A very busy Opera
I arrived In Sydney on the day before New Year's Eve to be picked up at the bus station by Matt (who taught PE at Ellis Guilford for a couple of years and had very kindly offered me a place to stay over New Year). After driving back to his flat in Abbotsford, inner west of the centre of Sydney, we headed back into the city. Even though I'd visited Sydney (Australia's largest city although not the capital) a few years ago, the journey in along the river (Matt's flat overlooks the Parramatta- in Aboriginal meaning place of many eels ) was ever special. It was a beautiful day so the Harbour Bridge and Opera House looked stunning against the blue sky. Even Matt admitted that you never tire of the view of two of Australia's most famous monuments. Matt and I walked around Circular Quay amongst the crowds and through the Royal Botanical Gardens. We took in the views from Mrs. Macquarie's Point (one of the main places to watch the New Year firework display) before heading on a scenic walk to Woolloomooloo Bay where we stopped for a drink and admired the beautiful houses in this part of the city-both Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman owning properties here. We then headed back to the Opera House to meet my friends Gemma and Mary and enjoy a drink at the Opera Bar which was full of people enjoying the views and setting at sunset.
New Year's Eve arrived and we had decided to see in the show at Balmain Park which affords fantastic views of the Harbour Bridge. We were some of the earliest there (Gemma and Mary had secured the spot at 9am) so had a great vantage point. We spent a wonderful day experiencing the build up to one of the most famous firework shows in the world. I had been joined by two other visitors and friends of Matt, Holly and Nicola. As the New Year approached there was an atmosphere of anticipation. At 9pm there was the first firework show which certainly whetted the appetite. Watching beautiful fireworks in such a fantastic setting was so special. The skyline looked magnificent as explosions of colour were launched off the buildings and Harbour Bridge. By midnight the crowds had grown but we had secured our front row position for the greatest show many of us had ever seen. For twelve minutes we were totally in awe of the spectacle all around us, greetings and hugs to wish people a Happy New Year had to wait as we watched, mesmerised by the amazing show. Once the fireworks had ended we broke into a rendition of Auld Langs Syne and wished everyone a belated Happy New Year! Back at Matt's the following Day, we opened a bottle of champagne to usher in the new year back home before enjoying a walk in Centenial Park and an afternoon on Coogee beach (along with tens of thousands of others- see picture). We drove home via Bondi beach and were amazed at the crowds there too.
A trip into the city the following day was a more tourist affair. I walked around Darling Harbour and visited the National Maritime Museum and had a cup of jasmine tea at the Chinese Gardens. As I walked back to meet Matt and Bridget at the Opera Bar, I took in George Street (the main shopping thoroughfare through Sydney which is like London's Oxford Street) although I was strictly doing window shopping only! Later I managed to do a ferry trip to Manly and visited Hyde Park (Sydney has one too- many places here have English names!)
Another highlight of my trip so far (there are so many!) was the opportunity to go and see the second test match at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground). Matt plays cricket for the Sydney Tigers and he managed to get places in a corporate box for the first day of Australia v India (Australia had won the opening Boxing Day test in Melbourne). Holly and Nicola came along too and we had the most fantastic day. The sense of occasion was palpable as it was the 100th ever test at the famous ground and could possibly be the place where the famous India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (some argue the greatest ever player of the game) scored his 100th ever century. India batted first and when Tendulkar came on the crowd erupted. It wasn't to be a fairytale for him, however, as he was out for 41 and the Indian team finished on 191 all out. We got to see the Australians come into bat before play finished for the day. As I write this, it is now the third day ( called McGrath Day in honour of cricketer Glen's McGrath's wife. On this day everyone is asked to wear an item of pink clothing. We bought pink bandanas on our day at the SCG.The McGrath Foundation is a breast cancer support and education charity in Australia, which raises money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and increase breast awareness in young women. The charity was originally founded by Australian cricket player, Glenn McGrath, and his English wife, Jane McGrath, in 2002, following Jane’s initial diagnosis and recovery from breast cancer.[1] Jane died on 22 June 2008 at the age of 42. Australia are having one of their best ever innings of recent times with 3 players having scored a century (Clarke, Ponting and Hussey) and with Clarke aiming for his triple century. Watch this space.
Sydney has been such a memorable experience for me. The people I have met have contributed to making it so special. A big thank you to you guys, especially Matt who has been the perfect host.
Next stop: Melbourne |
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Looks like you had great time in Sydney!!! It's a nice blog Pen ;-)
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