Super Sunday

 Capetown is the capital of South Africa, and the oldest city in southern Africa.  The currency here is the South African Rand.  The colorful paper money comes in different sizes for each denomination.  One dollar is equal to R17.50  The cab ride from the airport cost R450 (that's $25.50)  The shopping is going to be hard to get used to--"bargains" won't quite feel like bargains when you look at the price in Rand.

The sunny skies from yesterday disappeared and clouds greeted us this morning for our walk to mass at  Sacred Heart church.   The church is almost 140 years old, with beautiful stained glass and an amazing pipe organ that was recently restored.  

On the way back to the hotel after mass, we found a market and bought bottled water.  Although they say the tap water is safe to drink, we'd prefer to be careful.   Right next to the market was a liquor store, so we also stopped there and bought vodka, tonic and diet coke..a total of R450.  (Doesn't that seem a lot ?  It was actually $27.86--I think we'll get better at converting the Rand to dollars by the end of the trip.)  

We were more concerned about buying liquor on the way home from church...hoping that's an okay thing to do!

One of the landmarks of Capetown is the backdrop of Table Mountain.  It is a huge slab of shale, sandstone and granite formed about 250 million years ago!  The mountain can be seen from 93 miles away at sea.  The mountain is often draped by a "tablecloth" of clouds.    We saw it today with the tablecloth on, and a few hours later without the tablecloth! 

We took another walk, this time to the Waterfront, a bustling hub of activity.  There was entertainment all around, with singers and dancers on every corner.

The city market was also going on, with a wonderful assortment of fruits, vegetables, plants, craft items, etc.  

We settled on a Cape Town Lager craft beer, and enjoyed just sitting and watching people for awhile.

There was shopping everywhere...even this store with Lund Leathers! It would be easy to go crazy shopping, but I refrained as the thought of "how will I fit that in my suitcase?" kept nagging at me.  

  There is also art everywhere...some for sale, some just to look at, and some incorporated into the stairs!  Quite interesting to see.

 The sun came out and heated things up as we walked back to the hotel...we were glad to see our resting spot come into view.

We treated ourselves to a wood-fired pizza for dinner and some fancy drinks (Col'cacchio woo-woo)  at an Italian place close to the hotel.

The Super Bowl begins at 2 am here, and we can't find a channel that's broadcasting it (South Africa is more interested in cricket and soccer than football). So, on Super Sunday we will be going to bed early and getting a good night's sleep after a day full of walking and adjusting to the time change.