Back to Sydney today, via a beautiful train journey back from the Blue Mountains on a double decker train. I don't care how geeky it sounds, but coming from the UK with it's slow, unreliable, and single decker trains...double decker trains are just, like, the future. Back in Sydney and back to Zoe and James - thank you for having us to stay again! Had an awesome journey from the train station to their house, including walking through the city, a 30 minute run through the botanical gardens (I have missed this place!), a ferry ride, and a walk along Cremorne Point which is definitely one of my favourites places on this whole trip.
Day 55
Back to Cremorne Point for a 5km. I love this place. Such a tranquil spot, full of exotic flowers, melodic bird song, sparkling waters with yaughts bobbing in the breeze, and views of Sydney Harbour all around.
Day 56
Marathon day! Back to the Spit to Manly walkway. Last time I had to walk it, and walked 13 miles. This time I ran it (mostly) and did 26, so I guess that's progress. It was hot, but dull to start, so that the bright colours I remembered from last time didn't seem quite so vibrant. About half way though, the sun got stronger and it started to heat up. Soon after my head began to hurt, and soon after that the irritating pounding feeling of someone driving a chisel into my left temple started. If there's one thing that goes wrong on long hot runs, it will probably be my head. Either in how it thinks, or how it feels, or both on a bad day. Today, despite being careful to stay hydrated and wear shades, it was the turn of how it felt. A thousand hurrahs. My fear is always that it will turn into a full blown migraine, but fortunately today it didn't. Apart from that, and the incessant steps up and down the coastal path for the entire route (which interestingly, I had completely wiped from my mind since last time), it was a good,difficult run.
Day 57
40 minute run down to Kiribilli to try to find the famous purple jacaranda lined street. We don't find it, but was a good hilly run anyway.
Day 58
A very long (in time) 13 km run from Coogee to Bondi Beach and back, taking in the Sculptures By The Sea walk and a brunch stop half way at Bondi beach. You know, it's good to set aside time for regular proper workouts, but I've figured on this trip that if you are tight for time, and wondering how to fit in a workout, then it's just as good to fit exercise in to what you are already doing. You get the benefits, and it's enjoyable too, seeing how you can make your routine more active. Thanks Zoe for waiting to pick us up, even though we took ages! The weather was terrible. Brunch was excellent. And the sculptures spectacular.
On the way back we drove through the jacaranda trees in Kiribilli (Zoe found them!) which strictly speaking wasn't to do with running. But it was on the way back from a run, and it is such a spectacular sight to behold, I have to put up some photos. So exotic seeing the purple flowers against the blue sky - like a dream! All the flowers here seem so bright, like looking through a filter. I keep having to remind myself they are real. And wafts of jasmine keep floating through on the breeze. Which reminds me of my jasmine plant at home in the garden, which has probably perished in the cold weather by now. Oh well.
Today was Andrew and mine last run together, as today he headed home! So naturally it had to be along our favourite Cremorne 5km. I am gutted to temporarily loose my running partner. When I look back over the last 59 days... what an adventure it has been!
Day 60
Today was my last day and last run in Sydney. I woke up at 4.30am becuase the rain and wind was battering the window, and couldn't get back to sleep, so headed out early to get the stormy run over with. I was extremely creative, and ran the same route as yesterday. Actually the weather wasn't as bad as it sounded, which is often the case I think, when you think about things lying in the dark they often seem terrible, but actually once you do it, it's ok. I will miss this place so much! Sydney has definitely been one of my favourite places, and I felt sad to be saying goodbye to what felt like a new friend, as well as my old friends here!
The storm caught up with me as I quickly got my last fix of my favourite Cremorne Point route, which also happened to be the way to the ferry on the way to the airport. I left the house and all was well. 5 minutes down the road and a storm of biblical proportions hit right above. Lightening flashed right ahead, thunder crashed, and the rain was like buckets. The paths were like waterfalls with water gushing down, and I lost my flip flops several times. My super fancy, expedition style, North Face bag turned out not to be waterproof. At all. All of my clean and dry and satisfyingly recently reorganised clothes inside got wet. My hand baggage is even less waterproof, and it and everything in I got so soaked that I had to buy a new one at the airport to put all of my wet stuff inside (I actually needed to, it wasn't an excuse). Which defeated the aim of saving money by catching public transport rather than a taxi. The clothes i was wearing were wet, and wouldn't dry as the airport was so fiercely air conditioned. I was deeply unhappy as I boarded the plane, right at the back of the queue due to the whole debacle, so there was no room to even put my wet bag.
But nothing is fun all of the time, I believe I may recently have stated. Not even travelling adventures. And this is probably an experience sent to remind me of this, and not to go throwing about such profound statements as this without expecting to fully understand them. Fine. The point has been taken.
I am now in Perth, where the temperature is 35oC, and myself and all my things have dried. More on Perth to follow!
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