POSTCARDS FROM PRETORIA

Pretoria was my home town for 9 years. This city is also called Jacaranda City due to the thousands of Jacaranda trees that are blooming in September and October. Union Building is a land mark of the Pretoria, at Mandela's time you could walk almost in to his office but now it is closed for visitors. This was the place that Mandela had his inauguration in 1994 and I was there too, it was one of those moments that I really remember as a high light of my life...So huge and historical and a moment that the whole world was following...

                                                                 Union Building in Pretoria

                            Here at the Union Building in May '94 South Africa got this new flag and
                            the new era started for South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA SURPRISE YOU EVERYTIME

  On the way to Kruger Park we stopped for a coffee in Hazyview a small town that has grown a lot since I was there last time. We found this lovely courtyard shopping place full of lovely shops and a Belgian baker with taste croissants and bread... Something that you don't always find in South Africa...

Silk Weaver

Then there was this lovely Country Design shop with full of lovely surprises... Exclusive furniture, art and decor

The colourful balls are actually a result of a genius way to use material from the nature, the balls are called monkey apples or oranges, animals eat them and especially monkeys love them. Somebody has come with a excellent idea to paint them and after varnishing they have this beautiful glow...

This shop was full of beautiful lamps and vases...

African bead work...

This shop also have lots of furniture made of exotic African wood, they are stockists of luxury teak, kiaat and sleeper wood furniture...Have a look on their website http://www.countrydesigns.co.za/

KING OF THE CLASSIFIEDS CELEBRATES THE WORLD CUP 2010...

Yesterday we drove from the highway to the Pretoria east and as you come in you can see all the flags of the countries that will be part of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa...

    At the front of the Junk Mail office "The king of the Classifieds" has put up a countdown and yesterday    after 8 a.m. there was 13 days, 15 hours and 50 min. left the the kick off the World Cup...

For many weeks now many South African companies has been celebrating Soccer Friday, when everybody can wear a soccer shirt at work...

The King of the Classifieds staff has taken the Friday morning bit further than just wearing the Soccer shirt, at the peak morning traffic time around 8.00 a.m. the staff all come to the front part of their office building and do the Soccer dance called Diskdance and some play the Vuvuzelas...

Go Bafana Bafana... The South African soccer team is called Bafana Bafana...

Here you can see some of the employers dancing while the morning traffic pass by and it makes everybody just happy in the traffic jam...

                 Soccer decoration in African way in one of the many offices in the Junk Mail building...

                                   ...And outside a huge soccer ball hanging outside of a balcony...


It is just pity that most of the negative news only gets out to the world...South Africa has made a huge efford to host this FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 and it will be a celebration of "the rainbow nation" that we call South Africa and it will be bring all South Africans together around the ball...
          

SOCCER WORLD CUP 2010 SOUTH AFRICA

                          When you drive around anywhere in South Africa, you can't miss the ball...
                          The countdown started long ago and now there is only 2 weeks to go
                          before the Soccer World Cup  2010 starts...

THE GRAND at CAMPS BAY

The Grand is a restaurant and bar in Camps bay Cape Town, filled with red roses in champagne coolers...

Where ever you look you will find red roses...

       I spent there a lovely afternoon with my friends, at the upstairs bar sipping wine and eating good food...

      Lots of special details in the decoration, some of the tables have these large majestical red velvet chairs...

The Bar area

My Lunch grilled calamaris...mmmmm...

                                                                       Separated dining area

 

Tables details...

While sitting at the bar this was the view to the left at Camps bay beach... from the open window...

                                                              ...And the view to the right...