Stuff I Love: I Love Cape Town

Photo Courtesy of www.sapeople.com Photographer: Carmen Sampayo Deavall

Cape Town's Beautiful Table Mountain

Oh yes, Cape Town is in my blood. I love it with all my heart, was born in it, grew up in it and lived in it for most of my life. It is a city like no other. Surrounded by beautiful beaches and of course with our beautiful blue mountain, the iconic Table Mountain, visible from everywhere you may be in the City or surrounds. The people of Cape Town are also like no other in the country. We are not as industrious maybe, as the Johannesburg people upcountry, as we love to chill, braai(BBQ), laugh and have fun, along with of course working at our regular jobs. But we love to celebrate and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our very beautiful city more than we like to make money! Afterall, what use is money without being able to enjoy it, right? And can you blame us? I mean, just look at this city!

There's Beach Volley Ball.......

Or Other Beach Life Things......

Window Views To Swoon Over.......

Homes Made For Indoor-Outdoor Living........

Blue Mountains On Road Trips To Pass Out Over.......

And SO much more. Lots of sunshine, lots of sunny people, and of course, some not so sunny, but how boring would life in the Cape be if they were not a part of it too, hmmm?

Cape Town Peeps...They Are...

Festive....... Passionate........

Loving..........

Layabouts.........

Musicians......

Patriotic Expats in Other Countries...... Cutie-pies................

Happy Jumping-For-Joyers........

Lovers.....

And Of Course, There's Our Beloved...........

Madiba, Nelson Mandela.....

Ok, ok, so he's not officially a Cape Town peep, but we embrace & love him here just as much as the rest of our South African Rainbow Nation does, so there!

Then there are the Cape Malay Areas, so beautiful in their colourful glory; the occupants' personalities as colourful as their houses. Seeing them in their crisp white tunics going to or from Mosques, or just about their lives, is a typical Cape Town scene. And enjoying their typical and by now very much integrated, Cape Malay foods, is just heavenly! When I am in other countries, I make a point of cooking Cape Malay influenced dishes and then revel in the foreigners' surprised faces and the eminating oooh's & aaah's as they happily tuck into the unique mixtures of sweet & salty, spicy & fruity and of course curried yumminesses, that these fragrant and delicious culinary talents have produced over the years in this Cape Town society.

Yup, Cape Town People, a post all on it's own! A post for the future on this blog.........

Today, I am looking out of my bedroom window as I write this article, and enjoying a view of bright sunshine, blue skies, green hills & blue mountains in the distance. Birds' nests are hanging from nearby trees and people are going by in cars and on foot. It is the beginning of Spring. Last year this time, we had Snow on Table Mountain!! and it was bitterly cold. This year....? We've had 36'C/97'F in the middle of Winter! Cape Town weather....like it's people.....unpredictable, varied, mostly sunny but with cold spells, sometimes like a baby too, windy (and you want to stay indoors when the "Cape Doctor" blows!), wet & unexpected! It's not for nothing that we often take along clothes for all weathers when going out in Cape Town....because Cape Town can let you have all 4 seasons in one day, and then some, when it feels like it!

I have visited and lived in a few places in the world, but for me, Cape Town is still my greatest love. It sort of gets under your skin and squeezes your heart till your heart explodes in little fits of happy "aaah-this-is-the-life" moments. I am smitten. Forever.

Yes, sadly there's another side to Cape Town too that may not be so pleasant, but that's a topic for another post methinks and a different blog. For now, I just want to think of the things about Cape Town which make it so pleasant, unique, beautiful, and makes me always want to say, I just......