Pretty Pictures of Joburg Places

As I said in my previous post (and many other posts, for that matter), Joburg is pretty from above. But just to clarify, Joburg is pretty from ground level, too.

On Sunday I participated in another walking tour with Gerald Garner from JoburgPlaces. (Read about my previous JoburgPlaces tour here.) Sunday’s tour took us from Newtown to Maboneng and back, mostly on foot with a bit of driving mixed in.

Walking through Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown.

I loved this tour. I saw and learned so many interesting things, and it made me feel so proud to live in Jozi. It made me feel f-ing lucky. Again.

Here are a few pictures of pretty things we saw on the tour.

Pretty birds in Pigeon Square, near old Chinatown. (I realize not everyone thinks pigeons are pretty, especially in vast numbers like this. But I do.)

A sculptor in a pretty hat puts the finishing touches on a new statue outside the Chamber of Mines.

Pretty ladies on the street near the Carlton Centre.

Pretty little building on the corner of Marshall and Loveday Streets. It’s called the Turret, and it’s the new office for JoburgPlaces and also for the Joburg City Tourism Association. I’ll have more to say about the Joburg City Tourism Association in the near future.

Pretty graffiti.

Pretty reflections in the glass walls of the Standard Bank Centre, which stands in the corporate mining district where the historic Cullinan Building used to be. The Standard Bank Centre is an architectural marvel, having been built from the top down in 1968.

Pretty historic buildings.

I think I might sound like a gushing broken record, going on and on about how great Joburg is and how happy I am to live here. But that’s how I feel right now. I’m also feeling kind of awed and overjoyed that after years of struggle and uncertainty, of not knowing what I’m doing here and wondering whether I’m coming or going, things are really starting to work out between Jozi and me.

Almost without my noticing it, my passion for writing about and photographing Joburg has become more than just a passion – it’s become a livelihood. I can’t explain exactly how just yet. But I will soon.

Oh, and I’m also feeling happy because it looks like my beloved broken lens (see the sad photo at the bottom of this post) is going to be fixed. The fantastic people at Cameratek and Canon South Africa are helping me out and things look very promising. I’ll keep you posted.

Pretty birds of paradise in the Jozi CBD.

That’s enough gushing for now. Until next post.