Pretoria

Arrived today in Pretoria for my mini work trip to Botswana. Being a Sunday and having suffered a night flight from London we’re not up to much! Walked the dogs this morning around the Sunnyside suburbs and past the Loftus World Cup venue.

Then we went to the one and only sight in Pretoria, the Voortrekker Monument. Erected in the 1930s/40s to commemorate the pioneers who participated in a migration between 1835 and 1854 called the Great Trek. This being a rather controversial aspect of African history the current displays are much more moderate than they used to be. It’s a huge slab of stone the main highlight being the amazing views from the top, even in cloud and rain! I’ve added some photos in the Botswana 2010 album on the photos page.

We’re being amazingly looked after by our hosts, had Italian for lunch and we’re having a braai (barbeque) this evening.