Cape Town on a Sunday

Having lived in both Johannesburg and Cape Town for equal amounts of time (about 2 years in each), people often ask me which city I enjoy the most or which city I would choose to live in if I had the choice.  I always find it extremely difficult to answer this question as both cities are so different from each other, yet both possess qualities which I absolutely love and others which I'm not so fond of. 

To be honest, when we first moved to Jo'burg in the beginning of 2010, it was purely career-related, and neither of us was thrilled with any aspects of the move outside of those related to work.  We were committed to being in and out (i.e. back in the western cape) within two years and we both saw it as a time which wouldn't necessarily be enjoyable, but would be completely worth it in the long run.  Now here we are almost two years later and not even considering leaving the city for at least another two years.  Admittedly, this is partly due to the fact that most of the well-paying jobs are here, but somewhere along the line we also sort of fell in love with the city itself, made friends which we've grown attached to, and come to think of this place as home.  Johannesburg has a diversity to it which Cape Town lacks and just prior to our visit to Cape Town at the end of October, I even caught myself saying to Jurgen, "I wouldn't mind staying in Jo'burg for the long-term, in fact I don't even know if I would back to Cape Town if the opportunity presented itself."

Then, at the end of October, we made a quick trip to Brittania Bay (near Cape Town) for a wedding and decided to stay an extra night in Cape Town itself so that we could spend time with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile and also play tourist in a city which we used to call home. 

And then... I fell in love with Cape Town all over again and couldn't think of one reason why I had ever thought that living in Johannesburg any longer than necessary was ever a good idea.  What Cape Town lacks in diversity, it makes up for in beauty, location (its front is right against the ocean and its back is right against Table Mountain), and vibe.  In certain parts of the city you could easily forget you were actually in Africa due to the fact that it so much resembles a typical street in Paris and the laid back lifestyle Capetonians are so well known for is absolutely contagious.

In the end I think it's impossible to choose the "better" city between the two as they both have so much to offer and are so unique to one another, but just to give you a glimpse of why a part of me will always long for Cape Town, here are some pictures I snapped during our short stay in the Mother city.

See what I mean?