Saturday, March 28, 2009

Cape Town plays hide and seek


On our way up to the cable car I notice that Table Mountain is covered in a fluffy white table cloth today. That’s how Capetonians refer to the mist that rolls over the mountain after coming in from the sea.

It’s still early so anything can happen. The mist can lift once the sun breaks through or it can start raining in an hour. We grab a takeaway coffee at vida e caffé then decide to take our chances anyway. Hm, indeed the camera laden crowd are making it up the mountain this morning.

As the cable car revolves we get to see the fynbos up close but the mist still hides most of the city below. I keep hoping that we will eventually be able to get a clear view.

Yet what happens is even more interesting than the perfect picture of the Cape Peninsula. The mist plays with us as we walk along the pathways on top of the mountain. Now you see Camps Bay. Now you don’t. Ooh there’s the Clifton beaches. Oops now they’re gone.

The sun works hard to cut through the mist and when the City Bowl area eventually becomes visible I notice a dark cloud hanging over the bay. Perhaps it will rain later anyway. We wait a little and… there is Lion’s Head, the FIFA 2010 Soccer Stadium and, just for a few minutes, Robben island and the container ships sitting outside of the harbour.

Ah, I love Cape Town. It always makes me happy. Content with having shown my guests from Saudi Arabia and Ireland that being on top of Table Mountain is one of life’s most unforgettable experiences, we settle for breakfast at Primi Piatti in the V&A Waterfront.

By the time my Frittata Genovese is washed away with another cappuccino it is raining outside. Well then, anybody up for playing with the sharks in the aquarium?

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