Australia Day & beyond
I've been back in the city for 3 days - in my favourite parts of the city - the harbour, Hyde Park, Newtown & Balmain, enjoying a mini holiday for Australia Day. Sydney put on perfect weather (after promising cool, grey & possible showers). We had blue skies, sunshine (a nice high 20s temperature) & a fresh sea breeze.
On Australia Day we did all the things we had planned, (apart from missing the ferry race - sometimes it's impossible to get to a venue early enough), & pottered about the city enjoying all it had to offer in company with hundreds of thousands of well behaved revellers. There seemed to be an unofficial mad/patriotic hat competition, & a trend towards draping yourself in the flag if you're under 30, but none of the nasty, violent patriotism we've seen associated with flag wearing in recent years.
I didn't take photos of hats, I left that to my friend, focusing instead on the harbour & the boats, always a joy to me.
And the cars - the unexpected bonus. The annual vintage & veteran car show had been moved from whenever it's usually held, & the length of Macquarie St from Circular Quay to Hyde Park (about 6 blocks) was closed to traffic & decorated with at least 1000 beautiful cars. My friend L attempted to document the hats while I concentrated on the sports cars & the cute caravans from the early 1960s & 60s. (There will be photos, but I haven't sorted them out yet - be content with 2nd-hand sunshine, blue water & blue skies!)
We had a late lunch in a cafe in Hyde Park (the free barbecue being long finished), then caught a bus over to Victoria Park for the last hour of an indigenous music festival, & sat by the lake watching the ducks & ibis (plural). A lovely peaceful end to a perfect day!
The rest of the weekend we took more quietly, going to an art gallery in Newtown (urban indigenous art) and some shopping, & spending Monday morning in Balmain - again by the water, before it was time for work.
And then it was time to hop in the pumpkin carriage, courtesy of CityRail & return to the Three (not Ugly) Sisters.
On Australia Day we did all the things we had planned, (apart from missing the ferry race - sometimes it's impossible to get to a venue early enough), & pottered about the city enjoying all it had to offer in company with hundreds of thousands of well behaved revellers. There seemed to be an unofficial mad/patriotic hat competition, & a trend towards draping yourself in the flag if you're under 30, but none of the nasty, violent patriotism we've seen associated with flag wearing in recent years.
I didn't take photos of hats, I left that to my friend, focusing instead on the harbour & the boats, always a joy to me.
And the cars - the unexpected bonus. The annual vintage & veteran car show had been moved from whenever it's usually held, & the length of Macquarie St from Circular Quay to Hyde Park (about 6 blocks) was closed to traffic & decorated with at least 1000 beautiful cars. My friend L attempted to document the hats while I concentrated on the sports cars & the cute caravans from the early 1960s & 60s. (There will be photos, but I haven't sorted them out yet - be content with 2nd-hand sunshine, blue water & blue skies!)
We had a late lunch in a cafe in Hyde Park (the free barbecue being long finished), then caught a bus over to Victoria Park for the last hour of an indigenous music festival, & sat by the lake watching the ducks & ibis (plural). A lovely peaceful end to a perfect day!
The rest of the weekend we took more quietly, going to an art gallery in Newtown (urban indigenous art) and some shopping, & spending Monday morning in Balmain - again by the water, before it was time for work.
And then it was time to hop in the pumpkin carriage, courtesy of CityRail & return to the Three (not Ugly) Sisters.