First Full Day....

Today was a day for sightseeing on the western cape. A hotel full of raucous Aussies ensured that we didn't get to sleep in, as four coachloads of sombrero-wearing folks from down-under began their journey to Durban for their group opener with the Germans..... a much-anticpated match for Chris who hasn't removed his Germany replica shirt since leaving New York last Thursday (thank goodness we have separate sleeping areas).
Our Kia rental car meandered it's way down the M6, the coastal road that links Cape Town with Cape Point, the southernmost point of the African continent and the Cape of Good Hope. A stop halfway along our route was prompted by the sight of a family of baboons on the side of the road. The mother baboon showed significantly better handling than Robert Green as she carefully carried her children across the road. We arrived at Cape Point and took the long uphill walk to the old lighthouse that was built in 1911 following the infamous wrecking of the Lusitania a few years earlier. There was a multitude of tourists from all parts of the globe, and some friendly banter ensued....... well except with the French couple who were extremely upset by an unnamed member of our group giving the FFF sign a friendly thumbs-down..... ah well, some people just don't have a sense of humour!
After an hour or two of climbing, walking and picture-taking we made our way back on the opposite coastal road and stopped off at Boulder's beach to view the African penguins in a preservation area. As you can imagine, yours truly was clicking away incessantly...!
BACK TO THE WORLD CUP....
It's clear that world cup fever has truly gripped the nation of South Africa. Cars, homes, hotels, bars, restaurants and public buildings are decorated with flags and murals of the various competing nations and superstars. Big screen TV's are everywhere and every conversation leads one way.... " who do you support, what matches are you going to, who will win???"
We've now arrived safely back at the hotel and are preparing for the big game of the day, Australia-Germany. With Slovenia having taken care of Algeria earlier today, the USA-England group is now wide-open.... I've called Bob Bradley to see if we can borrow Tim Howard for a few weeks...... come to think of it, we'd be happy with Kasey Keller or Brad Friedel.....
You'll see in the picture album posted below, a shot of me with a Brown flag. We'll be attempting to get "seen" by hanging the flag at all of our games - if you spot it on television be sure to let me know!

Here is a list of our upcoming games:

June 14th: Italy vs. Paraguay (Cape Town)
June 18th: England vs. Algeria (Cape Town)
June 20th: Brazil vs. Ivory Coast (Jo'burg)
June 21st: Spain vs. Honduras (Jo'burg)