http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/ 15 World Cup 2010 through your eyes en Copyright 2010 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:01:31 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=4.2-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Dan Zenobia, 27, an occupational therapist from Alexandria, came to the Caribou at Fairfax Corner to reflect on the weighty issues of his life: a potential new job, his father's leukemia, and his newish girlfriend. In a half hour, he will meet her - and her work friends - for lunch, so he's a bit nervous. Posted via email http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-ian-shapira.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-ian-shapira.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:01:31 -0500 Parvez and Mary met when she was cleaning his table at a Van Ness  Burger King. Posted via email http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-kevin-sieff-1.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-kevin-sieff-1.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:04:40 -0500 Average age at this Gaithersburg starbucks just dropped below 10. Posted via email http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-kevin-sieff.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/by-kevin-sieff.html Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:03:06 -0500 By: Josh McPhail   If the US National Teams heart stopping comebacks and the 2010 World Cup as a whole was the cute new girl in school….she has certainly gotten everyone’s attention.      Grabbing the attention of an American public that has ADD with its numerous sports options is like talking with that cute girl for the first time.  The hard part is getting her attention, letting her know you’re there and once you get that chance to show her how fun, exciting, memorable that you can be…well that’s the easy part, now you are opening her eyes and she’s seeing what your friends and family have seen along.  I think this World Cup has put soccer and a new slew of Americans into a long-term relationship.   In my honest and hopeful opinion I think the love fest will continue.  It’s not like the Olympics where the only http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/america-your-table-is-now-available.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/america-your-table-is-now-available.html Josh McPhail Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:41:21 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   On returning to stay with our hosts in the suburbs of Pretoria after a week in Cape Town, we decided to spend our remaining time in South Africa visiting the downtown areas in Pretoria and Johannesburg.  Craig gave us a tour of downtown Pretoria, starting at City Hall, where we looked at a series of beaded more-than-life-size sculptures of soccer players (photo) and a statue of Tshwane (photo), an Ndebele leader from whom Pretoria derives its African name (although Tshwane is also a name of the river that flows through Pretoria).  We looked at Paul Kruger's house from the outside, then drove to the Mariabastad area where we saw the Mariemman temple (photo) - it could easily have been in South India.  At Church Square, the heart of downtown Pretoria, a TV movie was being made about "Winnie Mandela's Path to Freedom;" we saw hundreds http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/sightseeing-in-downtown-pretoria-and-johannesburg.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/sightseeing-in-downtown-pretoria-and-johannesburg.html Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:28:34 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy Nancy and Paul woke up early on our last day in Cape Town and headed off to the Kirstenbosch Gardens while Sam and Joe enjoyed a lazy morning.  The gardens enjoy a lovely spot on the slopes approaching the eastern side of Table Mountain.   We could see where Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine, the recommended routes up and down the mountain from that part of the area, were located (see photo), and Paul resolved that if we ever get back to Cape Town, we should try those routes.  The gardens contained an enormous variety of cycads, proteas and other distinctive South African plants (photos), as well as a small conservatory that was truly packed with rare species (see photos of cycad with an unusual flower, protea, and other plants).   We rendezvoused with the boys and headed to the City Bowl where we wanted to see the http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/gardens-slave-lodge-and-argentinas-agony.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/gardens-slave-lodge-and-argentinas-agony.html Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:27:23 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   We spent much of the day on July touring the winelands just east of Cape Town.  We drove first to Franschoek, where we sampled wines at the Haute Cabriere and Mont Rochelle vineyards.   The setting was lovely, especially at Haute Cabriere where we sat on a terrace outside the cellar with mountains on three sides (see photo).   The tasting host went on and on about the characteristics of the reds, whites, champagne and brandy that we tried, much like the server in a pretentious restaurant. By and large, we found the wines either ordinary or worse, but we were surprised (sweet wines are usually not my thing) to enjoy a drink called Ratafia, a blend of chardonnay and brandy, so we picked up a couple of bottles to take home.  From there, we drove on to Mont Rochelle (see photo from luncheon area), where we http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/our-decadent-day-in-the-cape-winelands.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/our-decadent-day-in-the-cape-winelands.html Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:02:29 -0500 By Francine Uenuma We didn't waste a moment of our last day in South Africa. We started with a tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was once a political prisoner. The tours are led by other former prisoners-in our case, one who had spent 11 years confined to this island a half hour's boat ride out of Cape Town. The tour includes a visit to the most famous prisoner's cell and the lime quarry where opposition leaders met, and planned, for the future amidst imposed hard labor. We then climbed Table Mountain, located right next to the heart of the city. It's an arduous hike, but the views from the top are spectacular. And as evidence of the massive influx of tourists, we encountered hikers in UNC, UVA, Harvard and other collegiate gear along the trail. Talk about feeling like an American tourist! Our day ended at the http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/last-day-in-cape-town.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/last-day-in-cape-town.html Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:45:32 -0500 By Paul  Alan Levy   Today we rose early with plans to hike to the top of Table Mountain if weather permitted.  In fact, there were only a few clouds in the sky, so we proceeded.  We drove Tafelberg Road, which runs along side of the mountain, and parked near the lower cable car station.  We walked 15 minutes down the road to the beginning of the Platterklip Gorge trail, and hiked upwards, first through grass and shrubs, then up the gorge (photo) which slowly closed around us (photo)until we reached the top.  Table Mountain is a long and wide flat area - actually, three long flat areas.  The view of Cape Town and surrounding areas, including the coast line stretching to the west, Robben Island in the midst of the ocean and the Cape Peninsula to the south and west, was fabulous (photo).  We had a snack on top, walked http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/table-mountain-and-bokaap.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/table-mountain-and-bokaap.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:41:53 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   With clouds covering Lion's Peak above our hotel window, and rain in the forecast, we bagged our plan to climb Table Mountain and opted to drive around the Cape Peninsula and reach the Cape of Good Hope.  At first, even this seemed a bad choice - after we rounded the impressive Chapman's Peak along the Atlantic coast of the Peninsula (see photo), the rain started lashing down and I could not see even walking a few hundred meters once we reached the bottom of Africa.  When we stopped at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town on the Indian Ocean side of the Peninsula, the rain was so hard that Nancy wouldn't even get out of the car; but those penguins that were not hiding from the pelting rain and hail were certainly cute (see photo).  The culinary choices in Simon's Town did not seem appealing, http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/a-blustery-day-on-the-cape-peninsula-followed-by-exquisite-soccer.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/a-blustery-day-on-the-cape-peninsula-followed-by-exquisite-soccer.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:39:01 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   This morning we set out for a visit to the District Six museum, www.districtsix.co.za, which recounts a Cape Town "urban renewal" project undertaken with an apartheid twist that made it sound truly malevolent compared to the US history of urban renewal a/k/a "negro removal" projects, which have been at best a mixed bag.  District Six was a vibrant downtown neighborhood, some of which was run down but made a home for more than 60,000 residents.  In 1966, pursuant to the 1950 Group Areas Act, the South African government declared District Six in Cape Town to be a White Group Area, requiring all black, Asian and colored people to move out, after which their residences and shops were bulldozed; the new name for the neighborhood, Zonnebloem, still appears on highway signs.  These residents were supposed to be moved to the Cape Flats, but either no provision http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/learning-about-history-and-the-current-struggle-in-cape-towns-city-bowl.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/learning-about-history-and-the-current-struggle-in-cape-towns-city-bowl.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:35:43 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   Cape Town is a gorgeous place, dominated by the mountains that tower over the city (see photo of the view of Lions Head from our hotel room window).  On our first full day here, we walked through downtown and visited the Castle of Good Hope, billed as the oldest colonial structure.  We were just in time for the changing of the guard (see photo with Table Mountain behind), and toured the castle with some emphasis on the disciplinary system (torture until confession; see photo of ironic inscription and an inscription proclaiming innocence on prison doors).   After lunch, we hurried down to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront to catch a boat to Robben Island, where political prisoners were confined during the last thirty years of the apartheid regime.  The Robben Island museum had a temporary exhibition featuring the Makana Soccer Association about which I http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/visit-to-cape-town-castle-of-good-hope-and-robben-island.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/visit-to-cape-town-castle-of-good-hope-and-robben-island.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:32:09 -0500 By Paul Alan Levy   With Sam not yet recovered from jet lag, we drove off to Pilanesberg National Park, north of Rustenberg, for another period of wildlife viewing.    (It is close enough to Rustenberg that some fans were using it as accommodations while attending games there - see photo of a Uruguayan fan vehicle. Maybe it would have made sense to have stayed there to avoid the dreadful traffic between Rustenberg and Pretoria).  I had written to reserve a four-person self-catering chalet at the Manyane Resort just outside the park back in November, but never heard back from them. Then, last spring, after FIFA began releasing rooms as it scaled back its expectations for fan attendance, the owner of Manyane suddenly wrote to confirm our booking.  Having failed to confirm any other wildlife opportunity for this period, I accepted their offer.   Our experience in Pilanesberg was very different http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/our-trip-to-pilanesberg-national-park.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/our-trip-to-pilanesberg-national-park.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:31:02 -0500 By Francine Uenuma Today we are in Gansbaai, home to a collection of shark boat operators. We spent the afternoon with Shark Lady Tours getting up close and personal with great whites while perched in a small cage attached to the side of a boat. It took us about half an hour to get to "shark alley," and soon after our guide dangled the bait we were face to face with a great white from only a few feet away. It's a unique experience; unlike an aquarium, we're the curiosity they are all circling to see. The cage is very small, allowing them to come right up to you. They're within reach, but we were strictly warned to resist the temptation to reach out and touch them (for obvious reasons). Gaansbaai is an easy two-hour drive from Cape Town, a worthwhile jaunt for the chance to mingle with the sharks.  http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/shark-diving.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/shark-diving.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:27:32 -0500 By Francine Uenuma That wasn't even close. Though the suspense was well diminished by the third goal, our mohawked neighbors seen here still had plenty of celebration left for number four. Argentina was trounced tonight at Green Point Stadium by a seemingly unstoppable German team that dominated both halves. We'll see if the momentum keeps up in the semifinals! Posted via email http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/germany-4-argentina-0.html http://views.washingtonpost.com/wapocup/2010/07/germany-4-argentina-0.html Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:25:42 -0500