Waiting for a train after visiting a chandlery, what a view.

We have been busy sight seeing this last week.  After a lovely pot luck Christmas dinner we spent the next few days visiting the area.  On Boxing Bay I went to the Kirenbosch botanical gardens.  Not only were the gardens beautiful but there were so many families getting together having picnics in the grassy areas on the garden, it was obvious that family celebrations were in order in Cape Town on Boxing Day.  On the way back from the gardens we noticed that the beaches were crowded as well.  It is the height of summer and most businesses are closed down over the holidays so it is time to visit family and friends.

The view from the botanical gardens

The winding path through the gardens which is built on the side of a mountain.

Yesterday we went into Cape Town and accomplished our goal of climbing up Table Mountain.  Unfortunately it was misty, but there is always a bright side to every story, although once we got to the top we could not see a thing, we were very comfortable climbing up because it was cool.  It took Barry and Brian an hour and 15 minutes to get up and Dorothy hung back with me and we took an hour and a half. It was a steady climb up rocky steps, which we often 2 normal steps high, back and forth across the mountain face. We decided to take the cable car down rather than put our bodies through too much in one day. 

The guys waiting for us at the top. 

The top of Table Mountain, you will just have to take my word for it. 

 We headed down and went to the touristy waterfront where we watched the latest Tom Cruise movie, Jack Reacher.  He is a character in Lee Childs books and in the book he is 6 foot 5 and 220 pounds so we did not think Tom was very good casting but he did  a pretty good job of creating a believable Reacher.  

On the way back from the botanical gardens we went on a fantastic drive along the west side of the cape and there were come spectacular views.  South Africa is a country full of  beautiful vistas. 

Hout Bay