I am sorry that Cape Town got short shrift.  It’s a beautiful city and deserves more attention than I gave it.  

We spent much of our time with Nasser, a local guide.  He was a hoot.  Every establishment we entered, he walked in like he owned the place and greeted the staff as if reuniting with long lost friends.  Most employees of the various places we went hadn’t seen him in a year, we being the first tourists to come back.  Universally, they were glad to see tourists, but mostly him.  He often created his own parking space, always near the front entrance.  I asked, “How can you park here and not get in trouble?”  He replied, “I’ve been parking here since before the current owners owned the vineyard.”  We waited in no line, to the shagrin of everyone else waiting, since he knew all the ticket agents.  We always had parking, because he knew (and tipped) all the parking attendants to save him the closest spots.  Nasser was our agent, looking out for us every step of the way.  He worked hard to ensure everything worked out.  For example, he secured an awesome table at lunch with an unparalleled view on our wine tour.  We could have driven ourselves around and done our own research on places to visit.  But without a guide our visit to Cape Town wouldn’t have been the same.  RBD and I are exhausted, and having someone take up the planning and driving made a huge difference.  Plus, he was full of interesting facts and told us all about his beautiful city and its history. 

Cape Town is very modern, and a complete collision of more cultures than can possibly fit into a single space.  It’s a very progressive part of South Africa.  Because of the topography, there are neighborhood bubbles up and down the coast.  You can see that from the pictures. 

Just because I didn’t have the time to fully talk about this most strange city, make sure to visit when in this part of the world.  It’s breathtaking, and you won’t regret it.

Also, for an informative time, be sure to book Nasser.  Don’t go it alone.   

A view of the surrounding mountains from the botanical gardens.  Due to moody weather, we toured them first.

Notice the empty beach, because the water is like 60 degrees.  This is looking south towards The Cape of Good Hope.

We came back from The Cape of Good Hope via a route with stunning views of The Atlantic.  

The mountains in wine country are just spectacular, and are of similar geology to what Cape Town is built on and around.  Much of this area consists of three layers:  a granite, a shale on top of that, and a sandstone on top of that.  

Is he proposing?  Of course not, don’t be silly.  He’s the camera man.  She’s getting pics for the Insta. The blustery wind was not helping.  This area of Camps Bay sees an incredibly amount of wind in winter. 

Robben Island, where Mandela was held in prison for many years. Caretakers and their families live on the island, though must boat across to attend school or shop.

This is the upper cable car station.  It blends in remarkably well with the surrounding rocks and is hard to see from a distance.  At Tengile a South African said we could walk up, and while riding up we did see intrepid souls hiking along the rocky path.  Personally I think he was trying to kill us.  

This is taken from on top of Table Mountain.  On top, it is flat…like a table.  The peak off to the left is Signal Mountain.  The oldest and original part of the city was built in a bowl, which was easily defended.  It does pose expansion challenges. 

This is from Table Mountain looking down at Camps Bay, the area of town we stayed in.  Our hotel is to the left of the field.  You can see how the city developed in pockets based on topography.  In a later picture, we’ll be on the beach looking back up at this area. 

You know how to make a million dollars in wine?  Start with two million.  Cape Town is far off in the distance.  We are east of the city in the wine region.

This was our view at the vineyard restaurant.

Hard to see the lower station, but it’s down there.  We’re on the cable car at this point.

The highest peak in this picture is actually where the upper cable car station is located.  We are in Camps Bay looking back up.  

The final sunset in Cape Town and South Africa.  Quite a glorious show.  Could be a romantic moment.  Instead RBD and I realize that if the sun is straight out for us it is also mostly directly overhead for you all at this moment.  Thus, you are all sideways compared to us.  You’re standing sideways, you’re driving on a vertical surface and somehow don’t fall off, the skyscrapers back home we know and love are jutting out at 90 degree angles, like ornate, pointy diving boards.  Elevators are moving away and towards us, not up and down.  It’s a lot to reconcile.  The sunset is nice too.