Tuna
Monday 21 August 2023
It was lovely to sleep in this morning, or at least not rush to get out of bed. We decided that rather piss-farting around for an hour or two this morning we would find a place that would wash our rather dusty and dirty clothes. Success was found just around the corner and well worth the 330 Rand. (about AUD27).
We headed off to the Voortrekker Monument, perched high on a hill looking imposingly over Pretoria. Our Maps GPS app decided that the best way to get there was via an obscure gate (which I didn’t realise at the time). So, lots of wrong turns, U-turns where we probably shouldn’t have and trying to get in via a different gate that wasn’t allowed, we eventually got there.
The Voortrekker Monument was started in 1937 and opened late 1949. The Voortrekker Monument is to honour the Voortrekkers (Boers, Dutch-speaking settlers) that chose to leave the Cape Colony (Cape Town and Western Cape region) in early to mid 1800s as part of the Greak Trek to head into the interior of South Africa looking for a better life away from the oppression of British colonial rule. They also had lots of battles with the and displaced the indigenous people along the way. Hmmmm, seems a bit ironic.
The Monument is quite an imposing but stunning building. Unfortunately, we went in the wrong way and entered through the gift shop. There was one room dedicated to the small-scale clay models of the marble friezes in the main hall. It is here that you find out that they thought it was inappropriate (after a bit of public back lash) that in one of the panels there was a indigenous man holding a baby by its ankles and in the motion of making contact with the side of the wagon. It was changed to the man holding a flaming torch, so have to cut out the marble baby bit and replace it with the holding a club bit. Around the Monument they built a wall that is covered with pictures of the ox-wagons.
Just below the Monument they have a designed a garden with replicates the journey of the Voortrekkers from the different parts of the Cape Colony. A feature is the nearly life-size elephant.
Our next stop was the Union Building which are gorgeous sandstone buildings. It also houses the the South African Parliament and President, so unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to go for a wander around inside. Below the building is some nice gardens and open space (which kids were playing on).
As we couldn’t go inside, we headed off to lunch. Nice restaurant over looking some wetlands in the middle of Pretoria. Good food, nice wine, duck frolicking in the water and no road noise.
Next stop, collect the laundry and home. Time to pack all our clean clothes in preparation for our next safari adventure tomorrow.