2014-01-06

【Aiden in English】

        After about a month at sea, the cruise was going well. It was too well. The sky was always cloudless and the sun was always shining brightly, but not today. The day of Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, was cloudy and foggy. The damp air and the ever-blowing winds from the Atlantic Ocean didn't help either.

        We scheduled to ride a cable car up to Table Mountain. But if it was too windy, we would have to do the alternative, which didn't sound so good.

        Table Mountain aka Tavern of the Seas got its name from the flat surface and its similarities to a table. Unfortunately, Table Mountain National Park was closed due to the wind. Plan B was to drive up Signal Hill instead. That also sounded like a problem for Mom and me because not only that nothing couldn't be seen at the top, but also we had another shore excursion after this trip that took us to the same place for the sunset.

        Just as I thought, we couldn't see a single thing at the top of Single Hill. So we went to Plan C and drove halfway down Signal Hill and parked on the side of the road (talk about a lot of bad ideas). The view there wasn't nearly as good as the one from Table Mountain, but in this case, all you could see from Table Mountain were nothing but clouds at the moment. I guess no matter how advanced humans are, Mother Nature is what decides the weather in the end.

【红霞译文】

        海上航行近个把月来游轮一路顺风，真叫人忘乎所以。天空总是万里无云，阳光一向明媚灿烂，但今天除外，我们到达南非立法首都开普敦的当天晴转多云，接着多云见雾且空气潮湿，呼呼不停的大西洋海风爱莫能助，根本无法驱散浓云密雾。

        我们原计划乘坐缆车登上桌山，可是因为风力忒凶，迫使我们临时另做打算，结果直接影响到整个行程。

        “海角之城”的桌山平地突起，其外形象台桌子故而得名，不巧的是桌山国家公园因为大风天气关闭一天，我们不得不实施第二套游览方案，改去邻家信号山欣赏开普敦依桌山傍桌湾的奇特景致。这下问题来了，且不说登山远望是否靠谱，我和妈妈事先早有旅游安排，傍晚时分要专程来到信号山观看日落，两个原本互不搭尕的活动意外地冲突起来。

        不出所料，即使爬上信号山恐怕也难以实现攀登桌山放眼桌湾的梦想，面对突发状况我们急中生智，和盘托出第三套计划(诸多馊主意之一)，驱车半山腰安营扎寨，虽然赶不上桌山无限风光，但至少可以叫我们抒发“会当凌绝顶”的豪迈情怀。人类神通广大无所不及，但大自然偏不以人的主观意志为转移，“天不为人之恶寒而辍冬，也不为人之恶辽远而辍广”。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2013: Iguazu NP, Argentina(阿根廷伊瓜苏国家公园)

2010: 澳洲文化中心墨尔本(Melbourne)

Panorama of Capetown South Africa (南非·开普敦全景)

Cape Flats (开普平原)

Table Mtn (桌山)

Signal Hill (信号山)

Table Mtn & Signal Hill in Mist (雨雾中桌山与信号山)

Table Mtn in Mist (雨雾中桌山)

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (胜利精灵海滨)

V&A Waterfront in Mist (雨雾中胜利精灵海滨)

The City Bowl (开普敦市碗 01-06-2014)

Llandudno Beach (圣图德诺教区海滩 01-06-2014)

Quay @ V&A Waterfront (胜利精灵海滨·码头)

Clock Tower in the Victorian Gothic-Style

(维多利亚时代哥特式风格的钟楼)

Jolly Roger Pirate Boat (海盗旗海盗船)

Cape Town Port (开普敦港)

Statute of Cecil John Rhodes

(英裔南非矿业大亨与政治家雕像 01-06-2014)

Company's Garden, the Oldest Garden in South Africa 

(公司花园·南非最早的花园 01-06-2014)

Gum Myrtle (桃金娘)

Castle of Good Hope (好望堡)

Watch Tower @ Castle of Good Hope (好望堡·瞭望塔)

City Hall (市政厅)

Façade Houses of Parliament (国会大厦·正面观)

Back Houses of Parliament (国会大厦·背面观)

Side Houses of Parliament (国会大厦·侧面观)

Genadendal Residence (总统府)

Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr (农夫殉道士大教堂)

Islam Mosque (伊斯兰清真寺)

Parish Church (教区教堂)

The Old Town (老城)

Residental Aare (居民区)

Disa Park, Three Apt Complex @ Vredehoek

(和平角·迪萨公园即三座公寓大楼)

Good Hope Seminary Junior (好望初级神学院)

Cape Town Stadium (开普敦体育场)

Molteno Reservoir (熔融水库)

South Africa Museum & Planetarium

(南非博物馆与天文馆 01-06-2014)

Karoo Fossils @ South Africa Museum & Planetarium

(南非博物馆与天文馆·卡鲁化石 01-06-2014)

Rock Art @ South Africa Museum & Planetarium

(南非博物馆与天文馆·岩石绘画艺术)

Squirrel Going Nuts (松鼠吃坚果/松鼠疯了)

Egyptian Goose (埃及鹅)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

South Africa(出游南非)

Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋)

Africa (漫游非洲)

5th Grade(小学五年级)