Day 102 – Rob at the Olympics

Back in exploring mode we headed for the Sydney Olympic Park today. Getting there took a couple of hours via the Manly ferry, a ferry up the river and finally a bus. The river ferry was the highlight of the journey as it turned out to be a good sightseeing trip. I’d recommend anyone visiting the city take the river ferry even if they don’t get off.

Initially I found the Olympic Park to be a bit of a ghost town. The numerous facilities and expansive spaces didn’t feel quite right without crowds of people. I tried to remember the Television footage from nearly a decade ago and imagine what it would be like to be part of it. Think I’ll try and make the most of the Olympics in London.

We headed for the Aquatic centre and were lucky to find the main pool open for public swimming. We hadn’t expected to be able to swim in the main 50 meter pool but for $6 each we had a lane to ourselves. Have got to say its the nicest pool I’ve ever swam in and found myself swimming length after length. It was only when Tom stopped me to say he was going to get changed that I realised we’d been in there for an hour. After getting changed we wandered round the vast facility and ended up sitting next to the diving pool watching a training session in progress. I take my hat of to them for the aerial acrobatics they were performing.

Leaving the pool behind I set out to find the main stadium and the Olympic torch. After some wandering, there’s no maps to be found, I asked a parking attendant where the main stadium was. She said “Hmm, that’s a good question, I don’t know.” as a colleague wandered behind, looking surprised as I did to her response, and pointed to the ANZ stadium behind me. I couldn’t see the torch on the stadium but as we wandered towards a grassy area to get a wide angle photo we spotted it. It has been taken down and turned into a fountain, with all the names of the medal winners emblazoned in gold, silver and bronze around its base. I thought it was superb and insisted Tom take a photo of me under it, even though it was pouring water out. I got soaked twice as it happens as Tom’s first pictures didn’t come out properly. Unfortunately the battery died on my camera and at the same time the sun came out.

With the sun out the atmosphere changes. A few people sat in the park and outside bars giving the feeling akin to a large city park. We enjoyed the atmosphere as we waited for our return bus.

The journey back on the ferry was even better than in the morning. The city could be seen casting a dark silhouette against a crimson sunset as the ferry cut its way through a flotilla of yachts making the most of the wind. Damn that camera battery!