We went to see the Union Buildings which are set on top of a hill, overlooking the city. The buildings themselves are beautiful reflecting the old colonial style. Unfortunately the buildings are closed to the public - not that we didn't try getting in (we would almost have managed too!).
Dile's friend works at Rovos rail - a privately owned train company, that runs between Jo'burg, Cape Town and Dar es Salaam - so we went to see the station and were able to see the trains too. The trains are all styled like old Victorian trains and the idea is to take a luxury train holiday with excursions to the various national parks and noteworthy sites on the way. The trains do not have TVs or computers and so the passengers are encouraged to spend time in the communal areas, chat to each other and enjoy the views.
The running of such an enterprise is really quite extensive and a lot of thought and planning has to go into all that happens. The train definitely sounds like a great way to discover SA if you have the time and money.
After having spent much more time at Rovos than was expected, we went to a very cute authentic little pub in the central business district (CBD) of Pretoria. The CBD is quite a lively place and is where the court buildings are located. The architecture on the main square is prominently old English and Dutch and the buildings are very well kept, ensuring the heritage is not lost.
After a quick drink at the pub, we headed towards the university areas, where we sat down to a late lunch at a pub in the sun before heading back to Jo'burg in the evening.
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