Waking up on Friday morning in Cape Town I was filled with contrasting emotions. On the one hand I was hopefully going to be getting my car back after having to endure eight weeks of pure frustration (don’t even ask!!), and on the other I was excited by the realisation that the weather was great, I would be spending an hour or so climbing a gorgeous mountain, and I would be seeing the inside of Cape Town Stadium with the naked eye for the first time. So all in all a great day in store in one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

Thankfully (touching my head with one hand as I type this) my car frustrations seem to be a thing of the past. So with that ‘comforting’ thought in mind I headed for the splendour that is Lion’s Head. For anyone who is not a local, Lion’s Head sits just to the right hand side of Table Mountain if you are looking at the mountain from the CBD side. No prizes for guessing how it got its name! The plan was to summit the mountain, change my clothes and then head off to the stadium for the opening game of the 2010/2011 PSL season between Vasco de Gama of Cape Town and Orlando Pirates of Soweto in Johannesburg.

I have probably climbed Lion’s Head more than 35 times and yet I keep coming back. And the reason I keep coming back? It is quite simply the best ‘value for money’ hike in Cape Town. It is suitable for people of all ages, sizes and levels of fitness and offers the most amazing views of the city, the Atlantic Seaboard, Table Mountain and The Twelve Apostles. And the best part is, depending on fitness levels, it will likely take you between one and two hours to get up and down. If you are reading this and you haven’t yet been to the top please make yourself a promise that you will do it in the very near future. It is a truly wonderful feeling when you get up there!

I thoroughly enjoyed my climb, as always, and managed to get up and down in reasonably quick time. The consequence of the ‘reasonably quick time’ bit was the necessity that I bring along a change of clothes. It is a fantastic cardio workout and I must confess to being rather sweaty when I arrived back at the car. With no public showers in sight I thought that a change of clothes, and a quick spray of deodorant, was the least I could do to ensure that I wouldn’t be drawing any unwanted attention to myself at the game later on. It seemed to work…thankfully.

So it was off to the game, the stadium and the ‘Fan Walk’. The ‘Fan Walk’ is a designated, sign posted, controlled area of pedestrian thoroughfare which is set up for big events and allows people to take public transport into the city and then walk to the stadium. It is a hive of activity with the walk snaking its way past countless bars, restaurants and shops. All manner of local bands perform at various points along the way and there are fun things for kids like face painting stalls, clowns and guys and girls on stilts. All in all it creates a fantastic jovial atmosphere and is just the thing to get the fans into the spirit of the game.

Friday was no different and by the time I arrived at the stadium I had a huge smile plastered across my face and a significant spring in my step. Not to mention a feeling of immense pride in the way that Cape Town has transformed itself into a slick well oiled machine when it comes to running a significant sporting event. I got to my seat with a minimum of fuss and was immediately blown away by the magnificence of the stadium. It is AWESOME. Better than many of the stadia that I have been to overseas. I could feel that feeling of pride bubbling up again.…

The crowd was fabulous, with people of all ages and from all walks of life coming together to enjoy football in The Mother City. The vuvuzelas were out in full force and just added to the carnival like atmosphere which was present throughout the stadium. I didn’t have the good fortune to attend any of the world cup matches, so for me this was my ‘World Cup’, and I was going to enjoy it to the full.

The game was very entertaining. Both teams were keen to attack and the game was played at good pace with a lot of movement around the pitch. Such was the atmosphere inside the stadium that I suppose it was inevitable that the Mexican Wave would make an appearance. It kicked off early in the second half and after taking a little time to gather its momentum it was soon up to speed and racing its way around the arena. The newcomers Vasco put up a good fight and were unlucky in the end to lose out 2 – 1 to the Pirates. The Orlando team just had a little more class in their passing and finishing and that proved enough for them to come out on top. The evening was billed as a double-header and there was another game kicking off at 20:45. I was however in desperate need of some shut eye and decided not to stay for the later game. I should point out that the ticket prices for the evening were very reasonable. The organisers should be commended for this. Here’s hoping a trend has been set as I know the people of Cape Town would love to be making regular visits to their brand new world class stadium.

I headed back along the ‘Fan Walk’ into town with a real sense of satisfaction. It had been a wonderful day in a wonderful city. If you, like me, are someone who likes to get out and about and enjoy an outdoors lifestyle, Cape Town is second to none. Treasure it, love it and look after it. There aren’t too many like it.

Ross Clarke is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys exploring all manner of places. He has been infected by the travel bug since his first venture beyond South Africa’s borders in 2003. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rossclarke100

Experience Cape Town and Football Fridays. City Sightseeing Cape Town’s blog tells you the stories behind the best attractions and events in Cape Town, South Africa.
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