A week in Cape Town - Day 6

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018



At last the day has arrived. The Table Mountain cable car is operational again after a lengthy maintenance break. I was beginning to fear I'd miss out.
By the look of things, the weather seems to be shaping up just fine.

Table Mountain here we come! I was given the good advice to get the tickets online this morning. It was that complicated it had me in tears. I ended up asking Marc for help and he managed to get as far as securing them. Before setting off, we go to a supermarket to retrieve them and pay with my credit card. We're all good. No need to queue up. It'll be a lot faster, they said.

It is a slightly different story when we get to the cable car station. The queue of people with tickets is very long already, and it gets added to with the people getting the tickets on the spot. 

The cable car is going to be running overtime today.

Standing in the queue for over an hour is actually a bit of alright, given the great views.

At last, we get to the actual station and see the cable car close up. It is quite amazing how you can't see the cables at all from even a small distance.

There are only 2 cabins. Each can accommodate 65 passengers.

Both buildings, the bottom station and the top station, are as small as possible while still being functional and they blend in perfectly.  There are no pylons along the way either.

Impressive to think that it has been there since 1929 already.

The last time it was upgraded in 1997, cabins with rotating floors were introduced. No need to jostle for a view as everybody gets a chance to see all the way round.

Along the bottom of this cliff runs the walking track for those tough people who don't need a cable car. There are people over there right now, but they're tinier than ants from our lofty height.
I'm very thankful for the cable car as I would probably run out of daylight hours trying to get to the top on shanks's ponies.

Even as one approaches the top, one can barely see the actual building. It could just be part of the rock.

Arriving at our destination. Awe inspiring.

Oh, did I mention the cable car is Swiss built? It is, naturally - smile.

The cafe and the souvenir shop.

Endless breathtaking views.

Below are the 12 apostles if I'm not mistaken.

What a work of art.

Lions Head and Signal Hill look like mole hills from up here.

There is a little bit of flora, but not very much yet. It is still bitterly cold, especially with the wind which just happens to be blowing.

Being so windswept, all the vegetation is short and hard grown.

We manage to find a sheltered spot for our picnic, but we still don't hang around as even here we find it a bit cold.

Then we wander on all over the top on these little goat tracks.

Marc wants to show me where the walking trail comes up from the bottom and has to play mountain guide when the going gets tough.

The very last bit is so hairy that I decide to take his word for it and leave it at that. I can't quite see the point in climbing down steps as tall as my hips with only a chain to hang on to.

It is time to make our way back to the cable car where we end up standing in yet another queue.

We take in last glimpses of the view and another work of art and then we are on the way down. 

With all the waiting, a big chunk of time has gone by and we have to put up with rush hour traffic. Still, not to worry, we are all happy.

We arrive home quite late. Marc cooks a curry for my last supper with them. 

What a splendid finale to my time in Cape Town today has been.