Farewell, Zimbabwe, farewell...

It is with sadness that I note my time in Zimbabwe has come to an end and this will be my last post on the beautiful country.  In honor of the wonderful experience I've had living in Harare, this post is a collection of my favorite photos from my time wandering Harare and beyond.

Curious what my favorite photographs from living in Senegal were? Go here!

Curious what my favorite animal photographs were? Go here!!

In no particular order, my favorite photographs of Zimbabwe, chosen from well over 10,000 photographs (wow!):

Hwange National Park in the rainy season - Adios, Hwange!

A hippopotamus yawns at sunset over the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park - A Mana Pools Smorgasbord

As dusk approaches over Lake Kariba, fishermen take to the water - Sunset over a drowned forest

Victoria Falls at Christmas time, the height of the rainy season - A Victoria Falls Christmas (Part Deux)

Sunset in Hwange National Park - The Return to Hwange

I originally captioned this photo: "After seeing this view in Chimanimani, I knew I had fallen in love with Zimbabwe." - Au Revoir, Chimanimani, I will return...

Harare's jacarandas in bloom at sunrise - Harare in the bloom of the jacarandas

An elephant at sunset, Lake Kariba - Take my breath away: Drowned forest sunset

Sunrise over the pan in Hwange National Park - The Hwange smorgasbord

Victoria Falls at sunrise. Beyond amazing. - Take my breath away: The Victoria Falls sunrise and lunar rainbow edition

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Harare in the beautiful bloom of the Jacarandas

Soon the first blossoms begin to appear

some where in the Fourth Street* though it's not really clear

(*this photograph is actually Prince Edward St--not too far from Harare's Fourth St.--at sunrise.)

Then tree after tree in the Avenues so neat

Burst into flower in the hot October heat....

(This is the Avenues in Harare, Colquhoun St to be exact.)

...Purple blossoms flutter in glorious array

on the corner close by bunches of colourful flowers...

a sight to remember for everywhere

purple Jacarandas coloured the Summer air.

(Every summer, Harare bursts into a symphony of Jacaranda trees. Absolutely beautiful.

This is also the Avenues area of Harare.)

Tree after tree in the avenue and street

show their deepest purple where white clouds and blossoms meet

(This is Lomagundi Rd. in the Avondale neighborhood.)

The purple blossoms with flats and houses blend

a feast of beauty so colourful and rare

filled with wonder at the City so fair.

(The Avenues neighborhood.)

A high wind and a shower of rain

produce a purple carpet once again

as the blossoms fall to clothe the damp earth...

Oh lovers of beauty raise up your banners

in tribute to the City's early planners

for to them and to nature we are ever in debt

for as magnificent a picture as the gods ever set.

Like the poetry?

It's from a poem called Jacaranda Time by Robert Cornell

written specifically about Harare's Jacaranda trees. The full poem can be found here.

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