When I arrived
in Bloemfontein I booked into my four star guest house - Bayswater
Lodge is a disappointment and the star rating is a bit "sus" based on what
I have seen elsewhere.
Day eighteen - Bloemfontein,
20th October 2007
Up at 5am for the early flight to Bloemfontein.
The sunny day made for some great pics of Cape Town, the sea and the way across the Karoo to Bloemfontein, as you will see below.
When I arrived
in Bloemfontein I booked into my four star guest house - Bayswater
Lodge is a disappointment and the star rating is a bit "sus" based on what
I have seen elsewhere.
Image right: One of the grand old buildings in Bloemfontein
Having said that I had a great day ahead. I picked up my 200 copies of "Children of the Mist" from Fascination Books in the Mimosa Mall before exploring the historic part of Bloemfontein based around Pres Brand street (haven't renamed it Thabo Mbeki just yet!). The old buildings and history was quite amazing with the small river that was once the life blood of this early Boer settlement now being captured in a cement causeway that crosses the middle of the historic Brand Street.
In this street you find the first and fourth Raad buildings - the first dating back to 1849 when the Griqua still technically owned this land. That building would have been there when Adam Kok III was humiliated by Sir Harry Smith in this town.
There is also the grand Court of Appeal building and several other magnificent epitaphs of the past Boer glory. A must for any visitor to this historic town.
In the early evening I went to the "Dros Restaurant and Winery" to have a meal and join the locals as they watched the Springboks take on the English in an epic game - the Boks winning 15 - 6... this is the heart of Boer country and the pics below capture the moment as the South African team took back the cup they last won in 1995. The atmosphere in front of the bg screen was electric.
|
|
|
|
|
Departing |
Cape Town |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On the way |
to Bloemfontein |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coming in |
to Bloemfontein |
|
|
|
|
|
|
World soccer |
promotions |
Shantys |
|
|
|
|
Bloemfontein today |
Rugby enthusiasts |
Bayswater Lodge |
That's NOT a tree! |
|
|
|
|
President Brand Str |
The monuments and |
buildings in Brand St |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The captured river |
The First Raad Building |
|
|
|
|
The grounds of the |
Contemporary clothing |
Inside the First Raad |
The wagon house |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The original 1849 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The boere and the |
women prepare for the game |
Capturing the moment |
at the Dros |
|
|
|
|
|
The final moments as |
the Springboks win |
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
