Lance Armstrong Races Argus for First Time

The upcoming 2010 Cape Argus bicycle race will be coming up in just a few weeks, on 14 March to be precise, and those looking for accommodation in Cape Town may well wish to try the southern suburbs of Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont, Kenilworth, and Bishopscourt for their stay in the Cape.  This year bicyclists will be joined by the iconic American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who will participate in the world's largest timed bicycle race. A big thank you too to the owner of Hame Cottages for pointing this out!

According to news about the cycle tour, Armstrong tweeted his decision to enter the race: "Hey South Africa! Excited to come down in March. Bringing your man @darylimpey with me. And yes, we're racing The Argus. Hear gr8 things." Apparently there is also a bit of smack being talked by "the fine folks in Cape Town" about a "twitter ride record", whatever that may mean. To see what Lance Armstrong is saying about the upcoming Argus, follow him on Twitter @lancearmstrong. 

Whoever races this year will find no other bicycle race in the world that goes through such extraordinarily beautiful terrain... enjoy the photos of Cape Argus cycle races past!

A Farewell to 2009

                                                                         There are few places more lovely than Cape Town in which to spend the New Year. Excellent wine flowed throughout the evening all about the Cape, and the weather, though a bit cooler than is usual for the season, allowed many to dance the night away without getting too sweaty.

I will not say we will be wishing 2009 a fond farewell, but rather breathing a collective sigh of relief that we have weathered the worst of the global economic storm. And is that not reason enough to celebrate?

Entering 2010 in Cape Town, we find the Minstrel Carnival still going strong, and there's a short clip of the minstrels on YouTube. A celebration to commemorate the freeing of slaves in the Cape Colony back in the nineteenth century, it has become a tradition that looks to keep going into the 21st century.

Enjoy these New Year photos from around the Cape, and we will look forward to seeing you soon! After all, the mountains, and all the rest of the Cape's fabulous scenery, will continue to be here for everyone to see...
                                                             Remember too that the FIFA 2010 World Cup begins in a mere six months' time, so don't forget to book your accommodation today!

Cape Town in High Resolution

Jess of Hame Cottages kindly shared one of the most detailed photos I have ever seen of Cape Town. Even though our accommodation in Cape Town's southern suburbs is on the other side of the mountain from the Cape Town city centre, all those who live in close proximity to Table Mountain are intimately connected. And besides, most of our establishments are only 10 to 15 minutes drive from the city centre.

I am not posting that photo here, as it would take hours to download, but am providing a link to the photo, which is on VirtualAfrica.co.za. According to their site, this is how they did it:

• It was created by stitching 1850,fully zoomed (x 20 optical zoom), 10 MegaPixel images together.
• The time it took from the first shot (top left) and last shot (lower right) being taken, was about 3 hours.
• It’s 205 000 pixels wide.
• That equates to a printout of about 90 m x 15 m!
• The end result was a 25 GigaBytes RAW file which takes about an hour to open on... Macbook Pro.

This photo by VirtualAfrica.co.za is absolutely stunning, and allows one to see the intimate details of life in Cape Town's city centre. Upon seeing that high resolution photo, I decided to post some other photos to this blog of what is arguably the most beautiful city in the world, along with a couple from elsewhere in the Cape. Note especially the photo with panoramic view of Green Point and the new Cape Town Stadium, which was built for next year's Soccer World Cup. I cannot imagine a better way to motivate someone to visit Cape Town, South Africa, whether it be for the 2010 FIFA World Cup or any other time. Enjoy!

The Party on Long Street

Well, the 2010 South Africa World Cup draw is now over, and Cape Town prepares for the flood of tourists who will come to South Africa's mother city in advance of the FIFA 2010 World Cup. If you missed it, FIFA has a number of videos on its website, and here are a selection of photos from the party on Long Street.

Oh, and before I forget, these are the matches that are scheduled to be played in Cape Town, and you can follow this link to see the other matches, though their venues will not be as stunning as the Mother City's.

• 11 June - Uruguay vs. France (Group A)
• 14 June - Italy vs. Paraguay (Group F)
• 18 June - England vs. Algeria (Group C)
• 21 June - Portugal vs. North Korea (Group G)
• 24 June - Cameroon vs. Netherlands (Group E)