Today was our tour of Cape Town day - the highlight of which was the quick, windy visit to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western point of the African Continent. It was unbelievably windy and there were numerous groups pushing to get their pictures taken behind the sign in the above picture, but we managed to get in there before any of us blew away. The sign, which is not easy to read in the above picture, identifies the Cape and gives its longitude.

The above picture is the view from our hotel room on the 25th floor. In the background is Table Mountain, which we hope to climb (some of us via cable car, others on foot) probably on Monday.



The day started early with a drive along the coast. The view was spectacular, to say the least.
The picture above is just one example of the views we had all morning as we drove along the coast, including on a road carved into the side of a mountain.







Next up was a visit to the penguins - cute little critters. They were just sort of all hunkered down on the sand (the beach was nearby) and faced away from the wind - not a bad idea at all...the wind is brutal here, undoubtedly as an effect of the two oceans (Atlantic and Indian) which meet here.









The final stop for the day was Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which was huge and quite beautiful.











We got back to the hotel late in the afternoon and many of us went to dinner at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, which is lined with shops and restaurants.

Tomorrow, the Wisconsin contingent, Tom, Rebecca and myself are going to (a) try to find the starting line for a 10K run and (b) try to get Tom the T-shirt he paid for. Many of the others will be going on the walking tour of a township. In the afternoon, most everyone will be going on the boat to Robbens Island, which is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

So, one more day to sightsee tomorrow before getting back to work!