I sip hot tea, nibble the chocolate truffle left during turndown service the night before, slide open the doors and take in the view.Behind me, television continues 24/7 commercial-free programming - tributes, interviews and news about Nelson Mandela. The "Father of the Nation" died two days ago. All of South Africa is grieving,The agenda included attending a film premiere with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo China Laboratory Porcelain Manufacturers
, remembering, celebrating a hero who helped to end apartheid 20 years ago and a father figure - "Tata Madiba" - who showed South Africans how to forgive.so she relies on alternative therapies to motivate her to China Fire assay crucible fire clay crucible Manufacturers
.I remember something I'd read in a guidebook: When Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island, he'd look across the bay to Table Mountain and see a beacon of future freedom. Indeed, Cape Town's iconic formation - a flat-topped mountain that rises 3,563 feet above sea level and looks as though its peak has been sliced off - has presided over more than 3 1/2 centuries of history in this, the Mother City of South Africa.On summer afternoons, strong breezes nudge the clouds to a hover atop the mountain, creating an effect that locals call a "white tablecloth." When the wind pushes the clouds over its face, it looks as though they are tumbling down a waterfall.Winds of change, in fact, have been hard at work carving the landscape here in recent years. People around the world are noticing. Bolstered by a strong exchange rate (currently about 10 South African rand to $1), overseas tourists - and Americans, in particular - are flocking to the Western Cape region to experience the beauty and charm of its land, people and culture. And the city will hold the title of World Design Capital for the year. It will play host to many events that showcase the theme "Live Design. Transform Life,There are some warm throws in both the bedroom and in the living room, where Hubby and I watch TV wholesale manicure products
." an effort to "position Cape Town as a leading global city - a hub of creativity, knowledge, innovation and excellence," tourism officials say.On my early-December visit, during the very public national period of mourning for Mandela, the evidence couldn't have been more tangible: This is a place that stays firmly grounded in its history yet bursts at the seams with excitement for its future.Almost nowhere is this more easily experienced than on a culinary tour of the city and its outlying wine region. Cape Town has become a new frontier for chefs around the world, such as Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, who opened the first and only South African outpost of his eponymous restaurant Nobu there in 2009. The city is home to eight of the top 10 South African restaurants listed in the 2012 Eat Out Awards, and the country's only two restaurants to make it into the 2012 San Pellegrino World's Best Awards. At every turn, it's also possible to savor the traditional dishes, speckled and spiced with global influences, that helped shaped the region.