Sal and Lar (my Mom and Dad) had made the long trip to the southern tip of Africa and we were thrilled to have them there. Lar had done a lot of the organizing for the trip and hit a home run finding the Rutland Lodge for our home base (Sal was busy first-time grandmother-ing in Minnesota during most of the planning). Situated up in the highlands overlooking the whole city and the ocean, the Lodge is just a short trip from the base of Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain.

View from Rutland Lodge

View of Table Mountain from Rutland Lodge

Cape Town is an impressive city that has many things going for it, from beautiful secluded beaches, to mountains as a backdrop, to a multi-cultural mix of people and music and food that is incredibly intriguing. It’s part San Diego, part Sydney but all South African. However, Cape Town isn’t all sunshine and good. Like the rest of South Africa, crime and safety are huge issues. Most houses and businesses in this beautiful place are behind tall walls with security alarms and electric and/or razor fences. It is something you are aware of at all times, but more so than in any other cities we visited in South Africa, you actually feel quite safe.

I guess you have to have at least one negative thing to say about the place or otherwise it would just be too perfect. We were excited to be there and have nearly a week to explore it with my parents.

Cape Town Beaches

Arrival in Africa - Welcome Graces!