The scheduling for this post may or may not fully work…
Readers of my legal blog may have seen a post or two pop up about a recent trip up to Sydney for work. If you’re interested, I’ve blogged about it here, here and here. I mentioned in the second of those posts that, of course, I got out for a run. Really – that was never in doubt for me!
The thing was going for a run in the dark in a city I don’t much know was a dubious decision: as I’ve recounted a few times here, I have no known sense of direction. I wasn’t going to get another chance to run in Sydney for a while, however, so I certainly wasn’t letting it go!
I plugged my headphones in and set off with my GPS giving me directions as I went. This is always a hit and miss proposition: the GPS assumes you’re using the screen as well as verbal cues. When all you’ve got is an admonition to “bear left” it can be difficult to tell whether you’re bearing left to go around a roundabout or making an actual left turn. In short order the GPS gets as confused as it’s owner.. I was rather waiting for mine to say “you know what? The Hell with you. If you won’t take advice you’ll have to manage without me. I’m switching myself off!” The upshot of this was that the 7.5kms from Chatswood to the Bridge became 10kms (I was OK with this).
Running really is a good way to explore a city: you discover that it’s hilly (yep), and you see shops and streets you’d otherwise never see (one of the benefits of getting lost easily).
I was pretty sure a dear friend of mine had lived in the Milson’s Point area in about 2000 and it felt kind of special to see what had been a part of her world. I must catch up with her (Jane, if you had a wordpress site I’d be able to tag you here… just saying…)
I’d seen the Bridge and the Opera House from the other side of the bay back in about 2011, but in daylight. The Bridge was actually a lot smaller than I’d remembered it being. It was, however, utterly iconic.
Winter doesn’t seem to be a thing in the Harbour City and the evening was actually kind of warm. Certainly I was very comfortable in shorts and a shirt. I stumbled onto an ice cream parlour and thoroughly enjoyed a good milkshake. I explored the area for a bit and discovered that a path leads right across the Bridge. If only I’d known! Next time…
I had no luck getting a cab so I got a one-way rail ticket from Milson’s Point back to Chatswood and walked back to the accommodation. I have to come back and try this run in daylight.
Road to Rotorua 