The View from the Top

My husband and me wanted to spoil our friends with a day off where they can go out, go to the movies or just stay in and sleep from 8 to 8 without their three children waking them up in the early hours of the morning. So, we took their kids and Daniel to the Gold Reef City Theme Park in the south of Johannesburg for an exciting afternoon of rides and, of course, ice cream. 

The park has a dedicated kiddies corner with a carousel, small cups & saucers, a roller coaster that had even me yelling, flying elephants and a few other rides for the “below 1.3m” citizens. It was a colourful, noisy, fun and a totally exhausting experience. The kids fell asleep in the car even before we left the parking area!

If you’re an adult, though, (and the big roller coaster is not on the agenda!) then the highlight of your day is the view of central Johannesburg that you get from the top of the 50m high Giant Wheel. Especially so if it is clear, bright summer’s day. From the top, what Daniel calls the “middagstad” lies spread out like a Jan Vermeer painting – covering the horizon and showing at a glance exactly where all the gold that was dug underneath Gold Reef City went to.

Is it ironic that the mines that built the city today serve as entertainment parks? That is a question you can ponder over at the top end of the ferris wheel – at the bottom, herding the kids it all gave a home to in the direction of the ice cream stand, it all kind of makes sense.

Image credits: All photography by me