Comments on: Talent-Scouting in Pretoria

By: 2summers

2summers — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:29:19 +0000

In reply to inidna. No I never heard from them, I'm sad to say. I still think about n'Jabulo though, and wonder how I could find him again :)

By: inidna

inidna — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:44:14 +0000

I followed the link from your Freshly Pressed entry and came to this one – I’m glad I did! I love old buildings and the pictures of these ones that you’ve posted are no different! Plus, that little kid is so cute and he’s definitely got talent! Def reckon he takes a better snap than I do 😛 Did his family ever contact you by any chance? That would have been amazing!

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:25:21 +0000

In reply to jackie hulme. Thanks Jacks!

By: jackie hulme

jackie hulme — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:35:05 +0000

great blog Heather – enjoyed it very much especially the little lad and the pidgeon feeder –

By: 2summers

2summers — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:03:18 +0000

In reply to Jaco. Yes, it definitely seemed like an interesting place. There was a strange mix of people in there on the day we went. I enjoyed it though.

By: Jaco

Jaco — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:19:27 +0000

Cafe Riche is one of those strange places. It is most definitely a tourist trap, but then it is something else as well. They have these philosophy readings some nights of the week, and French conversations every now and again. However, a lot might have changed. I don’t know if they have new owners. The coffee was always quite horrid and overpriced. But for some reason I like it, because it feels like this is the only corner of Pretoria that actually survived the machinations of Apartheid. The Square is out of place with the Pretoria CBD – it retained its historic charm. Other special places in the CBD include the old synagogue (rumours that it is to be restored), a couple of churches and of couse the Capitol Theatre.

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:50:09 +0000

In reply to Jaco. Funny, we actually DID have coffee at Cafe Riche! I just didn't put it into the post because I didn't get great pictures in there. We enjoyed the smoky, historic feel of the place but thought the coffee was overpriced and not very good. I definitely want to do more exploring in Pretoria. I've got another post coming up soon on the Voortrekker Monument.

By: Jaco

Jaco — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 11:14:12 +0000

You should have stopped to have coffee (or a beer) at Cafe Riche, on the Square. Next time, if you want a tourguide, I can show you the old Capitol Theatre, that is now sadly a parking lot. The theatre was abandoned after the State Theatre opened, and it is haunting. Quite over the top, and very cheap construction. I think it opened in the 1930’s, but they used plaster moulds and faux gold leaf to create an opulent feel to the place. Today it is filled with cars, but the foyer has been restored a bit (very Detroit). There is also a restored little Gothic building on the one corner (Tudor Chambers, I think). It was in a severe state of neglect, but luckily someone saved it a couple of years ago. The Pretoria CBD has many gems hidden in the concrete nationalist 1970’s jungle. Sadly, many many buildings were pulled down during the 1960s and 70s to make way for a modernist capital. The previous regime had little regard for classical architecture. And a lot of heritage was lost.

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:39:17 +0000

In reply to laurenbarkume.

I hope so too. I’m woefully late posting this — hopefully they didn’t check earlier in the week and get discouraged when nothing was there. The kids really was amazing. I couldn’t believe how he instinctively seemed to know what to do with the camera.

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:37:56 +0000

In reply to Tilly Bud.

It is considered the financial capital unofficially, in the same way that New York City is the financial capital of the U.S. Neither city is considered an official capital though. See excerpt from Wiki:

“South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital; Pretoria, as the seat of the President and Cabinet, is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein, as the seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal, is the judicial capital.”

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:36:00 +0000

In reply to cashancountry. Oh, did I get that wrong? I was thinking that the building next to the Ou Raasdaal was the Standard Bank building. We'll definitely have to go inside the buildings next time. We were having too much fun outside last week though :)

By: 2summers

2summers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:33:42 +0000

In reply to Derek Smith. Ah, cool! Now I understand what you meant by hostile takeover.