Because I drug my feet in posting about our trip, I’m going to combine a lot of our activities in the next few posts.  Day 2 on the Cape was a pretty packed one.  We woke up bright and early to try a local coffee shop, which ended up becoming our staple breakfast spot, called Bootlegger Coffee.  We then made the 2 hour drive down to the Cape of Good Hope.  Lucky for us, the fog had finally started to clear and we were able to see the mountains surrounding us.  Our drive south consisted of Chapman’s Peak Drive and a pit stop at Hout Bay.  CPD was exhilarating, terrifying and breathtaking all together.  You are literally driving along the coast where one side was the mountains edge and the other dropped straight down to the ocean – very similar to the 101 in California at some parts.  As you can imagine I was on edge of my seat the entire time but the views were seriously breathtaking.

Once through the cliffs, we made our way down to Cape Point.  We didn’t have nearly as much time at the Horn as we would have liked due to Mother Nature’s temper the day before, so we had to squeeze two days into one.  The Cape was like nothing I’ve ever seen.  It’s best known as the Cape of Storms because the merging of the Indian & Atlantic oceans and the coastline is peppered with shipwrecks due to its violent storms & dangerous rocks.  We could have spent all day here but had a tight timeline to stick to so we packed up and headed north to hang out with some penguins.  

Boulders Beach was, as expected, a tourist trap but we’re suckers for penguins so we didn’t mind.  There are hundreds of them and they are everywhere!  Warning, it’s not the best smelling attraction but it will certainly put a smile on your face, especially the little baby chicks.  

After Boulder Beach we raced back to climb Lion’s Head before our evening boat ride.  Forewarning – this is not for the faint of heart and we’ve come to the consensus that it would not be a legal in the states!  The first 1/2 is pretty standard with a paved path circling the mountain but the last 1/2 is basically bouldering and climbing ladders that have been cemented into the rock face. YIKES. Not going to lie, there were some points when I wanted to turn back but I’m so glad we made it to the top!!  There were 360 degree views from downtown to the 12 apostles to Camps Bay all the way to the winelands.  It was spectacular. 

We ended our busy day on the water with a beautiful champagne sunset cruise.  It was pretty awesome to see the ‘mountains’ we’d been climbing early that day from the lowest point of the city!