The Most Beautiful Place... 30/05/2005 (This is one of a series of articles I wrote dealing with memories of an African childhood. To read the first of these, click here)For ten years I lived in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. There are plenty of places around the globe that could say, with some justification, that they should have the title of the most beautiful. The island of Bora Bora in the Pacific Ocean is often credited in this way and I would add the South Island of New Zealand and the strange landscapes of Iceland as contenders. My son, Mad, would want the Perhentian Islands of Malaysia to be considered and I have no doubt that many other places would be suggested by my readers.It has to be a subjective judgement, of course. I can see a strange beauty in the flatness and emptiness of Australia's Nullarbor Plain, yet to some this would appear as a good example of the worst in landscapes. So much depends upon our personal taste and expectations.Yet I can still say confidently that once I lived in a place that has some claim to be the best. Have a look at this photograph:That long, flat mountain on the horizon is Table Mountain and at its base, clustering around an enormous bay, is Cape Town. The mountain and the city stand at the base of a peninsula near the southern tip of Africa, a peninsula that separates the warm Indian Ocean from the cold Atlantic. In the valleys surrounding the mountain there are vineyards hundreds of years old, first planted by Huguenot refugees from religious wars in France. Imposing Dutch farmhouses with white gables nestle into those same valleys and forests climb the slopes of the mountain that dominates the scenery. The city itself spreads around the bay, then crosses a ridge to form a string of suburbs along the eastern side of the mountain. It has to be a contender for the title of City in the Most Glorious Setting in the World.I lived there for ten years. The irony is that I was completely unaware of the favored nature of my home at the time. I was just too young to appreciate the landscapes and sights that surrounded me. Ten year old boys are not overawed by towering mountains and sweeping valleys, historic buildings and great cities; their interests lie elsewhere.Cape Town to me was merely home. My memories of it are those of boyhood scrapes and pleasures, pushing horse droppings through letterboxes in our street, baking potatoes in illicit fires in the empty lot, helping our Staffordshire Bull Terrier in her attempts to dig out moles in the open fields, riding the surf on belly boards at Muizenberg Beach. We lived in the place and never indulged in the standard tourist pleasures, such as riding the cable car to the summit of the mountain.In only one aspect did the mountain manage to push its way into my consciousness. Just occasionally my father would take me in the car to Kirstenbosch Gardens and we would set out to "climb the mountain". To this day I have no idea whether my father knew that this was an impossible task in the time we had available. But to me, it was always there to be achieved and every time we set out with this goal in mind, I had clear expectations that we would stroll up there, wander around a bit and be back home in time for dinner. It was only in later years that it struck me that we never even came to the end of the forests that line the base of the mountain.Yet now it is those forests that enable me to nod in agreement whenever anyone claims Cape Town as the most beautiful city on earth. The memory of those walks is sharper than the surf on the beaches and the ice creams from the shop that was shaped itself like an ice cream cone.Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are set on the slopes leading up to the mountain, an area of peace and beauty amongst plants brought from all over the world, an extensive garden of delights. But at its upper edge lay the forest and the gardens were ignored as we walked on to that lush experience. In the forest the air was always cool, the light sprinkled in patterns through the bright green foliage above. There was little undergrowth, the hard bones of the slopes being covered in a matting of fallen leaves and pine needles. Down from the mountain rushed little streams of cold, clear water that was sharp and biting to the taste, and the silence of the forest became an encompassing environment enhanced but not broken by the sounds of tumbling water.I have no memory of seasons in that world; it seems to me now that there were always mushrooms to pick. And these were mushrooms that spoiled me for the sad little store-bought varieties forever. To come home with a bag of the edible varieties and then savor their freshly-fried taste is a memory seared into my mind. After that, any mushroom is an insipid and vague reminder of the real thing.At some point in our stroll through the forest, always upwards but never steep enough to be called climbing, my father would announce that we had run out of time, that our achievement of the summit must await some other time. I recall that I was disappointed at those moments, that my innocence expected that just half an hour more would see us complete the ascent. Yet that disappointment was never too great; perhaps even then I had some understanding that the journey had become what mattered and arrival was a dream that would only be marred by transformation into reality.It seems strange to me now that I could live in such a place and not notice the things for which it is famous. I never saw the mountain from across the bay, the spot from which the photograph above is taken; I never gazed out over the city and its surroundings from the eyrie of Table Mountain; I did not record the cold and damp of the harsh south-easterly winds of the winter - in my mind it was always summer.Yet still it remains to me a magical place, a city that deserves to be numbered amongst those most beautiful. The photograph I have included is but one illustration of Cape Town's magnificence; for more you could have a look at this site. And, for those few who love maps, I include this.(to read the next of the African Memories articles, click here)
Clive
Ned The photograph is gorgeous, as are the others on that site and also your descriptions. Memory always infuses a certain "special" quality to things we thought we had never noticed as children, but long wistful glances backwards bring to mind all the beauty we rushed by when we were young. The ascent that was never accomplished but always undertaken in hope rings a childhood bell as well. I remember an entire summer trying to dig a hole to China in the backyard, and although I had to fill it back in every night when my mother called me, it was still a great adventure filled with expectation that some day, I would reach my goal. There is really no place so lovely in the world as the ones that exist in our memories. Date Added: 30/05/2005
Gone Away All true, Ned. And I'm sure I dug a few holes towards China too... :D Date Added: 30/05/2005
Way Gotta love yer dad and his adventuresome ideas. I can easily picture the anticipation and excitement of a ten yo, brought on by the fatherly command, "Let's go climb the mountain". To me, any wood or forest as the one you described above so captivatingly well -- one that you find filled with equal amounts of dappled sunlight and mysterious shaded areas, along with an intoxicating brook or stream that needs to be explored -- is my idea of heaven. The mushrooms are just parts of the surprises, eh? But the obvious markers that most adults tend to “oo” and “ah” over are usually unimportant matters to such a child for the moment, although I can still hear my mom's voice every time I see a spectacular sunset. For the record, another excellent blog, Gone. Date Added: 30/05/2005
Gone Away Thanks, Way. Any compliment from the master of memories vividly brought to life is greatly appreciated. :) Date Added: 30/05/2005
Ken Just the right therapy, Gone Away! Wonderful stuff. Date Added: 30/05/2005
Gone Away Thank you, Ken. By the way, I have read your latest and am letting it "settle" into my mind before commenting. I will be along in due course, I assure you. ;) Date Added: 30/05/2005
keeefer One day i will make it to Africa and see for myself what all the fuss is about. As for beautiful places.....well ive seen a small but fair slice of the world now and everywhere i go (even spain!) I manage to find sights that take my breath away and in that moment i swear i could live there and never tire of the view. I am sure Africa is stunning and dramatic, but what about a simple english meadow in spring with a stream running by towards the bottom of the field? A butterfly or two flitting from the daisys as the first ray of summer burn away the rains of spring? Now i could sit there for an hour or three. There are so many beautiful places some simplistic some dramatic and it never ceases to amaze me just how truly wonderful and spectacular this place we call home really is. Im off to the blue mountains for a long weekend soon. Another beautiful place, endless mountains and ravines filled with rainforest. A blue haze hangs over it all, eucalypt evaporating from the trees no less. It is a breath taking sight. We are hoping it will snow so we can stage our aussie xmas. Date Added: 30/05/2005
prying1 To heck with digging to China. I was an advanced child that thought it easier to blast my way there. Less stress than digging till caught and the fireworks taken away and proper punishment administered. Wonderful post! Quite a few memories stirred Clive. I remember a horseback ride at summer camp in Colorado. Followed a stream up through pine forests and grasslands till we actually came to it's source. The amount of water in the stream kept getting less and less until we came to a small hole in the ground with water bubbling out. It was delicious. The sloping land allowed it to travel a short bit till it formed a pool of crystal clear water with small fish swimming in it. I remember wondering if the fish first came from the hole in the ground or did they swim upstream till they found the pond. I also remember wondering if it was as beautiful for them under the water as it was for us above it. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Good point, Keef - there is beauty in the small things as well as the great. For a moment there you were getting all poetic... Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Paul, that is sheer genius - to blast your way through to China! I won't tell you how I used fireworks in those days but a good few Coke bottles went to their graves because of it... That stream in Colorado sounds idyllic. Think I'll have to go look for that sometime. Date Added: 31/05/2005
keeefer Yeah i caught myself just in time ;) Date Added: 31/05/2005
Mad I've been all over the world, seen a few things and I'll not hesitate to say that Cape Town is the most beautiful city I've ever seen. Sydney with its harbour comes a close second but Cape Town nestled in its bowl of mountains with it's feet lapped two oceans is very hard to beat. I'd like to go back and spend a few weeks there... Nice Dad, very nice. and morning Keef :> Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Nice catch, Keef. ;) And thanks, Mad. :) Date Added: 31/05/2005
keeefer Morning Mad. I will get to see Cape Town one day. I kinda like Perth though, much nicer than Sydney. wheres yer damn bike pics? Date Added: 31/05/2005
Mad As soon as I find me dang USB cable, I'll post some Keef. Date Added: 31/05/2005
billy your place is beautiful. i live in the caribbean and it is truly amazin too. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Glod Mountains try too hard. Weeds growing through a pavement though is sheer beauty. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Ah, Billy, the Caribbean is one of those areas the rest of the world dreams about. Lucky man. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away How good to see you, Glod! And you are right that weeds growing through concrete are beautiful. Yet mountains are beautiful too although they do not need to try... ;) Date Added: 31/05/2005
John Evans My parents spent some time in SA and regaled me with tales of Table mountain. I've never been to Africa, though I've lived in places all round the world : Australia, Singapore, Spain, Italy, Germany. But for me there's nothing like home. And that means South Devon in good old England. That's where I live now, and nothing would tempt me away from it. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away I can understand that, John. I've lived in many places and found things to like about all of them. But there's something about old England, even Coventry where I was born. It's in the blood, I think. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Jaws Wow, it looks wonderful there. I have done little traveling but the most beautiful place I have been I would say is Colorado. I spent a year there and the rockies are just amazing. Now I live in south central Virginia. I have been here 10 years now and I am surrounded by historical sites. Civil Wars battle sites, Pettersburg the crater, plantations, the oldest national cemetary. How many have I been to? I think 3. I am moving this summer. I really need to get off my toosh and go see these while I can. You all sound slike you have traveled alot. I hope to one day. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away That's a good point, Lady Jaws, to go see things while you live in a place. The chance may slip away otherwise... Date Added: 31/05/2005
Way Before I strap myself onto the BE's little firecracker, I'll spill the beans on two of the best spots on Earth I have ever visited. One is the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. Now I don't mean the busy Atlantic side of the Eastern Shore where waves get large, but its more sedate opposite; sans tourist. I know that I am strange, but nothing would excite me more than to grab a sketchbook, put away the map and go exploring any little road which left the main highway headed bayside. Going alone was always best, too. I got thrills as the roadways became less maintained, and felt as high as a Colorado hill after sighting the first patches of water through thick oak and pine, and pure giddy every time I spotted some hulk of an old work boat, resting half-submerged near a bank where herons waded, and if I arrived early enough, I got treated to fog. To keep describing those scenes is something akin to recounting sex, so I'll come to a stop on that one. The other one was a little-know place we went to as kids. Out on the plains of West Texas, where visual stimulation is mostly left to ones mind, we discovered a spot named Devil's Kitchen. I recall the last leg of the trip, driving many miles through some rancher's God-forsaken pasture, and then after dad parked the car near a curious slit in the ground up ahead, we kids raced toward it. You could straddle the very beginning of the odd trench, and looking down, see a shadowy bottom that laid a few yards below your feet. Jumping or climbing, we then followed down and down and down, and ever down farther, twisting sideways at certain points to squeeze past contorted but smoothed rock walls, until what seemed like we now traipsed through an alien underground roofless cave, rather than a gorge. At one lower level I remember looking up to see an incredible thin snake of blue sky way overhead. This canyon, carved out of bedrock stone, led us eventually to a large pool we sighted below. There we stood waiting for our lagging parents before the last risky climb that took us to the very bottom. This final large "room" (which felt like one) had a handsome sandbar for a floor, the stilled and deep pool of water to swim in, a hushed and unreal quiet that soaked up even our yells, as well as an unearthly beauty best left to the imagination. Hell's Kitchen, to me, only fit this odd bit of heaven by appearing as the most bizarre place my eyes have ever seen. Sad to say, uranium was soon discovered by those people who don't care about wonder and beauty, but I count myself one of the lucky few that got to experience it beforehand. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Chesapeake Bay sounds like my kind of place too, Way. And, of course, add herons and you're well on the way to a great place. The Devil's Kitchen - that's the kind of strange natural feature that I love as well. It may have gone now but I'm sure I've seen film of other similar spots out west. Just got to hope that one or two are left for me to explore when I finally get there! Date Added: 31/05/2005
Jodie I suppose I better add Cape Town to my 20-year list... The loveliest place I've ever been is Lake Louise, Alberta Canada. Breathtaking. Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Blog about it, Jodie! Date Added: 31/05/2005
Ned Everyone has seen a place, an example of the beauty of nature that took his or her breath away and stood out in memory and in the heart. Man stands in wonder at pristine sights of nature but this is mainly because for the majority his history, man has attempted to conquer nature. Man molds and shapes and limits nature with his fences and concrete and a little blade of grass sticking through is just nature thumbing its nose at us. I agree with Glod. Bravo for every rebellious blade of grass! Date Added: 31/05/2005
Gone Away Well, yeah, I agree with Glod too. :> Date Added: 01/06/2005
prying1 Way - That sounds wonderful. They say you can never go back but in reality you can through memories. - Thanks for starting this trip through peoples memories Clive. Date Added: 01/06/2005
Gone Away Entirely my pleasure, Paul. :) Date Added: 01/06/2005
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