After all of my other Australian travels, I was really looking forward to the big city of Sydney for New Year's Eve. It is ranked as one of the top five destinations for the big event. I was also ready to be amazed by the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Walking into the city and coming face to face with these two landmarks is breathtaking. It's almost surreal to think that I am actually standing here, in the place that I've only seen on calendars and postcards. It literally took my breath away and gave me a grin that lasted for days. Here I am below right after my first glimpse of both. The Harbour Bridge is in the background.
The area near the harbour was bustling with people, especially those who wanted to hear this "aboriginal" man play the didgeridoo. He was quite good, if it was him who was actually playing, but I did get really sick of hearing him play for 4 days straight...not to mention that these type of folks were swarming the public areas. There was a white man right around the corner that was playing to a CD. It's funny that my travels have taught me that there are odd folks like this in every city across the globe, not just in Mechanicsburg, Illinois.
We walked in an area called the Rocks to look for something to eat and instead were serenaded from this lovely "lady" and her guitarist. She had all the right moves and was working it up and down the street.
I loved this area of Sydney. It was so international, and after being in Yokosuka, Japan for so long, I was in need of some diversity. I had a powerful craving for English speakers. I loved that I could eavesdrop on their conversations. All around the Opera House, there were bars and restaurants that allowed me to do just that. The Opera House itself was very interesting. I always thought it would be a smooth white color, but it was textured and mostly a beige, so it looked a bit dirty. Nevertheless, it was beautiful and I was amazed that I, Kim Buis, was standing there.
The next adventure on our list for the first day in Sydney was the Bridge Climb. I really hadn't heard much about it, but I was intrigued, so we went to check it out. I didn't have time to freak out about my slight discomfort with heights until we were actually on the bridge. My only complaint was that it was too expensive, but I was here and I didn't know when I would ever visit again, so I signed up. Luckily for my nerves, Mark decided to do it too, even though he already had during his last trip.
Here I am after a short training session and a long climb to the top. The first step out of the door is onto metal grating which I could see through, so it was quite unsettling. The girl behind me was freaking out, and then Mark started making some faces, and I knew that I would hyperventilate next if I didn't get myself under control. After my mind over matter diving experience, I told myself that if I could force myself not to panic while breathing underwater, then I could climb up a bridge. I mean, come on, so many other had done it too. The worst part for me was the ladders, but after I cleared those, it was smooth sailing and I just enjoyed the magnificent views.
The climb up was seriously difficult mentally, but look at the city...it was worth it. And, let's be honest, I rocked that jumpsuit!
Here I am at the very top. When you see some other pictures of the bridge below, realize that I am standing between the two Australian flags at the top. Our guide was really informative and told us many neat facts about the building of the bridge and the structure itself. The men building it during the depression didn't have any ropes or anything to keep them from falling. Not many died either. In fact, we heard a story about a man who fell off and into the water and then came back to work a week later...crazy!
Really, only the first day in Sydney was overcast, the others were quite nice. I thought it was a bit chilly and could have used a warmer jacket, but survived. Sydney is another city that is just so clean and beautiful. I also loved how it meshed old world European style with new cutting edge architecture.
We decided to take a quick walk through this park on the way to the subway station, and I was glad that we did. I still don't know exactly what this building is, but it was stunning. It was in the middle of a huge park and was near the botanical gardens. I loved how people were lounging on the grass, sitting on the benches with friends, or milling about without an agenda.
Here's a great view of the bridge...notice the flags.
A view of the opera house from the harbour. We were really hoping to see a production here while in town, but there wasn't much playing. In fact, the whole town seemed to shut down during the holidays, which was interesting, because there were so many tourists.
We took a ferry to another part of the city and got this view. It reminded me of some of the sights near San Francisco.
Here we are at Manly Beach after a 40 minute ferry ride to get here. The water was beautiful. I wished it were warmer here, then I might have gotten in, but as it was, I was pretty chilly.
Here I am in front of the beach. It was pretty crowded. I would definitely come back to this area for the beaches and the water, but the entertainment and dining wasn't so great.
When I was researching this vacation, I noticed this exhibit. Mark is a huge fan of Legos, and I figured that he would love this. The artist is American and he is very talented.
This was the first exhibit. From far away, all of his work looked like regular sculpture, but upon closer look, each one was built using tiny legos. It was incredible.
Here I am petting a lego kangaroo.
This piece was built using legos that his fans had sent to him. There is only one spot on the entire sculpture where two legos of the same color touch. It took a long time and one very persistent young boy to find it on the back near the bottom.
This is a miniature Sue, made all from legos.
I thought that his work was very thoughtful, like is this man melting away, or is he being put together?
Apparently, creative types abound in this city. As we were on the lookout for a fun place to find some cocktails, we came across the window displays at Louis Vuitton. All of them were of animals indigenous to Australia that were made from Louis Vuitton products. The crocodile was the best!
The kangaroo was pretty magnificent too.
We saw this hotel on our bus route from our hotel each day. I thought it was hilarious that it was named the Cauliflower Hotel and that it had a big head of the vegetable on the roof.
Finally, after a few days in the city, I was ready for NYE. I really felt that Sydney lacked originality and that local atmosphere that I crave when traveling. It was clean and beautiful and I definitely had a blast, but it was hard to find good, local restaurants and souvenirs. Even the night life wasn't too happening. I found this a common theme in Australia. I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the continent later, but for now, I think I've had my fill of Sydney. On the Eve of NYE, we had to get up early, pack, put our luggage in storage, and head out to stake our spot for the night's festivities. We stopped at this German Pub in the Rocks to have some good beer and a pretzel before getting on the ferry over to the other side of the harbour.
Once on the other side, we found a grassy spot in the median of the road. We arrived around noon and so many people had already either camped out the night before or had come earlier to get their spots. These were some party animals that were cruising around the area in the afternoon.
This was our view. We were across the harbour with a view of the city, the opera house, and the bridge.
Over 2 million people gather to watch the fireworks live. I can believe it...there were people as far as the eye could see.
Here are even more...I would walk up the hill to get more drinks for Mark and I, and every turn would surprise me with more and more people.
The show starts at 9:30 with the family friendly fireworks display so the kiddos can head home closer to their bedtime. This was part of the finale of that show.
Under the bridge, you can see the parade of lights. Between the early show and the real NYE display, they have the yachts cruise through with all their decorations displayed.
Technically, there was no alcohol allowed...but we devised a plan of vodka and coke zero. Our goal wasn't to get all crazy, just to have fun for the 12 hours until we had to trek back to the hotel to pick up our bags, and then to the airport to catch our 6am flight back to Japan.
Our neighbors were nice enough to take a picture of us during the midnight NYE show. It is the first NYE in the world due to the time zones. I have to say that it was the best show I've ever seen. The electricity in the air brought tears to my eyes, and all I could think was how awesome this would be with the person whom you love. I would have to settle with enjoying it with a very good friend. I wouldn't change that for anything!
The fireworks continue for 12 solid minutes. One minute for each month of the year. They were coming off the top, the bottom, the sides, and even off the top of skyscrapers in the city.
Overall, I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to do this. I am sad that I missed the holidays with my family, but I definitely did all I could during this Australian Adventure. I am thankful for my life and new experiences of 2011 and can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me.
Happy New Year!
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