I was rather looking forward to seeing the English WAGS. Sadly we were denied an onslaught of WAG glamour by the coach who wasn’t keen for them to be with English soccer players. Some still slipped into SA for the England vs. Germany game. However, after England’s knockout they returned home swiftly.
Ah well, the whales have arrived and been spotted so we can look for them instead.
I have mastered the art of multi tasking Soccer World Cup style. I keep the telly going and when I hear the commentator’s voice raise or get excited I dash to see what has happened. There is always a slow motion replay of a goal or a foul. Life does go on and a person can’t exactly sit and watch soccer all day long. Well maybe?
In the picture is the new municipal airport shuttle bus. It costs R50, runs every half an hour and takes you right into the heart of the city. Apparently you roll onto the bus with your luggage so access is really easy. From the city centre you can either catch another link of this bus or bargain with a taxi. The central taxi drivers have got together to standardise their prices. They tell me that a trip less than 3 kilometres is R30 during working hours. I would bargain hard and fix a price before I get into the taxi.
Yesterday’s games involving England and Argentina were again marred by flawed referee calls. I can’t understand why FIFA insist on allowing this to continue. However both games were very exiting. It’s clear just why these are the top teams.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
We are making our way through the remaining 16 teams and games. A good few upsets and some pleasant surprises.
Ghana has held the flag for Africa. Much speculation on why Africa has not done better in the news. It’s mainly attributed to a lack of funding, leading to less opportunities and exposure. South America have done well and Japan have been an unexpected surprise. But as the teams knock each other out, so we say goodbye.
The weather Gods and Goddesses have really been on our side. It is winter here in Cape Town after all. For the most part we have had clear blue skies and daily temperatures around 20′ C or more. Next thing they will be saying we have had a drought and we will have new water restrictions. But for now we’re not complaining.
I am surprised at the mix of nationalities who have come for the Soccer World Cup. Countries that never had teams here in the first place. We have had guests book with us from Israel, Malaysia, India and a lot of Canadians.
Photo courtesy P Gillespie
Soccer is my latest passion and watching it takes up a fair amount time now. It’s so much fun reading news and sharing views with “like-minded” people. But last night I got up and walked away from the Spain vs. Chile game.
One commentator said that red cards are the new yellow cards. These referees are stifling the games with their liberal dishing out of cards. The Chilean guy who was red carded, barely tapped the Swiss guy’s foot. Enthusiasm is being penalised harshly.
But the last 10 minutes of the game are what really annoyed me. The Spanish team slowly passed the ball back and forth and the Chileans made no effort whatsoever to play the game. Why bother? Now to my mind that sort of play is deserving of a red card. But then what do I know?
Visitors to Cape Town – be alert! The brightest star in our heavens is visible here. Sirius can be found by looking for Orion’s belt. It’s in line with the belt and is obviously the brightest star. Make a wish.
The Dutch sure lived up to their reputation as fierce soccer supporters last night. My goodness what a lively lot they are. There can’t be many people left in Holland. At least half of the Hollanders have to be in Cape Town.
The fan walk was a sea of orange. Initial expectations for visitors to South Africa for the 2010 Soccer World Cup were around half a million people. After the Eugene Terreblance murder and Julius Malema’s utterances expectations dropped to 300K people. Current visitor figures are just over 450K people and apparently flights are filling up fast with last minute bookings.
