Of runners, bikes and boats.

How to start this evening's offering? I've no idea actually where to begin but if I'm not careful it's all going to come out in a terrible jumble of excitement! What a day! Well, I guess it could have been better - we could have won both races - but hey, we saw them both at least. After a deeply restful sleep in a heavenly king size bed we breakfasted with traditional American fare and 2 mugs of great coffee before pottering down to the waterfront with the intention of finding the sports store I'd looked up before leaving home.

Coincidentally it was located just past where the boats race, so we planned to head back to watch them from one of the bay beaches. Sauntering along the waterfront we could almost have been back in Mission Bay - bikes and runners everywhere and herds of sailboats, their masts and sails ringing like endless cowbells.

Cresting one of the many hills we first of all came across an organic farmers market, complete with an old Chinese chap playing the flute and singing 'Scarborough Fair'! And then what do we happen across? The America's Cup Village! Plenty of merchandise on sale with 30% off - I wonder why?! We also wonder why the Australian flag was on one set of t-shirts! BUT NO KIWI FLAGS!

Having wandered through the village and around the waterfront a little further we happen across a stand of free public bleachers, just waiting for us to sit on them, which we did, right at the very top, right in front of the start line! So, shoe shopping was going to have to wait. I went to buy us some coffees and got chatting, as you do, to a Kiwi woman who's lived in the States for 20 years but, it turned out, used to live in Beach Haven!! Whilst he was waiting for me, Steve learned his first American word of our trip,  - commentation! Classic!

So we watched the racing, as you would expect, then found our sports store before wandering back to the hotel, stopping for dinner at a cool Mexican restaurant on the way, having spent way more time in the shop than Steve has ever spent in a shop of any description before, and it being a long, long walk. And just a note for any English readers out there, the Mexican restaurant was in the renovated cannery of Del Monte fame.

The man from Del Monte, he say 'Yes'! (And us!)

Foot note: I really didn't know whether talking about toilets was very appropriate, so I thought I'd leave it till last, but I really do have to mention the port-a-loos at the Cup viewing points. If there hadn't been the obvious tell-tale signs of having been used, I'd swear that I was the first one that day! And they still smelled flowery fresh - seriously! Steve reckons they were even cleaner than our toilet at home - Rachel and Stephanie, take note!