.

There's a legend that a smoking contest transpired between the Devil and Van Hunks, a local pirate. This is the reason for the phenomenon called the "table cloth," which in scientific terms are the orographic clouds formed when a south-easterly wind is directed up the mountain's slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses. When the table cloth is seen, it symbolizes the contest.

No table cloth today. No complaints either. The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. To the south of the main plateau is a lower part of the range called the Back Table.

It was a shame I did not have time to visit Robben Island. Just 6.9km west off the coast, Robben Island was a former prison used for the isolation of many convicted criminals and political prisoners. It's now a living museum. Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment there. Lucky for me I caught him at a free moment.

Next on the list to see were more rocks. On the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula lies the Cape of Good Hope. It is the most southwestern point on the African continent. Also to add to a list of useless facts I can tell you: when following the western side of the African coastline from the equator, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward. Make sure you write that down next time your Black Pearl sets sail.

Lastly, we have the Boulders Penguin Colony. The public beach is sheltered with a nice boardwalk and a chance to look at the free-roaming colony of African penguins.