Quaking earth and legs
Last Tuesday we had an earthquake – the biggest we’ve experienced, and, as it happens, the biggest in the Bay Area since Loma Prieta in 1989. I was still at work, even though it was just after 8 p.m. The room shook around for a good thirty seconds, but when I went out on the street afterwards, everyone was acting like nothing had happened! It was 5.6 on the Richter scale with an epicentre near San Jose.
Wednesday was Halloween. We didn’t do anything to celebrate it, but a few people dressed up at work. I hadn’t fully appreciated the fact that Americans use Halloween as an excuse to dress up as anything, not necessarily as something scary, so it was slightly odd to be in the office with a Roman and a sexy nurse. On Friday, however, we went down to the Mission district for an event that was much more Halloween than Halloween for me, the “Día de los Muertos”, or Day of the Dead. This is traditionally a Mexican celebration, but has of course been fully adopted in the Hispanic quarter of the city. It comprised a parade of people dressed in ghoulish attire, such as skeleton costumes, carrying candles for lost loved ones. The procession ended at a park, where local artists had made shrines, some of which were really ingenious – there was even a car that had been turned into a memorial. It is intended as a day to celebrate the dead rather than a sad and mournful occasion. Afterwards we got some food at a Taqueria, but for once it was a bit disappointing.
Yesterday, after a week of feeling fatigued and not wanting to exercise, we decided it was time to grace the gym with our presence. It was a beautifully sunny and warm day, so in the afternoon, after enjoying a coffee on the terrace of our favourite café, we hired bikes for a couple of hours and cycled to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, stopping off at the beach briefly along the way. It was hard to believe that one of the best beach days of the year was with us in November! Afterwards, we headed downtown to do a spot of shopping, then grabbed some dinner in Chinatown on the way back.
Today, we awoke to another gorgeous morning, which was even better for being an hour longer – the clocks went back in the night, a week later than in the U.K. We set off on our run, but were thwarted after only five minutes or so, when we reached the beach at Aquatic Park, because there was a Half Marathon going on, which ended there and blocked our usual running route. We decided to run to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero instead, so set off in that direction, taking in the sealions on Pier 39 en route – at my insistence. We stopped at the end of the huge wooden pier by the Ferry Building and admired the view, before setting off back. There’s no obvious return route from there, but I suggested that we should really challenge ourselves by “jogging” up the Greenwich Steps. This is a staircase comprising several hundred steps, which clings to the steep eastern side of Telegraph Hill leading to Coit Tower. Well, there wasn’t much jogging done, as even walking up was enough to give most people a heart attack, but managed to get up and back down the other side, and it made for a scenic route home.
Rob, our friend from university who works for Google, came over late morning, and we set out to Marin to enjoy a bit of hiking. We didn’t end up walking as far as we’d intended, because the car park for our chosen hike was full, but we strolled some of the trails on the top of Mount Tamlpais, which afforded truly spectacular views of the city, ocean, Point Reyes and the Bolinas Lagoon. It turned out well for us, as our legs weren’t really up to the 1,500 feet descent and ascent we’d originally planned – not after the earlier Greenwich Steps jaunt, anyway. We then drove down to Stinson Beach and bought ice cream, which we enjoyed on the sand. There were plenty of people out sunbathing and splashing around. I had a good paddle myself in the deliciously cold water, then soaked up some sunshine. We drove back on stunning Highway 1 and dropped Rob off at his hotel downtown.
Wednesday was Halloween. We didn’t do anything to celebrate it, but a few people dressed up at work. I hadn’t fully appreciated the fact that Americans use Halloween as an excuse to dress up as anything, not necessarily as something scary, so it was slightly odd to be in the office with a Roman and a sexy nurse. On Friday, however, we went down to the Mission district for an event that was much more Halloween than Halloween for me, the “Día de los Muertos”, or Day of the Dead. This is traditionally a Mexican celebration, but has of course been fully adopted in the Hispanic quarter of the city. It comprised a parade of people dressed in ghoulish attire, such as skeleton costumes, carrying candles for lost loved ones. The procession ended at a park, where local artists had made shrines, some of which were really ingenious – there was even a car that had been turned into a memorial. It is intended as a day to celebrate the dead rather than a sad and mournful occasion. Afterwards we got some food at a Taqueria, but for once it was a bit disappointing.
Yesterday, after a week of feeling fatigued and not wanting to exercise, we decided it was time to grace the gym with our presence. It was a beautifully sunny and warm day, so in the afternoon, after enjoying a coffee on the terrace of our favourite café, we hired bikes for a couple of hours and cycled to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, stopping off at the beach briefly along the way. It was hard to believe that one of the best beach days of the year was with us in November! Afterwards, we headed downtown to do a spot of shopping, then grabbed some dinner in Chinatown on the way back.
Today, we awoke to another gorgeous morning, which was even better for being an hour longer – the clocks went back in the night, a week later than in the U.K. We set off on our run, but were thwarted after only five minutes or so, when we reached the beach at Aquatic Park, because there was a Half Marathon going on, which ended there and blocked our usual running route. We decided to run to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero instead, so set off in that direction, taking in the sealions on Pier 39 en route – at my insistence. We stopped at the end of the huge wooden pier by the Ferry Building and admired the view, before setting off back. There’s no obvious return route from there, but I suggested that we should really challenge ourselves by “jogging” up the Greenwich Steps. This is a staircase comprising several hundred steps, which clings to the steep eastern side of Telegraph Hill leading to Coit Tower. Well, there wasn’t much jogging done, as even walking up was enough to give most people a heart attack, but managed to get up and back down the other side, and it made for a scenic route home.
Rob, our friend from university who works for Google, came over late morning, and we set out to Marin to enjoy a bit of hiking. We didn’t end up walking as far as we’d intended, because the car park for our chosen hike was full, but we strolled some of the trails on the top of Mount Tamlpais, which afforded truly spectacular views of the city, ocean, Point Reyes and the Bolinas Lagoon. It turned out well for us, as our legs weren’t really up to the 1,500 feet descent and ascent we’d originally planned – not after the earlier Greenwich Steps jaunt, anyway. We then drove down to Stinson Beach and bought ice cream, which we enjoyed on the sand. There were plenty of people out sunbathing and splashing around. I had a good paddle myself in the deliciously cold water, then soaked up some sunshine. We drove back on stunning Highway 1 and dropped Rob off at his hotel downtown.
No comments:
Post a Comment