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Published: January 13th 2013
The view was the real draw card in deciding to rent my apartment, and this view came into its own on New Year's Eve. I had invited some friends to dinner and this turned out to be the perfect way to see in the new year - good food, friends, plenty of champagne - not to mention having an excellent view of the festivities. I particularly liked that unlike thousands of others, there was no queuing for hours in the sun for a decent spot, and for me, no need to fight for a taxi on the way home.
I knew that the city was mad for their fireworks, they seem to have random fireworks for no good reason several times throughout the year. Sometimes I wonder if they are simply celebrating my arrival home from work! New Year's Eve however is a true spectacular with no expense spared. There's even two rounds - the "family fireworks" at 9.00pm (or the "warm-up" as I called it) and then the real thing at midnight. I realised I'd been truly spoiled throughout the year, as the 9.00pm fireworks came and went, and while everyone oohed and aahed around me, it didn't seem
anything special to me. But then came midnight and WOW! With over a million people lining the shores, and the city spending several millions of dollars, I could see what all the fuss was about - it was very impressive.
Next morning, New Year's Day, I got up early for a walk in the sunshine. A friend from NZ was staying with me, and I was keen to show off the beautiful city on my doorstep - my morning walk takes me down to Woolloomooloo and up to the Domain, round to Mrs Macquarie's chair, all the while enjoying the beauty of the harbour, the bridge and the Opera House. What a great start to the New Year.
Sydney summer has been seemingly endless days of sunshine so far. I like the heat, which is a good thing. I was foolishly seduced by the gorgeous view from my apartment, and moved in during winter, in blissful ignorance what a west-facing apartment with no air conditioning might be like during the full blast of Sydney summer. HOT, HOT, HOT is what it is like. So far the hottest day has been 42 degrees, which was a real scorcher, and
the night was no better, as it stayed hot (34 degrees) until about 1.30 am. It was a long sleepless night, with all fans in the tiny apartment working furiously.
In my weekends I've been trying to get out and about and see more of Sydney and its beautiful beaches - and there's certainly no shortage to choose from! When Lucy was still here, we walked the Spit - Manly trail. It's a gorgeous 10km walk, which takes in some of the most breathtaking views Sydney has on offer. Hugging the coast line, and taking in the Sydney Harbour National Park, as well as scenic lookouts, and dotted with secluded beaches, it is a Sydney gem, and we loved it. The sea breeze and the shade from the trees kept us cool-ish, but we did check out the
Manly Art Gallery on arrival, mainly on the promise of air conditioning. Inside was a pleasant surprise - a fantastic exhibition of works by Bernard Ollis. It's worth a visit even if you're not just looking for the air conditioning! After a couple of hours of hard yakka, we deserved a long relaxing lunch and were rewarded at
Manly Wine with a beach side
table, delicious food, and a cooling glass of wine - yum!
A week later I continued my walking exploration with a walk from Mosman to Balmoral. It was a different kind of walk, taking in the beautiful houses in the upmarket suburb, as opposed to beaches and parks. I started early, but it was surprisingly hilly, and without the cool breeze from the sea it was a very hot and sweaty walk. But at the end of the walk was Balmoral beach, a gorgeous little bay popular with families, as it's sheltered and calm. Almost as famous as the beach itself is the
Balmoral Bathers Pavilion restaurant, which luckily for me is open for breakfast. It's becoming a pattern now, after the walk, comes a table with a sea view and a delicious meal. This time it was breakfast so tempted as I was, it didn't include a glass of wine!
Sydney in the summer is packed with things to do, and there's so many gorgeous spots and beautiful beaches yet to explore....so roll on summer!
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
We still remember the view from your apartment...
and the food and friends, but without the fireworks. You are so lucky to be living in Sydney with so much beauty around you...other than not having air conditioning in 40 degree heat!