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Published: January 6th 2008
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Cake girl
Rehearsal for something later This Saturday was the opening of the Sydney Festival and all the events were free. Lorenza and I checked the program a few weeks ago and decided to book a hotel and make the trip to Sydney and enjoy the fun. On the program were 3 weddings in Macquarie Street, dance parties in Martin Place, Angel Place, Hyde Park and a concert in the Domain featuring Paul Kelly and Brian Wilson.
The one and a half hour train ride to Sydney is a bit of a bore, but I could not be bothered driving and then searching for parking. The weather was not looking all that brilliant when we left home and the forecast in Sydney was for showers. The temperature was still expected to be about 28 or 30 degrees so a little rain would not matter too much.
Our hotel on Park Street was in a perfect location for all the events. After unpacking and checking the program, we took a wander through Hyde Park, along Macquarie Street into Martin Place to see what was planned. The kids action in Hyde Park was just as entertaining for us adults, with jugglers getting the kids involved and a
concert performing songs written by school kids around Sydney. One song about a bruised banana was very funny and rather well written. The song tracked the progress of a bruised banana from the shop to a blender where it became a banana smoothie. Witty lyrics and funky music!
In Macquarie Street we checked out the preparations for the three public weddings that were to take place later that night. An interesting idea to get three very different couples to get married in front of about 30,000 strangers. We did not catch the weddings but from the preparations we saw they would have been a lot of fun.
We found our way to the Domain and found some grass to spread our rain jackets on for seating. The sky was grey and looking very threatening, but we were in luck. The rain held off throughout Paul Kelly's concert. He played a range of songs including a lot of his big hits and then finished off with a duo with Kev Carmody and the tune "From little things big things grow". I can remember seeing Paul Kelly years ago, I think about 1978 or 79, when both he and I
games in Hyde Park
lots of kids enjoying the day were much younger and his band was the Dots. He has certainly endured as a performer and is a great Australian song writer.
During the concert it was interesting to watch all the bats that live in the Domain decide it was all too much commotion for them, they took to the skies and headed for a quieter part of town.
Before Brian Wilson came on the rain started falling so we decided to take a walk to Hyde Park and see what else was happening. There was a latin swing band playing in the park and the rain eased. There was a huge dance floor set up to hold about 2,000 couples, but the dancers were also spilling onto the pathways. We took a spin around the dance floor to a few songs, until our stomachs started rumbling. We found our way back to Park Street and a cafe near our hotel for some late night food.
At the cafe we sat and had a few beers and watched the passing parade. People watching can be a very enjoyable pass time in a city as diverse as Sydney. Lorenza and I decided that the Japanese could
Hyde Park ready to party
The city in the background definitely take the prize for wearing the weirdest outfits, but thinking they are so cool at the same time.
The Sydney Festival continues for the month of January and it is well worth checking the events guide because the range of concerts and other events are so diverse there is something for everybody, plus it is the celebration of summer in one of the best cities of the world.
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Fang in JapanLand
Sandra Fang
Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, It certainly makes blogging more meaningful and rewarding...^^ Stay young + Safe travels!