Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Tour South Africa: Pretoria

Today I've asked Sam from Frills and Thrills, my go-to for fashion info (and the best Fashion Week coverage in my opinion!), to tell us more about her favourite places to visit in South Africa. I've decided to split up her choices by city, so we can appreciate each one (and if someone googles the city, they will hopefully find useful info here!)

To recap, this is part of a series I'm hosting on South of the Sahara for anyone interested in where to visit, what to do, and what to eat in South Africa (you can also read more by clicking on the Tour South Africa tag at the bottom of this post).

Sam lives in a small town on the border of three provinces - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal & Free State and is also directly in the middle of the route between Durban and Johannesburg. Sam's biggest passion is writing, with fashion is secondary to that. She's a great resource for the Tour South Africa series because she loves stumbling upon quaint little South African Towns, social anthropology, and gaining insight into other cultures. Oh yes, and she has a major obsession with Eastern Europe.

Right, first up! Pretoria!

" Visit the Union Buildings. It is an architectural marvel that forms a part of our rich history. Take a leisurely walk around the beautiful terraced gardens while you're there.



Eat at Cappuccinos Restaurant in Menlyn Park. I used to eat there at least once a week, while I attended Tuks University. It's one of my all-time favourite eateries that serve the most delicious Italian food. Sit on the deck outside and enjoy a panoramic view of the city.

Explore the Pretoria Zoo. I've been there on numerous occasions, yet never tire of seeing exotic animals such as grizzly bears, lions, tigers and the elusive red panda. It is the largest zoological garden in the country and houses a walk-through aviary, aquarium and reptile park.



Shop at Menlyn Park, Brooklyn or Centurion Lake Mall. Each of these offer similar stores in a relaxed shopping environment."

Next week - Sam's favourite spots in Johannesburg.

Postcard of the Union Buildings from here and the flamingos from here.

3 comments:

Sam said...

Thanks for featuring me your inspiring & always informative blog. I had fun doing this write-up. it reminded me of all the great places we have to tour here in South Africa!

Unknown said...

OoH, that's my town! Born and raised there.
When we got married 20 yrs ago we lived in a small flat in the bottom end of the Union Building Gardens. It was an old building which used to house the people who built the Union Buildings (in 1910) We paid R185 a month rent! We lived there for 2 years before we all got evicted - there were 8 flats - because the building became unsafe. It stood empty for a few years and then got demolished. It was a great time...
Thanks for the memories!

kbd said...

Sam, thanks for being up for sharing!

Ansie, what a great story :) You must have had a beautiful view of the gardens!