Lion’s Head and the big Cape Town snow mystery
Now that we have broadband at home, my flatmates and I were playing around with Google Earth - "a 3D interface to the planet" - yesterday evening. I discovered that the Cape Town CBD is no longer covered with clouds and they've mapped other parts of the peninsula as well. I've flickered some screen captures. I don't know where they get their place names from though - they're very outdated/Afrikaans. For example, Table Mountain is "Tafelberg", Devil's Peak is "Duiwels Piek", Sea Point is "Boat Bay", etc. And they change between old and new as you move around.
What's in a name?
Looking at the city from an aerial perspective, and after some Googling, I realised how Lion's Head ("Leeukop") received it's name. I'd always thought it was just the shape of the mountain that supposedly resembled that of a Lion's Head, when it actual fact it doesn't by any stretch of the imagination. If anything it looks like an extinct volcano. But do you see what I see? A perfect profile of a lion, lying. A lyon, heh. Look for "Lion's Rump" in that screen capture, which is now called Signal Hill.
"The Cape Town is situated on an amphitheatre at the head of Table Bay, the Table Hill, Devils Hill, Sugar Loaf and Lyons Rump form the Amphitheatre which has a most picturesque appearance. The streets are wide and drawn at right angle and canals running thro' them." - Phillip Gidley King
Take a look at this uncommon map and view of the Cape of Good Hope prepared by Samuel Thornton (via Hemispheres Antique Maps & Prints). Devil's Peak is "Charles Mount or Crown Hill", Lion's Head is "Sugar loaf" and Signal Hill is "James Mount or Lyon's Rump".
Fascinating.
And then: The big Cape Town snow mystery
Who starts this crap!? I received an e-mail yesterday, with the subject line "Snow on Table Mountain today!!" and two photos attached. According to IOL, it didn't snow.
Although an email photograph of snow on Table Mountain was circulating in the city on Wednesday, a staffer at the Table Mountain cableway said it was an image taken several years ago.
And the EXIF data of the photos confirms that - they were taken on 10 August 2003, at 10:21 and 10:23, with a Fujifilm MX-1700 digicam. Smart ass.
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8 Comments
Ha ha that’s hilarious
Haha, is that that Margot weather-chick? She needs some vocal training! In the morning you need someone who’s going to wake you up, not put you back to sleep!
Also got that email and immediately viewed the EXIF data to confirm the real date. Something so rare it only happens every 20 years, I don’t think so, try 2 years.
Thanks for notifying about Google Earth’s updated Cape Town map data – there previous maps covered in cloud pissed me off.
Who still watches Morning Live… really, not even the so-called traffic updates are “breaking news”. 3 hours of blah blah repetition. It’s like News at 8 > the one minute they’re “reporting from Pretoria” – the next time it’s called Tswane… and 2 stories after that Pretoria again. WTF!!
Hey WA: (and coda) what’s yr views on MTN Banking from Standard Bank. LOL
Just came accross Neave’s flashearth
Hi Damien
This is heresay so dont quote me! Yep Lions head gets its name from when the Brits surveyed the peninsula yonks ago and noticed the resemblance to a lion reclining.
As to Morning Live… I sometimes wonder if any of them have ever swiched on the laptops in the studio let alone Googled “Snow on Table Mountain” or “Mars proximity”. They were actually marveling that the red planet would be the closest ever on the 23/8… Like that happened last year… or was that 2003? My memory has this problem y’see…
Still love your blog by the way…
Cheers
That’s really funny…here in Stellies it’s was cold as &*% and everyone’s like “Whoah, but there’s snow on Table Mountain”. Suppose I should have clicked when noone I know who actually LIVES in the City Bowl had noticed anything…(tho’ thought that might’ve been ’cause everyone was huddled by heaters indoors).
Hansie never did it
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18 August 2005
Martin09:09 pm
And here the weathergirl on SABC2 Morning Live was going on about it:
They then proceeded to show them on-screen.
Damn, I’m cringing for her!