Pretoria is the capital of South Africa. Downtown feels like a smaller version of Johannesburg including the To Let signs, aimless people at street corners, brutalist architecture, and dilapidated little parks with dead grass and buildings missing their roofs. But it also feels friendlier, especially after I found the pedestrianized Helen Joseph Street where street vendors were setting up their stalls and the loud busy traffic suddenly seemed far away. The banner picture above was taken there.

Helen Joseph Street ends at Church Square, a large semicircle of dead grass with a statue of Paul Kruger, four-time president and creator if Kruger National Park, in the center and imposing buildings from the turn of the 20th century all around.

It’s the start of the flowering season for Jacaranda trees that line most streets in Pretoria. The effect is beautiful and must be stunning when they all bloom in a few weeks.

The Union Building is used by the government, and it has a manicured terraced park with a huge Nelson Mandela statue and a nice view of the city skyline.