Johannesburg Day 1

We began our day with a 6am wake up call and departed on an 8:40am airplane ride from Durban to Johannesburg, where we arrived at approximately 11am and immediately felt the drop in the temperature as we walked from the hotel to grab lunch a few blocks away. After situating ourselves, we did some sight-seeing in Pretoria, the capitol of South Africa. We first saw the Voortrekker monument, which represented the historical significance between the Zulus and Afrikaners and colonization of South Africa. The entire monument took twelve years to complete and is decorated with a 3-D stone mural chronicling the most important events throughout South Africa’s history. Below the monument on the ground floor in the center of the building, lays a grave symbolizing the victims of the battles fought between the Native African tribes and the Afrikaners; which also has an interesting architectural aspect: a skylight that shines on the memorial at noon on the Day of Reconciliation (December 16^th).

We later took a bus tour of the city and focused on the Church Square, which is the main meeting area where many political events and figureheads meet and hold public forums. The Square is also located where the first national bank was established. The Square was a popular hang out spot for former President Nelson Mandela where he drank coffee and relaxed during nice warm days. After we departed from the square we passed by the home of Paul Kruger, who was the former president of South Africa during the 19^th century. Across the street was the Church that former President Kruger built and preached at.

Following the visit to Paul Kruger’s house we toured the Union Building where President Mandela was inaugurated in 1994. The building was surrounded by beautiful Gardens, which are a popular spot for citizens as well as tourists to visit. There were two sides of the building that symbolized the unification of the whole country. Adjacent to the gardens is a memorial amphitheater for police officers who have lost their lives on the line of duty.

Last, we passed by a few embassies, including India, China, as well as the United States of America. An interesting observation was that the U.S. embassy was the largest and most secure of all. This was very comforting to see and take note of. We ended the day by returning to our hotel and then we enjoyed a nice dinner out in the suburbs of Rosebank and we were off to bed by 10pm. Wake up calls begin at 6am tomorrow!



Pictured below--the group in front of the Voortrekker Monument









The below pictures are of Church Square




Pictured below--- the Union Building



Pictured below--US Embassy