[imagesource: @2Summers.net]

Designed as the administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria isn’t as much of a tourism hotspot as some of South Africa’s other major cities.

Except, there is one street famed for its special blossoms and named after the architect who built and designed the Union Building.

Yip, we all know Herbert Baker Street in Groenkloof, Pretoria for being lined with more than 100 striking purple and rare white jacaranda trees.

The flowery street has the kind of beauty that makes a person linger on looking for an average of 4,17 seconds.

That, according to UK-based estate agent comparison site GetAgent’s study on attractive streets, puts this Pretoria parade at number four on the list of the world’s most beautiful streets.

TimesLIVE reported that the company used eye-tracking software to figure out which global avenue proved most attractive to the human eye:

The researchers started by compiling a list of 50 contenders from around the world, then showed 40 participants a series of images of the streets.

Eye-tracking software recorded how many times people looked at each image and for how long. The average fixation time was then used to rank each street according to how “attractive” it is.

And so the most stunning streets in the world are…

With a fixation time of around 6,2 seconds and the most views (550) by the study’s participants, the cherry tree-lined pedestrian-only Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto, Japan takes the top spot.

The spectacular path runs along a two-kilometre canal, with each side exploding with the beloved cherry blossoms around April each year:

Nobody will get tired of that sight.

In second place is the main street in what is known as “the vertical village” of south-central France:

The medieval village of Rocamadour is built on a cliff about 150 metres above the Alzou canyon:

As part of the Santiago de Compostela, it has drawn pilgrims from all over Europe to pray since the 12th century and the town has eight churches and chapels built on the cliffside.

Though it has a population of only 630, it is one of the most visited sites in France, attracting a million people per year.

The main road, called the Rue de la Couronnerie, makes eyes linger for 4,64 seconds on average, having drawn in 363 views in the study:

Then, a bright street on the Italian island of Burano – the Via Baldassarre Galuppi – takes third spot since people enjoyed looking for 4,22 seconds on average, and 252 times overall:

This historical fishing village is a car-free, laid-back alternative to the buzz of Venice and shows another side of life on the Venetian Lagoon. It’s best known for its seafood, lace, and its picturesque canals edged by a rainbow of brightly painted houses.

Observe:

As you know, in fourth is our very own Herbert Baker Street:

The report makes special mention of the capital’s jacarandas, saying that “between September and November each year, Pretoria explodes into ‘the Jacaranda city’ — with more than 70,000 streets blooming a vibrant purple”.

While South Africans will know that the glorious effect can be enjoyed in several spots across Joburg and Gauteng, the list-makers singled out Herbert Baker Street for its extremely rare white jacarandas, especially spectacular when viewed from above.

Fifth place goes to “the most crooked street in the world”, Lombard Street in San Francisco, famous for having eight hairpin turns intermingled with lush flower beds to make the 182 metres of twisting and turning worth it:

The other winning streets are:

• 6. Circus Lane in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• 7. The Circus in Bath, England.
• 8. Gold Hill in Shaftsbury, England.
• 9. Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• 10. Orchard Road, Singapore.

All in all, not a bad list.

Perhaps it’s time to pack your cameras and prepare for that road trip to Pretoria because jacaranda season is just around the corner.

[source:timeslive]