Sunlit Hout Bay
Tag Archives: mountains
Stellenbosch vineyards
Paul Cluver – wide open space
The green grass of Maiden’s Cove
A different view of Lion’s Head
Watching the sun go down
Pig’s Snout Kloof – Stanford to Hermanus
Can you see the pig lying down, with the front of it's snout facing the camera? Do you see it's two eyes? If you click on the image to enlarge you'll perhaps even be able to make out the two waterfalls, one running from each nostril. Kinda gross, but there you have it. :)
Here's a map, with Google StreetView showing the location, and an extra photo, zoomed out a little.
Enchanting clouds
If you visit Cape Town, and if the weather's right, you'll see a similar blanket of cloud covering the mountain. The weird and enchanting thing about the clouds is that they continuously descend from the mountain towards the earth but never seem to reach it. They billow over, almost like you'd imagine a witch's cauldron would. It's quite enchanting.
The hills and mountains of Constantia
Snow on our mountains
Mountains, fynbos, and the wild-wild ocean
Hermanus’s landscape
Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town
This side of the peninsula is completely different to the Atlantic Seaboard (ie. the Sea Point / Camps Bay area), and in some way reminds me of a few of the small sea-side fishing towns that we visited in Brittany, France.
Green lawns of Stellenbosch University
Surrounded by mountains
Most of the Tulbagh area's beauty comes from its terrain. While there's a great deal of wide open space (which is good for clearing one's mind), the area is completely surrounded by mountains - which are in some way very comforting. I, like all Capetonians, get a bit weirded-out if all I'm able to see is barren flatness with no mountains in sight. It's difficult to explain really. :)
Take a few moments to browse this satellite image - you'll see what I mean by surrounded!
Our visit to Tulbagh begins
So, on a whim, I scoured a few online accommodation sites and booked two nights away in Tulbagh, a small town that's a short 121 kilometers from the City (here's a route map).
I took this photo at the guest house where we stayed - a rural estate about 3 kilometers outside the town. Over the next few days I'll share with you more of what we saw in and around Tulbagh.
A distant Simon’s Town
Hit the beach early!
You may agree that these are great reasons to get to the beach super early - like before 9am! While the reasons I mention are good ones the best reason of all is that it's a good idea to get your naked skin out of the sun between 11am and 4pm.
It's easy to forget that our sun is more harsh these days than it was 10 or 15 years ago. I remember as a kid not having to pay as much attention to the sun's ravaging rays; I guess the scientists who made such a big thing of the depletion of the atmosphere's ozone layer had a point. :(
I'm not partial to leathery skin, I don't relish the thought of skin cancer, and I kinda like the look of untanned skin - which is why I always use SPF30+ sunscreen when spending time outdoors. If you don't already, it's probably a good idea for you to do the same. :)
Walking the narrow path
Have you taken time to consider how different your life could have been if you, say, hadn't taken that job; or you'd grabbed that opportunity to travel abroad; or if you had stopped at that red traffic light? Wouldn't life be awfully interesting if when you reached the end of the road you had an opportunity to live it all over again?
I took this photo at the Majik Forest in Durbanville.
On the lawn at DeHugenot Estate
What's awesome about the experience is that (as you can see) the tables are spread fairly far apart so that you're able to enjoy the company of those at your table without the intrusion of other guests in close proximity.
Overlooking Paarl
Another thing that the town will always be remembered for is that it hosts the old Victor Verster Correctional Centre - the prison where Nelson Mandela was held before his release in 1992.
I remember the day that he was release - it was the day that our family was returning from our holiday in Wellington (a nearby town). I vividly remember how the national highway was lined with thousands of ANC supporters - awaiting the release of their beloved Madiba. I remember it being both exiting and scary to be in the midst of the thronging crowds. I won't forget that day.
Summer in Camps Bay
I took this shot from Kloof Road, just below where the famous Round House restaurant does business. This whole area has a huge number of short hiking trails that would be perfect as an early morning walk. I really wish that I could live in this area - besides for it being a beautiful area there would then be no excuse not to get regular exercise in the outdoors!
Cat’s eyes on the road
A long country road
I'm curious to know which photo you prefer - this one, or my previous one?
A beautiful landscape
Colourful vineyards, green fields, blue mountains, and billowing clouds. The late afternoon sun makes this such a beautiful landscape. I wonder if people living here ever become jaded towards its beauty.
Sky, mountain, grass
The only problem with visiting Cape Town from abroad during winter is that the weather is so unpredictable - your visit could co-inside with superb weather like this, or with two weeks of rain, often accompanied by wind. Sorry about that. :)