A week in Sydney – Mitchell News

We were sad to be leaving our friends in Armidale but Glenda was hanging out for her hair appointment in Sydney after going 7 months without a cut! With a couple of other medical appointments lined up, we hit the road for the big smoke.

A rather rocky start ….

Having booked an Airbnb apartment in Neutral Bay for a week, we were looking forward to catching up with friends, doing some running and having some down time looking over the harbour. Our arrival a little before peak hour was uneventful, with the instructions for accessing the keys and garage remote being self-explanatory.

After unpacking and doing some grocery shopping, we were ready to cook dinner and settle in for the night. Just as we were about to eat our meal, we discovered that we had no hot water! Desperately in need of a shower and hanging out for a run the next morning, we were not satisfied with “the plumber can only get to you tomorrow” so negotiated other arrangements. Within an hour we had eaten, packed a suitcase and checked into another unit in Crows Nest for the night. This meant we could go for a run the next day, and as we were catching up with a friend in Crows Nest for afternoon tea, it was all very convenient. And with the hot water fixed just before 5pm, we were ready to move back to our “home”.

Into the city ….

We chose to walk across the bridge into the city despite the wind warnings. It was pretty windy, but we thoroughly enjoyed the walk. The time in the CBD, less so. There was more construction than there was leading up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. So much dust and noise. Maybe we’ve just been out of the city for too long!

Other than the building activity, everything else was exceptionally quiet. The restaurants along Cockle Bay were closed and deserted and the food court under the Myer centre was eerily empty. The Rocks, usually known for it’s tourist throng, had been abandoned, with a few cafes open and staff trying to stay upbeat. It was late before we finished our appointments and we needed to find somewhere for a late lunch. Having chatted to servers outside and one of the well-known old bakeries in The Rocks on our way into town, we decided to stop there for a couple of pies.

Visiting the Northern Beaches..

We took a couple of trips to Manly and Dee Why to catch up with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed being back in our old backyard. There were lots of surfers out in spite of the flat water! Nothing much had changed – except they’d cleaned up the previously grungy walkway to the parking station.

Running & relaxing…

The last couple of days we spent in, enjoying the stunning views of the harbour and bridge and there were even glimpses of one of the Opera House sails and the ocean in the distance. We did get out to do one of our old runs – across the bridge, through Barangaroo, past the fish markets and Central Station, to Macquarie’s chair, around the Opera House and back across the harbour. We will confess that we did cut it short in comparison to old times.

On the move again…

After a leisurely breakfast, we packed the car, deposited the keys and were soon on the road north. With the school holidays, getting out of Sydney was much easier than normal!