The best 5k of my life

Today, it was not about time or personal bests.  Today's 5k was all about witnessing the beauty and power of the sea, the blue skies, and the brisk ocean breeze.  Following the advice of some of my Aussie-experienced friends, Virginia and I grabbed the bus around noon and headed to Bondi Beach, the closest the ocean gets to Sydney.  The Pacific was out in full force today, and as we approached the beach, the thunderous surf made promises of some serious waves.  No surfers on the beach today, so we sat and admired the crashing of the water against the rocks, before heading out on the cliff tops to Coogee, a 5km walk along some of the most beautiful coastline I have ever seen.

The walk itself was straight-forward, however the brisk head-winds and numerous rocky steps and inclines made hitting the gym un-necessary.  As we passed through veils of sea-spray as the waves made their way up the cliffs, I saw ocean baths scattered along the shoreline.   I had never heard of an ocean bath, but it was a sea-side swimming pool, which was filled by the waves crashing over the edge.   Even though it is winter, and the South Pacific is on the chilly side (as I found out the other day), there were swimmers in some of the baths, getting in their evening laps.

The cliff path winds past some of Sydney's most beautiful beaches, including Bronte, Clovelly and Tamarama, all with their own charm and appeal.   Not a lot of beach goers out today, which made the walk along the shore peaceful and serene.  Probably my favorite section was the sun-bleached memorials at Waverley Cemetery, overlooking the sea as a final resting places. 

As 5pm approached, we were chasing daylight during the last 1.5km, and as we when we reached the Coogee Boardwalk, we finally saw the enclave of surfers, getting much more action then those at Manly on Monday.  Finishing our afternoon "stroll", we toasted our afternoon with a few pints at the Coogee Bay Hotel beach bar, and watched the sunset over the waves.