german version
After waiting 3 ½ hours time in the B terminal of the Frankfurt Airport and a very calm 10 hours flight with South African Airways; that was not missing any comfort, the plane hit the ground at the "O R Tambo International Airport" airfield in Johannesburg extremely punctually. Today is Sunday. As the exchange of the South African currency would have been too expensive in Germany, we changed some Euros at the airport in Johannesburg for the first time. The currency rate here at the airport is actually not that good, however you can keep in mind the formula 1:10 for normal exchange rates in South Africa (status June 2007). 10 Euro are 100 African Rand (ZAR), 100 Cent are one Rand.
We immediately left Jo`burg in the direction of Pretoria (Tshwane) where we started our little exploration with a tour through the capital city of SA. By the way, the parliament is situated in Cape Town. Here in Pretoria we took a room for one night in the Protea Waterfront Hotel. It is not in the middle of the city and therefore not really suitable as starting point for a sight-seeing tour, but besides that it’s ok. We enjoyed this hotel very much, however I would not recommend this hotel as a suitable starting point for sightseeing trips due to the fact that is not in the center of the city. The biggest memorial in Pretoria and Jo`burg is the Voortrekker Monument, and it is a must see. The monument was dedicated in 1949 and was built in memory of the Great Trek and the decisive battle on the Blood River. At the command of Andrie Pretouris, 470 Boer beat 12,500 Zulus on 16th December 1838. The clearly outnumbered. Zulus were forced to withdraw several times from the destructive rifle fires and two little cannons of the Boers and at last they gave up. During this fight only three Trekker were said to be injured, but 3,000 Zulus were killed. Because of the many people killed in the Buffalo River it was renamed the Blood River. For the Voortrekkers, the battle at the Blood River was an important victory over the Zulus and one step towards Europeanization of the country. The monument was created at a time when of the Boers regained strength in South Africa and is still one of the most meaningful symbols for the united Boers today. The mighty domed structure is surrounded by a semicircular wall with a relief of 64 treks. This circle should symbolize the kraal, the camp of the trekker that sheltered the pioneers during the nights. The walls of the heroes’ hall, in the interior of the cube, are all painted with impressive reliefs telling the history of the Voortrekkers. Through an aperture in the ceiling of the hall there is sunshine falling into the interior of the heroes’ hall onto a relief with the inscription "Ons vir jou, Suid Afrika" (We are for you, South Africa) exactly on the 16th December at 12 p.m., which is the anniversary of the battle. From the heroes’ hall a small stairway lead up under the cupola or onto the roof. Here you have a wonderful panoramic view of the hilly countryside and the town. The inside of the museum underneath the area is also a reminder of the African pioneers (Boers) that left the Cape in 1830 to escape the British’s growing power. Here you can see an historical maps of the Trek, an impressive tapestry showing historical scenes, as well as weapons and articles of clothing from their past. However, this mighty monument doesn’t appear to fit into the image of new South Africa anymore, however maybe it is still a symbol for the Boers and the black people, as it symbolizing the history of all races in South Africa.
As you walk through the spacious city you may come across the Union Building. This neo-classical structure was built in 1910 and is the center of the SA government. The building is not accessible to visitors, but from the hill you have a wonderful view over the city. As a side note I would like to comment a bit more on the hotel. We found that there were a few defects inside room 306. Inside this room the safe, the TV and the heater didn’t work (2 more degree would have been more comfortable), but the electronic door lock required our electronic key at least 20 to 30 times before it finally opened (probably this was for security :-). So, should you ever book hotel Protea, I suggest that you never take room 306 .We found the rest of the rooms didn’t have these defects. However, on the positive side, the food was excellent. I can recommend the butter Fish, chicken Indian style, the big salad buffet and delicious desserts. Our arrival and the rest of the day was very long; and we found the next day was also very long. We fell into our beds at 9:00 p.m.
Day 3
The alarm clock rang at 6 a.m. and our journey began, leading us to the northeast, after a good breakfast of course.