Up on Table Mountain - has anyone seen my glasses?

 Ian and Colin picked us up early the next morning. The schedule - pretty full.  Our big bus headed up to Table Mountain. We were lucky with traffic, got a space right away; hopped off (well, some hopped, I carefully extracted myself.) Before we knew it, we were in a queue for the gondola ride that would take us up the hill. It was very large - people kept pouring into it!

The platform rotates so everyone has a panoramic view as we climb steepy but swiftly. My anxious self says a little prayer- "cables don't snap, please?" And just like that we are at the top...

Our view was spectacular, and we shared it with people from all over the world. Looking over the railing, one could get a teeny bit dizzy!  What a huge drop back to our base. They also had a conveniently located gift shop (a soothing way to calm vertigo 😁). Very refreshing to find locally made items too.

 

When it was my turn to buy my gifts, I had to wrestle my wallet from the bottom of my purse, pulling stuff out and placing it to the side in order to pay. Sheesh!  With my new gifts in hand, I went outside to enjoy the sun, views and people watching. The wind was blowing but the sky was blue and the vistas stunning.

https://www.tablemountain.net/

Next stop - Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. This entrance to the garden area was beautiful, most of our group did the hike throughout and enjoyed it. John and I hung back since he was having difficulty walking and I was gimpy from my bus step plunge. Still, we visited the succulent area with so many unusual varieties, and hit the gift shop.

https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/kirstenbosch/

Next stop - Constantina Winelands. This area was so beautiful with steeply rolling hills of vineyards. Ian explained to us this winery had been around since the 17th century,  and Napoleon had their wines shipped to him while in exile. We came to the winery for lunch at Simon's Restaurant..such a charming place! We sat outside under the trees next to a guitar player who was fluent in Yacht Rock songs, with some sort of musical system that allowed him to be a one-man electronic band. He was pretty good, and had a Sam Elliot rugged look that was easy on the eyes. I was singing with him under my breath, couldn't help myself.. being here pretty much makes me want to burst out in song

https://simons.co.za/

So much food, guys. If I were using my Weight Watchers point calculator, I'm sure it would be smoking by now.

But wait! There's more! (Food that is😖)

Later that evening, as we were getting ready to leave for our next feast I discovered my prescription readers were missing. Craptastic. I'm pretty sure they are being held at that cute little gift shop on Table Mountain for an owner that will never return to fetch them. I hope they have a good life up there. Did I bring a spare just in case, you ask? NOPE! 

After that discovery, we went to the lobby to meet up with our group for the short journey to a very interesting restaurant  - the Upper Union. 

This restaurant was in what I think could have been a converted grand house. It was so cool inside - dark walls contrasting with white, and touches of silver and low lights. Our table was located upstairs. 

A pretty crappy side effect of John's Parkinson is 'Sundowners'. This means in the evenings he kind of shuts down. His cognitive ability and depth perception get pretty bad, making it hard for him to navigate steps and moving around in general.  Add being in an unfamiliar setting, and tired from the day's activies - well, he can be a mess. It was difficult getting him up the stairs, but we made it with help from our group.

The Upper Union is a family style restaurant with fresh, locally sourced and health-conscious meals beautifully prepared. Having said that, we all had a difficult time trying to figure out what the food was on the menu. Some of the people were googling the names, I was just using my phone to try to read the damn thing. John and I went the easy route and had their southern fried chicken thigh, it was crazy good. Stuffed to the gills, we waddled to the vans for a quick drive back to the Nellie and a good night's rest in the most comfy bed and pillows.

https://www.upperunion.co.za/gallery/