When It's 98 Degrees in the Shade

The Beach at Capetown, South Africa

When it's 98 degrees in the shade, as it's been today and in days past in New York City, it's time to leave the city for a virtual trip to Capetown. 

I realized that I've neglected sharing photographs of one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, Capetown, South Africa. I had heard and read about the beauty of Capetown, but nothing prepared me for actually seeing this view the first morning I visited. I was fortunate to enjoy three clear early autumn days (out of four) during my visit to Capetown, and happily those days coincided with sightseeing at the shore. It wasn't sunny every hour, but the clouds seemed to be perfect background for the mountains and the sea.  

The view of extraordinary Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a national park, World Heritage site and one of the new Wonders of the World. It's the natural wonder focus of Capetown and both an extraordinary sight and an extraordinary site to visit. My tour had some scheduling flexibility so we could visit Table Mountain when there was at least some visibility. 

The View from Table  Mountain

It wasn't a perfectly clear day, but clear enough to see where the mountains meet the sea very close to the Southern tip of Africa. The cable car ride up the mountain was a little scary -- at least for me -- but the view was more than worth a few scary minutes. 

My group at the Cape of Good Hope

Based on the misinformation I learned in my fifth grade study of the Explorers, I thought the Cape of Good Hope was the most Southern point of Africa. As we can see from the signage it's the Most South-Western point of the African continent. That said, I never dreamed in 1960 when I first heard of the Cape of Good Hope, that I would actually visit here. I might have well have thought I would go to Mars one day. A trip to Mars seemed just as likely as a trip to the Cape of Good Hope. But amazingly 65 years later, there I am at one of my dream destinations. 

What's next? Where do I go/do at 75? I know I am blessed to be able to ask this question. I'm not simply thinking about places to visit, but in a global sense, where do I go? I had some of these thoughts when I retired twelve years ago, but there seemed to be (almost) endless time ahead. Now I know that's not the case, but there is still time. My question is what will I do with this time? I know I started with a travelogue and I've finished a lot more philosophically. But that's how blog posts and life goes. We start out in one place and then our lives and wandering take us to an entire other place. What other place will I go? 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take good care and friends in Hawaii and Alaska, stay safe!