Table Mountain ~The Rock in our Lives!!!

Hello Dear Friends!

 

It pays to spend some time organising your photo files!!!

 

I stumbled upon some photos I took last summer of a trip up Table Mountain!!

 

This happy occurrence coincided with an email I had from a home sick Cape Town peep, currently living and working in New York!  And so, these pics are for you, Sir!! Do enjoy and I hope you are safe and sound in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. 

 

And, for other readers from far off places, just to give perspective, I have included the view of the mountain from Blouberg Beach. Table Mountain is of course officially, a New 7Wonder of Nature and has got to be the most photographed mountain in the world!!

The Table Mountain Aerial Cable way (please click)  has taken in the region of 20 Million visitors to the top of our famous Table. All the information you need is in the link provided above, please check the site, to see if the cable way is open before you set off. As it happens, we bought tickets on line, and on the day we were supposed to go, the cable car was closed due to strong winds. We were very disappointed, but such is Mother Nature! Fortunately, the tickets were valid for 14 days.

We choose one of the most perfect days, I have ever experienced on Table Mountain! An early start, saw us up just after eight o' clock in the morning, before the rest tourist Cape Town joined in!

There was not even a whisper of a breeze as we glided effortlessly to the top. No matter how many times I do this, it always takes my breath away...

 

Of, course The Table is not as flat as it seems, from a distance.... And, as you can see, tourists and locals alike, got acrobatic...must be all the fresh air.... while the dassies just went about their usual business of lazing in the sun, literally, living The High Life!

 

Visibility was perfect in all directions, the ocean was calm and gorgeous, and we could have sworn, that we saw a whale playing down on Camps Bay side?

A view of the City Bowl.

 

 View of Camps Bay side.

 

Robben Island is just visible  in the distance to the left of the cable station.

 

Yachts were already out to play....and we saw our stadium for the first time from Table Mountain!

I can not imagine that a visit to Cape Town would be complete without at trip up Table Mountain! Sadly, just like many other local residents, we sometimes go years and years without going up the Mountain. And I wonder how many locals have never been up. Sad really...

 

 

Look!! Look!! No people...yet!!! A rare sight, indeed! So, go early if you want the look out points all to yourself!!!!

You can always have breakfast on The Table...

Thank you for your precious company!

 

At this time, our thoughts and prayers go out, not only to my blog peep in New York, but to all who have had to endure the devastation and loss of life, caused by Hurricane Sandy...

 

Live the Cape Town vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxx

 

All images are my own. Please leave your comments below in the comment box .... I am all ears....

 

You can also find us on Facebook in the sidebar of this blog, or drop me an email ~ ronnieclark@mweb.co.za ~ or follow on Twitter ~ @MotherCityMagic

Kamers Vol Geskenke

Hello Friends!

 

Cape Town is fabulous today, as only the Grand Lady can be, on a purrrrfect Spring Day! And yes, after that relentless winter, we are celebrating the good weather in style!

 

 

Yesterday, I visited Kamers Vol Geskenke (please click)(Rooms Full of Gifts), currently in full swing until the 27 th October, at the picturesque Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.

 

This was the postcard that greeted me....

 

 

And just in case the day was not bright enough, this vendor made sure brightness, was at an all time high! Yellow never looked this great against a long awaited blue sky...

 

 

 

I ignored the coffee aromas wafting all over me and headed straight for the food stalls...famished from the drive. Breakfast was not going to be toast and tea this morn....nope, I trotted over to find my favourite "Kamers Food" in the way of the salad bar at Smulpaap (please click)!! Now these boys know their salad and not a lettuce leaf in sight!!!

 

Come dive in the bowl with me,,,, no drooling please!

I needed a suitable beverage to wash it all down with and in honour of the magnificent sunshine I headed over to the Champagne Bar, to drink a toast to rolling out "The Season"

 

What a gorgeous setting to tuck into your salad...

Of course, as any blogger worth her crazy self,  a photo shoot is of premier importance before I could feast... and observing my antics was Carla, the elegant lady behind my glass of Saltare Brut. Carla was enjoying the fruits of her labours along with a friend. Carla made her first Cap Classique in 2003. Saltare sounds romantic and as I found out when I visited the website, Saltare is a Latin word and means "to dance". I was dancing with my camera before I'd had a single sip... To find out more about this lovely lady and her delectable offerings please click here

According to my flyer, offering 15% discount, it is also available at The Stellenbosch Slowmarket. Get some and call me so we can taste together!!!

Sharing is caring...

 

And just before you think I was out of control, these lovely gals were at it, before I got there!! And I got there at ten o' clock...

 

Looking great ladies! Cheers!

Fed and champagned... I was ready to explore and get into the Christmas mood...

 

Some folks were in relax to the max mode...shopping forgotten and just soaking up the sun. I was tempted to join in...

But, there was lots to see and people to meet and greet...

 

So, grab your glass and come with me....

Heavenly fragrance... and bright happiness!

 

 

A gallery of memories, of Kamers Vol Geskenke, through the years.

Saw a few familiar faces, some a lil modified....

A yearning for coffee set in and I found these lovely ladies! Now, my attraction to a Fornasetti face is a natural phenomenon, so I just had to make this my coffee stop, you understand?

The meeting of old friends over coffee remains one of the most pleasurable things to observe and to enjoy!

I will also do a post on my decor blog Tassels Twigs and Tastebuds to show you more images of the amazing products on offer. There was absolutely, something to satisfy every trend in the book! Be it vintage, French, Boere Chic, Contemporary, you name they had it.

 

For those of us who suffer from the Pinning virus, Pinterest, our pin boards came alive!! I left all fired up to go home and take another look at my Crafty Creatures Board.

I did not get back to this chill spot to lounge about and to taste the mixologists efforts, but will most certainly indulge on Friday when I am back at Kamers!!!

My favourite stall..shhhh, ( if there can be a favourite with all the beauty)is of course Colette from the blog La Brocanteuse with her French Brocante satisfying my inner Francophile. Click on the link for a look at what she has on offer. More to be included in my blog Tassels Twigs and Tastebuds.

 

My taste buds were interfering with my browsing, nudging me towards...  The Creamery for some tasting... The peanut butter was to die for!!! Hips are not pleased with me...*lick, lick*

There were so many beautiful vignettes at the stalls, too many to take in. I loved the vintage feel of Nest (please click)! Nostalgia at its best... gran ma's treasures alive and looking swanky....

Some new taste experiences to a traditional favourite can to be had at Biltong for Africa

Meeting  fellow South African  bloggers is always a great pleasure, and I was lucky enough to be able to chat to Nicola fromThe Pretty Blog. As you can see, prettiness all round in bloggers and their blog!

If you are in The Mother City you need to visit Kamers Vol Geskenke, for gifts in more ways than one. Gifts of inspiration, talent, friendship and general joy for life, is presented with abundant joy and enthusiasm.

Thank you!!!

 

 

So, time to say Cheers...again!! Lift a glass to a fab fest!

And not only to those 50 Women, but to all who make Life and the Season such a delectable pleasure!

 

 

 

Thank you for your company!

Live The Cape Town Vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxx

 

All images are my own. Please regale me with a comment below in the comment box, or on Face book ( in the sidebar of this blog) or follow me on Twitter @MotherCityMagic   I am all ears...

My Cape Town Love....

Hello Dear Friends!!

I greet you from a sunny Mother City and I am most pleased to announce that ....we have SUN!!! Yes, the wind is pumping outside, but after the sudden cold spell and storms of the last day or two, we will take the sun anyway it comes, thank you very much!!

 

I have had such a load of wonderful emails from peeps and followers from across the world about our splendid city. My heart sings! Some have visited and they love it , of course!!! And some are prospective visitors, who want to know what to do....well, as you know, I could write a book about that!!! The question, I get asked the most is ... " What to do you personally love about living in Cape Town"?

 

 

So, here goes...

I came to Cape Town as a young mom 27 years ago from the bustling fast paced Johannesburg! Of course, I appreciated the beauty of the Mother City, but I can tell you it took me around two years to settle down and fall in love with Cape Town. Crazy, yes, but true!!

 

And, now, I could quite simply not live anywhere else in the world or country, for that matter!

 

My answer to the question usually goes something like this...

 

Where, else could I hop in my car, travel about twenty metres  and see this...

...or simply peer out my bedroom window, and be greeted by Table Mountain! No matter how hurried or crazy life, gets, the beauty of the mountain and the view of the city always gives me an "Aaaahhh Haaa" moment!

Driving home, in soft rain on Thursday evening over the Tygerberg Hills, I see the city sprawled out beneath me and always stop, just to take it all in! 

 

I am a short drive away from the beach and being an amateur snap happy still-have-loads-to-learn photographer, every excuse in the book is employed to ditch housework in favour of some "practise shots" at the beach...

 

Check out the South Easter action here!!! Atishoo...thanks hayfever, for sending me back to the housework....

And of course we have the most amazing beaches!! We got voted top Beach Destination and you can see why...

Taking your pooch for a walk on the beach is a daily pleasure for us and that view is the cherry on top! We are incredibly blessed and yes, we know it!

 

Visiting a friend in the late afternoon, This splendid view greets me from her deck!! And it is an every changing picture depending on the wind, of course. I leap up every so often to take another peek, camera in hand!

 

 

 

Of course, if you know me, you know I love wine and from where I sit to write this, I can watch the next vintage growing! A great feeling let me tell you. Visiting wine farms here in our Valley of Durbanville or Stellenbosch, Franschoek, etc, is a national sport for me! So much wine and so little time...sigh!!!

 

Oh, and of course, there are my taste buds who are in a perpetual state of anticipation, not only to taste the next glass of wine but to taste all the gorgeous food that is on offer around our city, our markets, and neigbouring towns, all a short pleasurable drive away. What more do I want?

There are festivals, markets, food markets,(too many to mention) I am about five minutes away from Canal Walk Shopping Centre!  A huge sprawling mall and amazing if I feel the need for retail therapy! The view from my local shopping centre is postcard perfection. And that is all, apart from all the tourist things that I can also get involved in, should I feel like it.

 

I live close enough to the city to make regular trips to the V and A Waterfront to join in a cosmopolitan mix any time. I love meeting and seeing the tourists.

 

The City itself is also always full of fabulous fun for me, be it a stroll up Long Street, Green Market Square, trendy De Waterkant, the Bo Kaap...

 

There is so much to do, see and experience, and I never ever tire of it.

 Most important of all, I adore the people of this gorgeous city! Friendly and the most hospitable ever, as far as I am concerned!

I am convinced that Cape Town and I  were tailor made for each other. Blogging has given me an opportunity to share my Cape Town with friends, family and followers all over the world and for that I am truly happy.

 

I hope to bring you as much as I can of Cape Town and hopefully on a more regular basis than before.

 

Sending special greetings to all the expats who send me wonderful messages and some memories of their home!

 

Live Well

Live the Cape Town Vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxx

All images are my own. Please leave your comments below or drop me an email! You can follow by the Face book page in the top right hand corner of this blog or find me on twitter @MotherCityMagic

Seasons of Sauvignon ~ Durbanville Hills Winery

Hello Friends!!!

 

How is your Thursday going?

 

This is my final instalment from my visit to Seasons of Sauvignon. Yes, sadly I could not make it to all the participating wine farms!!  However, as I live just over the hill, this bleak situation, will be remedied over the next week or so...

 

Lots to look forward to...

 

So, after The End of Ride the Rhino I headed to Durbanville Hills Winery.

To stock up on...

The view from the winery is just spectacular in every direction...Yes, a bit bleak, I know, due to the relentless Cape Winter that we have been trying to banish! But still a gorgeous comforting sight, don't you think...?

Walking up from the parking area, I hummed along to "Country Roads" wafting down from above....ti's the life!

I thought, of how very l fortunate I am to live so close to such a wonderful Wine Route...we are practically neighbours.

 

 

The fire was burning, the tasting station was manned by some very friendly people and the rain anointed it all just for fun and just to induce a frenzied indoor scurry...

 

 

 

Bottle with a view to die for..

 

I decided to have a glass of the Double Gold winning Chardonnay.... yum!

 

And, I made myself at home with this magnificent panorama...

 

Wonderful ambiance as always....

Now, I know there are a few of you have responded to me on twitter  and who admitted that you have never actually visited The Durbanville Wine Route, but that, in fact, you do buy the wine!!! So, I do hope that I can convince you all to migrate behind the Boerewors Curtain, to pay these wonderful Wineries and amazing people a visit! Look what you're missing...

 

I will even meet you for a glass anytime!!

 

No need to wait for the next Seasons of Sauvignon, there is always loads to see and do and many wonderful restaurants to visit!

 

 

Looking forward to the Tapas on offer every Friday!!! See below...

 

 

Thank you for a wonderful visit, I had a blast!

 

Thanks for your precious company!

 

Comments can be left down below or drop me an email at ronnieclark@mweb.co.za!

 

Follow on Face Book in right hand sidebar above or on twitter @MotherCityMagic

 

Live the Cape Town Vibe

Veronica

xxx