Pretoria

We came to Pretoria (Tshwane) , to have some repairs done at the LA Sport 4×4 garage. While waiting for our appointment, we stayed outside at a nice dam and went into the city to visit some sights.

Our first stop was at Melrose House, as we love old buildings. We had to drive around the block to find the entrance at the back. A police car with 4 men in bulletproof vests accompanied us for the last metres, to make sure we get there safe – very reassuring.

Sadly, the house was closed for renovations, as soon as the budget gets released by the city council, which might take some time. The roof was leaking and had destroyed the rooms below. We hope very much, that this beautiful historic house will be restored and will be open to the public again one day.

Our next destination was the Union Building, the official seat of the South African Government, which also houses the offices of the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.

We enjoyed the view from the terraces over the town of Pretoria and came past the statue of Nelson Mandela, where pupils had their photo taken in front of it.

After the sightseeing program, we were looking for a nice restaurant and went to “As Greek as it gets”, where we had a lovely lunch. (This place is now on IOverlander)

After our visit to LA Sport 4×4, we were on the way again, driving on toll free roads to Polokwane, where we stayed for one night at the Game Reserve. The next day, we reached Magoebaskloof, green mountains with forests and rivers.

In Polokwane we wanted to visit the Irish House and the Photo Museum, sadly both are closed on the weekend. The Irish house was built by a German, despite its name. The Victorian building was prefabricated in Europe and delivered to Polokwane in the early 1900s.

As it is a long weekend (Heritage Day), it was hard to find a camping. We finally ended up at the Zwakala Brewery. Their campsite was also not available because of a wedding, but we could stay at their parking for the night and enjoy their beer and a Blueberry GT (Gin Tonic) from the tap!

Tomorrow, we want to explore the green area of Magoebaskloof on a hike to a waterfall. More soon!