On to Table Mountain...

All the times I have been to Cape Town I have never been on Table Mountain at night... I was thinking of being up there for the New Year, but after missing the 1999-2000 celebration up there, I figured I just stay closer to sea level and have fun in the city. But I did go on the Mountain with friends on New Years Day (with a bottle of champagne) and I we went up at dusk and watched night come onto Cape Town from there. That time of day/night is unlike anything else. At this time of day the Dassies, chubby, brown rodents spread out on the rocks, getting the last of the day's warmth, seemingly unaware of the tourists and the tremendous heights. The colours as the sun sets into the ocean and the moon rises to take its place are amazing. Once the sun slips into the waters the stars suddenly pop into the sky in surprising numbers. Then you see the city lights illuminate the ground below, everything is clear, cool and quiet.
Astriding Table Mountain are Devils Peak and Lion's Head. To stretch my legs and get some sun on New Years Eve day I hiked up Lion's Head. It's a good hour long climb that requires steady footing and some energy. Paragliders use Lion's Head as a taking-off point to glide over Sea Point and onto the beaches below. If you have to go swimming this is not the beach for you. While it is beautiful even at the warmest days (temps close to 90 degrees in the summer) the water is always cold, but there are a lot of good cafes and restaurants at the beach front. I spent a lot of my time in Cape Town watching the skies, selecting stars. This one was always first out in the evening, skimming the edge of Lion's Head, kept catching my attention. Even though it's not really a star (I think it's Venus) I assigned it to someone special.