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Sun comes up in Sydney
A glorious Sydney day!It was a very soggy week, and Sydney was not at her finest. Typical - out of town guests and it rains. And rains, and rains! My mother and sister, Susannah, arrived in Sydney on the first day of rain that we'd had in ages. It was my sister's first visit to Sydney, so I was keen to show her all the highlights. I wanted to show off Sydney's beauty, but uncharacteristically the city wouldn't cooperate.
They arrived on a wet and soggy Saturday morning, and luckily after such an early start they wanted a low key day, so the rain wasn't a major deterrent. Armed with umbrellas, we went on a neighbourhood walk through Darlinghurst, up to Oxford Street, through Paddington then back to Potts Point, stopping in a few shops and cafes on the way. After an early dinner it was an early night, then bright and early on Sunday morning they were off to the Hunter Valley for five days.
Meanwhile, it continued to rain in Sydney. And rain.....almost relentlessly. In fact Sydney experienced only 7 hours of sunshine all week. Hopefully it was better for them in the Hunter Valley, but I suspect not too
It's not raining!
Mum and Susannah on the Rocks tour much.
They got back to Sydney on Friday night. It was still raining. All my plans and ideas for the weekend did not look hopeful. Sydney is a gorgeous city, but it's an outdoor city, and best enjoyed in the sunshine. I started racking my brains for rainy day ideas.
On Saturday it rained all day. So we went shopping in Bondi Junction for the day. I think they enjoyed it - although I have to admit I maxed out my shopping stamina early in the day. That evening we went to Cavalia at the Entertainment Centre, which is best described as Cirque du Soleil on horseback. It was a fantastic show, and I enjoyed it much more than I had expected. It had the dazzle, thrill and spectacle of the circus, and then there were the amazing feats with the horses. The stage production was incredible - one moment it was summer, next moment the horses were riding through forest in autumn with coloured leaves, then it was a snowy winter's day and in another scene it became a wild west extravaganza. I highly recommend it if you get an opportunity. It rained when we got there,
rained through the show, and was raining when we left.
All night Saturday it rained, heavily at times. I was convinced that after days of this weather, there couldn't be any rain left in the sky. Ever the optimist I was sure that it would be fine on Sunday, after all, it had been ten days - could it be possible to rain any more?
Sunday morning dawned and it was raining. AGAIN! I was running low on rainy day ideas, and more importantly we couldn't do any of the things we had really wanted to do. So we could sulk at home, build an ark, or just get on with it and buy a bigger umbrella.
So Sunday morning, we waded down to the Rocks and joined the 90 minute walking tour. It was an interesting insight to the early history of not only Sydney, but also the new colony, as one of the earliest settlements. What a dismal place the Rocks would've been! Poverty, disease, overcrowding, crime....the Rocks looked to be a very unpleasant place to live. None of us could imagine the prospect of sharing a tiny two room house with another family; and
we screwed up our noses at the thought of traipsing through other cottages to reach the "can" that was shared with perhaps 70 other people. Frankly it was depressing, not to mention unsanitary and disgusting. The rain only added to the grim atmosphere.
There was a brief period of optimism as the rain seemed to ease up for a while, but the umbrellas proved to be indispensible when the heavens opened yet again. We headed off to lunch at one of Sydney's oldest pubs, the Lord Nelson, which was delicious. Lovely old pub with a great ambience and yummy food. Surpise, surprise, it was still raining after lunch, so after a spot of shopping we headed back to Potts Point and joined some friends for dinner. Indoors, and heaters on, we passed a pleasant afternoon.
I had been raving about the lovely walk from my house down to Woolloomoolo, up through the Domain and around Mrs Macquarie's Chair with stunning views over to the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Every day, rather optimistically, Susannah and I planned a morning walk and every day it rained. Then wouldn't you know it, Monday dawned bright and sunny. Finally, FINALLY,
it had stopped bloody raining. Mum and Susannah had just a day and a half left, while I had to go back to work. However I was determined, so first thing Monday morning, Susannah and I went on my walk. Of course because of my work commitments the walk was undertaken in the pitch black at 6 in the morning. Although as the sun started to come up Susannah could see glimpses of the famous bridge and that funny looking white building. She used her imagination to fill in the full picture, and I think that she enjoyed it.
Monday and Tuesday, while I was at work, it was glorious. Never mind, they had a lovely time on a harbour cruise and a visit to the zoo. Finally Susannah had a very brief glimpse of Sydney at her finest.
They departed on Tuesday afternoon, and ever since Sydney has been glorious and sunshiney and warm and fabulous every single day. The only logical conclusion is that one of them has a travel curse.
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Jackie
non-member comment
Rain, rain, rain.
Yes you were right it didnt stop bloody raining until were were about to leave, but never mind we had a wonderful time all the same. Sydney is indeed beautiful especially on a good day.