Cape Town; South Africa

The majestic Table Mountain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain), overlooks Cape Town, South Africa.

Good-looking, fun-loving, sporty and sociable.......

If Cape Town (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town) was in the dating game that's how her profile would read!!

The Mother City of South Africa occupies one of the world's most stunning locations, with an iconic mountain slap-bang in her centre.

As beautiful as the surrounding beaches and vineyards can be, it's the rugged wilderness of Table Mountain, coated in a unique flora, that grabs everyone's attention.

Table Mountain National Park is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO site.

Long before the Dutch took a fancy to the Cape Peninsula in the 17th century, the land was home to the Khoisan people who valued the spiritual power of the mountains and their life-providing water.

While the European immigrants, and the slaves they brought here, have all shaped the physical environment of South Africa's third-largest city, Table Mountain - now protected within a national park that covers some 75% of the peninsula - remains at Cape Town's heart.

This ever present backdrop is the city's adventure playground, as well as a source of legend and continuing spiritual nourishment.

The city is crammed with restaurants, shops, galleries displaying amazing artworks and shops selling wonderfully inventive craftwork.

It's also getting a reputation as the fashion nexus of South Africa.

Hikers can take advantage of over 300 routes up and down, but bear in mind that the mountain is over 1000m high, conditions can become treacherous quickly and it's easy to get lost....

We are going to take the revolving cable car to the summit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain_Cableway)

Since the first person laid eyes on Table Mountain, it has exerted its powerful and charismatic pull, enchanting and drawing any and all who fall under its spell.

Since it's opening in 1929, over 16 million people have taken the trip to the top of Table Mountain.

Wow, did you know that the Table Mountain cableway has carried some of Cape Town's most illustrious visitors including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Oprah Winfrey, Sting, Stefi Graf, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Andrew, Micheal Schumacher, Brooke Shields, Micheal Buble, Tina Turner, and Jackie Chan??

These Rot-airs have a revolving floor...and this allows us a 360-degree view of the city and Table Mountain as we travel........

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company celebrated its 79th anniversary in 2008 and remains the most popular tourist attraction in Cape Town!

Wow, this view is simply phenomenal!

Um jogo de sonho...Brazil vs Portugal, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Welcome to Durban, the city that hosts the much anticipated 2010 soccer world cup group match between Brazil and Portugal!

Brazil are already qualified from Group G and Portugal could go through even if they lose - unless Ivory Coast turn around a nine-goal deficit in their match against North Korea. Portugal earlier beat the lowly Asian team 7-0 in the tournament's highest score.

2010 soccer world cup, Holland vs Japan, Durban, South Africa

Good morning from a very sunny and warm Durban............it is 19 June 2010 and woo-hoo, today Holland will play a 2010 soccer world cup group match against Japan at the awesome Moses Mabhida Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Mabhida_Stadium) in my city, Durban, South Africa

With its "arch of triumph", the Moses Mabhida Stadium is a defining landmark similar to Sydney's Opera House or The London Eye.

In addition to this internationally acclaimed engineering feat, the multi-disciplinary aspect of the stadium's design allows the stadium to host a wide range of sporting and cultural events, putting it on a par with other international venue' s such as the Stade du France and Wembley Stadium.

http://redhouse.co.za/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=163

The Moses Mabhida Stadium has changed the way we view sporting venues in South Africa.

A stadium may be venerated as the scene of many an epic clash, but it need not be a monolith that only comes alive on "match day" - or when the members of the band plug in their guitars.

This Stadium with its facilities is not only a tourist attraction in its own right, but also the centrepiece of the King's Park Sporting Precinct, which will support a wide range of sporting, commercial, cultural, retail and leisure activities seven days a week, 365 days a year.

http://fifaworldcup.durban.gov.za/Pages/Stadium_Webcam.aspx

Quick Facts

• Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium will have the capacity to hold 70, 000 spectators during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Its design allows the stadium seating to be reduced to 54,000 for local matches or up-scaled to 80,000 for events such as the Olympic Games.
• There are 150 corporate hospitality suites with 7,500 seats.
• The grand centre arch, 106m high, is not just a design feature. A cable car will take visitors up to its highest point, where they can get out and enjoy breathtaking, panoramic views of the city and ocean. http://fifaworldcup.durban.gov.za/Pages/stadium_skycar.aspx
• The 350m long free-span steel arch weighs 2600 tons - that's the equivalent of 2,600 average cars.
• The roof is made of 46,000m2 of Teflon®-coated glass fibre membranes, which will produce a translucent glow when the stadium is lit.
• The roof is attached to the arch by 95mm-diameter steel cables.
• Each seat of the all-seater stadium is spacious and comfortable, providing clear line-of-sight to the pitch.
• A roof cover will provide shelter to 80% of the stadium in the case of rain.

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OPENING CEREMONY OF 2010 SOCCER WORLD CUP

 

2010 soccer world cup kick off concert in Soweto, South Africa

The small township of Soweto was rocked by some of the biggest names in the music industry, like Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys, in a concert to kick-off the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The stars performed on the eve of Africa's first World Cup at in a jam-packed Orlando stadium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFto9CnFi6o

Shakira, wearing an animal print, waka waka-ed the anthem and dance of the World Cup.

Dressed in a zebra print leotard and an ostrich plume skirt, the diva from Barranquilla gave a sizzling performance of She Wolf followed by famous Hips don't lie, which made the crowd dance to her tune.

Tens of thousands of people braved temperatures below 10 degrees in Johannesburg, where K'naan stole the show with his football anthem Wavin' Flag.

Long after he left the stage, the crowd was still chanting "Oh, oh, oh."

President Jacob Zuma told the 34,000 capacity crowd, "South Africa is rocking, South Africa is cool."

Feel it....it is here.....Makarapas for the 2010 SWC

Marti wants a Makarapa!!!

Nopi wants to know what is a makarapa??????

The sport fan Makarapa are hand-cut and hand painted hard hats.

They belong to the typical South African football fan's supporters gear, and are increasingly popular with fans of other sports.

Sport fans spend hours to sculpture and paint their Makarapa in the colours and emblem of their clubs or country.

Soccer World Cup venues in 3D

have you seen the soccer stadiums in 3D???

It is awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZeCzm1ldTo