Up in the clouds

This is the famous Noon Gun Tearoom and Restaurant perched high above the city of Cape Town on the slopes of Signal Hill in the historical Bo Kaap. You just have to be there to experience the magic of this family owned restaurant steeped in the traditions of old Cape Town. I don't think that there is another place like Bo Kaap in the whole world. The Noon Gun - actually two noon guns - are old 18-pounder, smoothbore muzzle-loaders that are apparently the oldest cannons still in use in the world today. The guns are on Signal Hill, which is just above the restaurant, and one of them fires each day at 12 noon - one of Cape Town's oldest traditions.

Holy places

Another wild and stormy day in Cape Town. We went for a windy walk on Lion's Head, and looked down on one of Cape Town's Kramats (holy places) far below. Apparently there is a ring of Kramats that encircle Cape Town, keeping her safe from natural disasters. I went to see the Kramat and was invited in by some other visitors who had come to pay their respects to Sheikh Mohammed Hassen Ghaibie Shah, a very holy man and a follower of the famous Sheikh Yusuf (who is regarded as the father of the South African Muslim community) who was buried here in the late 1600s. I took my shoes off, and went in to see the grave. A charming old man called Saheer gave me a piece of material to put over my head, and when we came out again, had a most interesting chat about other Kramats in this area. The photo above shows the road from Lion's Head to Signal Hill with Table Bay in the background looking rather stormy. The Kramat is clearly visible about half way along the road. Today is 10/10/10 and an auspicious day for Climate Action. I was going to join a clean-up the beach walk but as it is now pouring with rain, I will pass on that and just remember to switch off the heater and the lights tonight to do my bit for climate action! More Scenic Sundays.