The Great TREK - #23

July the 29^th -  Our 6^th Leg

One has to go visit Pretoria to understand the History of South Africa. Nothing better to take my son and give him a history lesson of this great country.

We started at the Union Building, where we are met by a fantastic 9 meter high bronze statue of Madiba, which was unveiled in December 2013.

The Union Building, designed by Sir Herbert Baker in 1910, became the administrative centre for the government of the union of South Africa.

It was at the buildings that Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President in 1994. Today the Union Building is the residence of the current president, President Jacob Zuma and his government.

After this quick tour from the outside of the building, we went to Fort Schanskop, up the hill from the Voortrekker Monument. After the Jameson Raid in 1896, President Paul Kruger of the “Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek” decided to protect Pretoria by constructing forts in strategic places. Germans designed three of the 4 forts, Schanskop being one.

It was completed in 1897 and was built in such a way to avert possible attacks on Pretoria from Johannesburg and Lourenço Marques (Maputo) railway line, as well as from the Johannesburg road. Schanskop was armed with 155mm Creusot gun (Long Tom, where we saw these cannons in Mpumalanga as well) and two Maxims (Pom-poms) by 1899. After the invasion of Pretoria by Gen. Roberts, the British occupied the forts on 7^th June 1900. The fort was returned to the union Government in 1922 and was used by the defence force for signalling and reconnaissance purposes only.

After the visit to this fort (very little to see), we went to the main attraction, the Voortrekker Monument.

The huge Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria is a unique Cultural and historic attraction.

Built to commemorate the Voortrekker pioneers and their journey - The Great Trek - 

It is located on a hill in the 240ha. Nature Reserve, also known as the Voortrekker Monument Heritage Site, South of Pretoria. The Building was designed by Architect Gerard Moerdijk to commemorate the bravery and persistence of the Afrikaner pioneers, who embarked north of the Great Trek between 1835 and 1854, from the British-controlled Cape Colony.

The 40 metre tall granite monument houses the Hall of Heroes that retraces the journey of the Voortrekkers from the time they left the Cape Colony in their columns of ox-wagons, and in the monument on one of World's longest historical marble friezes, the tribulations of the Voortrekkers are depicted.

Cenotaph Hall houses a tapestry of more than three million stitches that picture the story of woman and child Voortrekkers, and a collection of historical flags and objects of historical and cultural significance.

There is also a massive painting by W.H. Coetzer portraying the struggle of the Voortrekker through the Drakensburg mountains.

At the main entrance of the monument. a  Bronze sculpture of an Afrikaner woman and her two children is a tribute to the female Voortrekkers who made possible the eventual settlement of the Afrikaner community.

The Voortrekker monument museum is housed in the basement of the monument.

The Union Building

Madiba's Statue

Madiba's Statue

Monument to the Fallen

Artist from Lagos

my son at the feet of Madiba.

She wants to go study in the Czech Republic

 Fort Schanskop

Fort Schanskop

Entrance of Fort Schanskop

 Voortrekker Monument

Taken from the top of the dome

The Great TREK - #22

July the 28^th -  Our 6^th Leg

Today I decided to take my son to the Montecasino Bird Gardens. It is the only bird garden of its kind in Africa with its walk-through Aviary with its 60 species of birds, including Scarlet Ibises, Nicobar Pigeons, reptiles and small mammals, with smaller antelope wandering freely on the undergrowth.

We first started at the “Flight of fantasy show” then started our walk through the Gardens itself. Wonderful.

The bird garden also has the largest and most diverse private collection of South African Cycads in the World, with over 750 plants including one of the oldest surviving, estimated to be over 2500 years old.

The Montecasino complex was inspired by the 15th Century Palazzo Corsini the lies on the slopes between the Gianicolo and Tiber River in Italy.

Montecasino

 The Brid Gardens

The Great TREK - #21

July the 25^th -  Our 6^th Leg

It is always nice to go visit the Nelson Mandela Square (Previously named Sandton Square), where, been centrally situated in Sandton, there are lots of people visiting and lots of business offices and the exquisite Shopping mall where one can see the extremely rich from all over Africa doing shopping.

The Icon

Cool shoppers taking a break

The Great TREK - #20

July the 23^rd -  Our 6^th Leg

Left Bloemfontein after a nice breakfast at the lodge we stayed and drove straight to Johannesburg which is about 410 km.

The road, as always, are long and straight so the conversation between my son and I are always interesting.

Actually this whole trip has been such a deep experience in the sense that I shared some good conversations with my son, making this trip a special bonding time with him.

Arrived at my sisters place just after lunch (we stopped) along and ate some junk food (cannot remember if it was Spur, Nando's or something else.

The next 6-7 days will be to relax and wait "Patiently" for the women of my life (Wife and daughter), so that we can carry on with our TREK but now the four of us. My son cannot wait for them, as it has been a long journey for the two of us.

Long road ahead

The N1 from Bloemfontein and JHB

The Great TREK - #19

July the 21^st -  Beginning of the 6^th Leg

For the 1.450 km journey to Johannesburg, one always have to leave early.

I decided to do a "pit" stop at Beaufort West on the N1, were we stayed for the night. It is a 460 km scenic drive from Cape Town, passing through wine and olive farms on the Breede River Valley and the Hex River valley.

The towns worth visiting are Paarl, Worster, de Doorns (Already in the Hex River Valley, this, been the valley of vineyard upon vineyard, historical Cape Dutch homesteads, with snow-capped mountains during winter that combine to make it one of the most picturesque valleys, particularly during Autumn when the different vines give rise to a display of varied color so rich that we get inspired and touched by its beauty), and the village of Matjiesfontein in the little Karoo where we actually stopped and visited for about 2 hours.

Matjiesfontein, is a must stop for two of the most luxurious trains in the world, namely the Rovos and the Blue Train.

We so enjoyed this little town, that I decided to bring my wife and daughter when we returned from Johannesburg.

Hex River Valley

Beautiful misty sunrise

Vineyard farm

Matjiesfontein

Coffee House

The famous Matjiesfontein bus

The Matjiesfontein Train Station

Matjiesfontein Train Station

Laingsburg

The Great TREK - #18

July the 19^th -  Our 5^th Leg

Decided to go to a vibrant, place in Woodstock in Cape Town called the "Old Biscuit Mill". The mill is home to day and night markets, dynamic office space, a range of designer stores, delicious farm stalls, decadent restaurants as well as an inspiring line-up of festivals and productions.

Every Saturday (the reason we came today), people from all over come early for a different breakfast at the Neighbourgoods market, where you can find over 100 specialty traders, creating a weekly platform for local farmers, fine-food purveyors, organic merchants, bakers and distributors, grocers, mongers, butchers, artisan producers, celebrated chefs, and micro enterprises.

I have had the privilege to visit both in Johannesburg and Cape Town for an interesting early Saturday breakfast.

But, since we came a bit late, we just walked around Albert road, which is always nice to see a bustling street full of energy, not to mention the jam packed the Mill itself, so we headed South to have the best Fish and Chips in the world. 

Hout Bay is the home of the Mariner's wharf, regarded as one of Africa's best seafood restaurant, not only for its authentic harbor side ambiance and spectacular views, but also because the food it serves.

Albert Road

The Porter of a local Cafe

Happy street artists

Mariner's Wharf Restaurant

Best Fish & chips

Our Waiter

Our "Dining" Room

A Local feeding a sea lion