Joel was right about Cape Town

Joel and I have been having this multi-year, very repetitive conversation, the way married couples do. About Cape Town. Start a conversation with Joel about cities, or travel, or Africa, and without fail he will state, very passionately, that Cape Town is the most beautiful city in the world. And I will roll my eyes, and talk about Rome or Marrakech or Vancouver, because I have a long list of beautiful cities and I was in Cape Town three years ago and wasn't that impressed.

But perhaps Cape Town was having a bad week that week (I vaguely remember that the weather wasn't great), because after this trip?

After taking the cable car to the top of Table Mountain (something which the weather prevented my last visit), and those spectacular views of the city nestled between green hills and the deep blue bay?

waiting for the cable car

too bad the sickly green color of our stroller makes Cassia look a little sickly green

you can see Robben Island in the center of the picture

After watching the sun sink into the sea from that vantage point at the top of the world?

After seeing the city lying like a field of jewels, sparkling in the night, on the way down?

And after walking down to the waterfront on a perfect summer afternoon?

taken from the window of a Ferris Wheel, which really let us see the city

they were so great we bought their CD

After a week spent in the shadow of those glorious mountains?

I am willing to concede that Joel may be right, just like he was about G2 pens and Pepsodent. (If you are using any other brand of pen or toothpaste, you are missing out.)

My only regret is that I was so tied up with conference goings-on that we didn't get to spend nearly as much time seeing the city as it deserved. Cape Town, we'll be back.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the event that rocked South Africa 15 days ago. We had our chance to pay respects to Mandela while at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. Someday we'll have to tell William about him.