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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Johannesburg, known to locals simply as Joburg, has long been dubbed Egoli , which means "the city of gold" in Zulu. The moniker comes from the gold mines that made it the wealthiest metropolis in Africa.
But in spring, in October, the avenues turn purple and the city of gold becomes the city of amethyst. You walk in a sea of violet blooms that cover the sidewalks, and the canopy of tree branches above is a purple haze.
Jacarandas, as synonymous to Joburg as cherry blossoms to Japan, are actually an import, bought to South Africa from Brazil in the 19th century. There are an estimated 50,000 jacarandas — some as old as 100 — across the city. (Joburg is of
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