Cape Town Part One: Table Mountain

Last weekend we headed off for our first trip to Cape Town. My friends Cara and Carolyn were there working at the Red Cross Children's Hospital for the month so we planned our trip just so we could visit with them. The end of May isn't necessarily the best time of year to go down there, it was chilly, and we had a little rain, but it was well worth it to see those two ladies, and we loved being down there in the off season with no lines of tourists.

We rented a three bedroom house in an area called Muizenburg just outside of the city. Muizenburg is a small little surf town known for it's great beach. The house ended up being perfect for our family to stretch out and relax. It also had some fantastic views. Being nestled on the side of Muizenburg Mountain we had hiking trails out our backdoor and a glorious view of the ocean. The extra bonuses to the house were the hot tub, ping pong table, and basketball hoop, which all came in handy for entertaining the kids. It was also nice to be able to cook meals at the house. After sight seeing during the day having the opportunity to cook dinner there and just relax made things a lot easier on us all. Being outside of Cape Town proper was more affordable then a hotel and actually was well situated between all the areas we wanted to visit. We were 30 minutes from Cape Town, 30 minutes from Simon's Town (penguins), and 45 minutes from wine country.

a few pictures of the house 

View up out backyard

View out the front

Muizenburg Beach

I fell in love with these bright colored beach shacks. 

Collecting Shells with the Boys

A couple of weeks before we invited Elizabeth (our nanny/housekeeper) to come with us on the trip. Not knowing if we will have another chance to get to Cape Town, Chase and I wanted to be able to have a few adult experiences too, and having her with us made that possible. She also got to experience a lot of firsts in her life as well and we were happy to help make that happen for her.

After we settled into the house we headed out to dinner to meet up with Cara and Carolyn. It was so nice to be able to catch up with old friends, and really it seemed like time hadn't passed at all. We had a great dinner and chatted about all the happenings in our lives.

Our first full day we headed off to Table Mountain and Elizabeth went off for a tour of Robben Island. In our rush to get to the tour on time I fell down a flight of stairs at the waterfront, which not only was embarrassing in front of a crowd of strangers, but also painful as my tail bone took the brunt of the fall. The fall mixed with a sinus infection I was already experiencing was not helping this vacation to start out on a good foot, but we pushed ahead. Elizabeth got to her ferry on time and we carried on to Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a flat topped mountain and a prominent landmark overlooking Cape Town. You have the option to either hike or ride the cable car to the top, with the kids we chose the cable car. Once at the top there are several small trails that take you all over the area. The view is amazing, and we were lucky that our morning there was one of our clearer days in Cape Town. We had sunshine and could see out into the ocean. Mitchell loved climbing on the rocks and running on the trails.

Table Mountain

Riding the Cable Car, Mitchell give it his approval

View down the cables

View From the Top

It was really neat to watch the clouds roll over us. A new meaning to having your "Head in the Clouds"

Elizabeth enjoyed her trip to Robben Island as well. Robben Island is the island off the coast of Cape Town that during apartheid Nelson Mandela and many others were imprisoned. Today you can tour the island and learn about what imprisonment was like there. The tour is 3 to 4 hours long and your tour guides are former prisoners.  Though it would be fascinating to me, I know it wouldn't of held interest for a 2 and 5 year old. So, Elizabeth took the tour and told me all about it when she returned. She was speechless and tearful at times telling me the stories of what had happened there during apartheid. I am happy that she had the opportunity to take the tour and learn more about her country and people's history. She took lots of pictures and is allowing me to share them here with you all.

a Church, the only building they did not demolish during the apartied war. Now it's called a anglican Church

Sipho Ikosi, ex confict who lead her tour

Outside of the jail

picture of Mandela

Mandela's Cell

Inside his cell, his plate, mug, and blanket were left inside.

view of Cape Town from Robben Island

Even with the head cold, and a tumble down the stairs, our first day in Cape Town shaped up to be a good one and the rest of our trip had some great moments too. Once again there are too many things to talk about in one post so Cape Town Part Two will be out for your reading pleasure soon!