Annual Family get togethers
by kenHuocj
Remembering our elders; Getting together, all young and old . the extended family taking flowers to our dearly deceased; I remember as a young kid being told to pay my respects to grand uncle who I'd never met, then gradually as i grew older, there were those whose funerals I remember well. Today is 2 years after Friend and Father died, with time change, we were in our flat in SA with family and friends visiting with consoling words; yet despite the years passing by, Pa's inner peace and strength, his quiet joie de vivre , our many short holidays and drives together; our ease of talking together day or night is warmly cherished and missed; fortunately, i can picture those special moments still ;-)))
Hartbeespoort...
by Yolandam
Hartbeespoort Dam
Hartbeespoort Dam lies only 35 kilometres west of Pretoria in the beautiful Magaliesberg mountain range. The dam was completed in 1923 and has become a very popular holiday and weekend resort for Johannesburg and Pretoria. Any type of water sports is possible here. Especially over the weekends and during holidays, it is crowded at the Hartbeespoort Dam. Worthwhile is a trip with the cableway up the Magaliesberg, from where one can enjoy panoramic views. It is also nice to drive the dam on the dam wall. A special experience is a flight with the hot-air balloon over the Magaliesberg landscape.
The Hartbeespoort Dam Snake Park boasts a quite comprehensive reptile collection. In shows is demonstrated how to deal with snakes and other reptiles. A zoo with lions, tigers, leopards and chimpanzees also belongs to the park. Some of the animals are tame and trained and played in movies already.
Voortrekker Monument - marvellously menacing!
by CatherineReichardt
Several other reviewers have provided excellent information on the Voortrekker monument, so I won't repeat what they have said. Suffice to say that I believe that this is an underrated tourist destination, and would certainly be on my Must Do list for anyone spending more than a couple of days in the Johannesburg/Pretoria region. Remember that the two cities are only 60km apart (although the seemingly endless roadworks on the Ben Schoeman Highway, which have been ongoing for the two decades that I've lived here can make it seem much further!) and the Voortrekker monument can be combined with several other interesting attractions such as the Union Buildings, Pretoria Zoo or Jan Smuts' House in nearby Irene.
Whether you agree with apartheid politics or not (and these days, it is difficult to find anyone honest enough to admit that they did, which begs the question, "Who exactly did vote for the Nats for all those years?") the Voortrekker Monument is an amazing place, and from its position overlooking Pretoria, it is an intense and brooding reminder of the history and values that the previous regime held dear. I suggest that you park your prejudices and go with an open mind - chances are that you will emerge with admiration for the sheer resilience of the Afrikaaner nation.
If you have a choice, visit in the winter (end of May to end of July) when the aloes are in bloom. The contrast of the dry brown winter veld, the stone of the monument and the blaze of red, orange and yellow aloe flowers against the cloudlessly clear blue winter sky is absolutely stunning, and if you sit long enough, you should see tiny, hyperactive sunbirds (similar to - but slightly larger than- humming birds in the Americas) busily gathering nectar.
It is also possible to go horse riding in the grounds of the Monument - haven't done it yet myself, but it is on my To Do list!
Voortrekker Monument
by Bwana_Brown
The Voortrekker Monument is a granite structure, 40-m high and with a 40 x 40 m base. It stands on a hill overlooking Pretoria, as a monument to the Boer settlers who trekked inland between 1835-1852 to escape the increasing domination of their original coastal settlements by the English. The Dutch ancesters of the Boers first landed near Cape Town following a shipwreck in 1647, not that long after the Pilgrim fathers landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. It was a major move for them to pull up stakes after 200 years and head inland to carve out a new home, despite many more bloody battles with the Zulu people of these lands.
As a result of this history, the Voortrekker Monument is to the white Afrikaaner decendents of the Boers as the Lincoln Memorial is to Americans. A law in Pretoria still limits the height of any building between the Monument and the Union Buildings such that the view between them remains unobstructed. Construction of the Monument began in 1937 and was completed in 1949.
Surrounding the monument is a circular stone fence with carved scenes of wagons and people going about their activities on a typical 'trek'. The circle represents the 'laager' in which the wagons form a defensive circle against attack.
We climbed to the top of the structure for a great view out over Pretoria. You can also look down from the dome into the inner portion of the Monument. It is here, through a hole in the top of the structure that a ray of sunshine will strike the cenotaph below at exactly noon on Dec. 16th. This is to commemorate the final epic victory of the Boers over the Zulu at Blood River on this date in 1838.
The incoming ANC government in the mid-1990s had a very tough decision to make regarding what to do with this symbol of tribal defeat at the hands of the Boers. A number of not very pleasant options were considered but, in the end, they (wisely I think) decided to let the viewers of the Monument decide for themselves what they thought of this period in the history of African colonization!
More places of interest in Pretoria and area
by nora_south_africa
AFRICAN WINDOW
BURGERS PARK
CHURCH STREET CEMETERY HEROES ACRE
DIAMOND HILL BATTLE FIELD
FORT WEST
JAN CILLIERS PARK
MARIAMMEN TEMPLE
NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
NATIONAL FILM VIDEO AND SOUND ARCHIVES
SAFF MEMORIAL
SA MINT
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM
SECURICOR LOFTUS
SOUTH AFRICAN RESERVE BANK
SPRINGBOK PARK
STATE THEATRE
THE IRENE CONCENTRATION CAMP CEMETRY
VENNING PARK
I will include a link with more info.
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Had to bring a cake back!
This is where you go, Centurion, Pretoria
Kruger House Museum
lightning rods
