THE GARDEN ROUTE--The problem is where to begin when describing a city that has world-class beaches, infamous landmarks, scenic beauty, an underreported history, a uniquely South African vibe and incredible people.
That is what comprises the greater Cape Town area and also what makes it irresistible to visitors. This city did not need the World Cup to highlight its winter, but the folks at FIFA are not as foolish to neglect South Africa’s third largest city and home to some stunning man-made and natural images.
The dichotomy between man and nature is visible from the Cape Town Stadium, which will host eight games during the World Cup. Visitors can easily see Table Mountain rising above the city in the background. In the foreground, one a clear day, they can also see the inhumanity that was Robben Island 10 kilometers off the shore.
Robben Island is where the apartheid government banished Nelson Mandela for 27 years for his acts of non-violent political dissent. It was also my sole reason for seeing this city—at least before I touched down.
Unfortunately, my timing was as impeccable as a Robert Green blunder. My flight from Johannesburg just happened to be on the coldest day of the winter to date. When the seas get choppy the ferries out to Robben Island are closed because the waves can reach as high as 30 feet.
At least the weather cooperated long enough for me to take in the city’s picturesque sights as we approached the Cape Town International Airport. The pilot flew across this metropolitan area of 5 million people, into the Atlantic Ocean for a low profile view of the turquoise-blue waters, before landing just after 10 a.m. Sunday morning.
My hostel, The Backpack and Travel Center, is one of the best in Africa and HostelWorld.com has previously named it one of the ten best on the planet. It certainly lived up to its billing. (Writer’s note, don’t be surprised if you see that sentence again, but in a different contest.)
The goal was to update my blog, book a trip to Robben Island for Monday and go see the city. Little did I know how much my supposedly intricate plans depended on the weather.
Packed and prepared to go on a mini-adventure, I started watching a soccer match. Originally, I was going to stay 10 minutes...then until halftime...then until the first goal before resigning to waiting until the end of the match.
The lure of the Ghana-Serbia match is what allowed me to catch up with a handful of Americans who were also at The Backpack and Travel Center. We all ate, shared which matches we were attending and where we were from. Later, we found out that our hostel usually doesn’t have so many Americans there at one point, but it was a welcome change of pace.
We made plans to eat, but the Germany-Australia match was coming on, so three dozen people watched the game on two screens and cheered that the World Cup finally had a back-and-forth contest that produced goals.
Showing posts with label Robert Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Green. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Congratulations for dodgy goalkeeping
RUSTENBURG--The much-hyped match between the United States and England did not disappoint anyone who filed into Royal Bafokeng Park here.
The US may have been outnumbered 5:1 in fans inside the stadium, by a similar ratio when it comes to world-class players; however, the 1-1 result was all that mattered.
The clocks did not work on either end of the field, but just about everyone in the stadium had a sense of how much time was left in the two halves. A scoreboard was surplus to requirements as the noise in the stadium was the best indicator of not only which team won possession but who was closer to breaking the deadlock.
The television may have shown pictures different from what people inside this loud stadium witnessed, but it was a match where the result was deserved—even if the method in achieving it was not.
England dominated the game in the early going, exploiting space between the two American central defenders. Goalkeeper Tim Howard rightfully screamed at his defense for the lapse that allowed English captain Steven Gerrard to walk in and score on the Three Lions first shot of the game.
Howard eventually made his presence known with his commanding play in goal. The difference between Howard and fellow English Premier League goalkeeper Robert Green was stark—and the Americans I sat with made a point to mention that to the two English men who were in the row in front of us.
(Interestingly: another EPL player was in our midst. Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand, whose brother Rio is the English captain, sat in the row in front of us watching the game with a handful of people from England. That’s Anton who is in the background in my picture after 90 minutes in Rustenburg.)
There were some disagreements about which team got the better of their opponent. But most people in the stadium said the result was a fair one. The U.S. only had two real scoring chances, but in the same context England had more opportunities and squandered them.
When the Brazilian referee finally blew the whistle to indicate the match was over there were handshakes from both sides—of fans—for a good job on the evening and wishes for good luck against the perceived minnows of the group Slovenia and Algeria.
Unfortunately the person who brought a sign indicating all the important victories over the English (1776, 1812 and 1950) will not have another date to add to his banner.
The solace in the draw may be the congratulations many American supporters received from South Africans and many soccer fans about how far the team has progressed since they last saw the stars and stripes at the Confederations Cup.
The US may have been outnumbered 5:1 in fans inside the stadium, by a similar ratio when it comes to world-class players; however, the 1-1 result was all that mattered.
The clocks did not work on either end of the field, but just about everyone in the stadium had a sense of how much time was left in the two halves. A scoreboard was surplus to requirements as the noise in the stadium was the best indicator of not only which team won possession but who was closer to breaking the deadlock.
The television may have shown pictures different from what people inside this loud stadium witnessed, but it was a match where the result was deserved—even if the method in achieving it was not.
England dominated the game in the early going, exploiting space between the two American central defenders. Goalkeeper Tim Howard rightfully screamed at his defense for the lapse that allowed English captain Steven Gerrard to walk in and score on the Three Lions first shot of the game.
Howard eventually made his presence known with his commanding play in goal. The difference between Howard and fellow English Premier League goalkeeper Robert Green was stark—and the Americans I sat with made a point to mention that to the two English men who were in the row in front of us.
(Interestingly: another EPL player was in our midst. Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand, whose brother Rio is the English captain, sat in the row in front of us watching the game with a handful of people from England. That’s Anton who is in the background in my picture after 90 minutes in Rustenburg.)
There were some disagreements about which team got the better of their opponent. But most people in the stadium said the result was a fair one. The U.S. only had two real scoring chances, but in the same context England had more opportunities and squandered them.
When the Brazilian referee finally blew the whistle to indicate the match was over there were handshakes from both sides—of fans—for a good job on the evening and wishes for good luck against the perceived minnows of the group Slovenia and Algeria.
Unfortunately the person who brought a sign indicating all the important victories over the English (1776, 1812 and 1950) will not have another date to add to his banner.
The solace in the draw may be the congratulations many American supporters received from South Africans and many soccer fans about how far the team has progressed since they last saw the stars and stripes at the Confederations Cup.
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