Koala at Wildlife World, Sydney
Pre-Harbor Cruise, St. Patty's Day
Toasting the Sydney Opera House
In-house rivalries
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade
With my roommate, pre-Mardi Gras Parade
Well, I haven't posted about my life in Sydney since February... I'll try to remember as much as possible and assemble it all into some sort of logical order.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade- kind of like Aussie Pride i.e. the most outrageous parade you have ever seen and possibly will ever see. Half naked chicks (or were they dudes?) on motorcycles, drag queens, picket signs, and rainbow flags. The real spectacle was walking around after the parade was over!
St. Patrick's Day- Though there's a significant Irish community in Sydney, I must say, the Americans brought the party. I went on an evening Harbor cruise... past the opera house, under the harbor bridge. I'd venture to say Sydney is even more charming at night than it is during the day. The open bar on the boat wasn't too bad either.
Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Wildlife World- Nice reminders of how the most dangerous animals in the world all live in Australia- the deadliest snakes, the most poisonous spiders, the most dangerous sharks. Of course, these two parks also feature more snuggly Aussies like koalas, wombats, platypuses (platypi??), kangaroos, and wallabies.
Opera House- One of the most memorable things and easily the most idyllic thing I've done in Australia was going to see Carmen (L'amour est un oiseau rebelle que nul ne peut apprivoiser, et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle, s'il lui convient de refuser!) at the Opera House. It's the only opera I'm familiar with (thanks Dad) and it just so happened to be on tour through March. I had $280 seats that I was able to get for $50 with student rush prices. The show was spectacular (they even had a real horse on stage!) but the guy who played Don Jose just didn't quite do it for me.
Rugby Match- Two Fridays ago I went to Sydney Stadium to watch the HSBC Waratahs (go 'tahs!!) take on the Waitomo Chiefs. By the way, the waratah is the official flower of New South Wales-menacing, right? Sorry to all you rugby fanatics (Grom?) but I was bored the whole time. Every time one of the teams got close to scoring they would just kick it away... I don't know, maybe that's supposed to happen. The final score was 20-16 for the Waratahs but I honestly have no idea where all those points came from. Maybe I'll like Aussie Rules Football better...?
Watson's Bay- Last Saturday about 10 of us took the ferry to Watson's Bay. The bay is infamous for "The Gap," Sydney siders' go-to suicide spot (yikes). The surrounding park and beach were beautiful and provided a great view of the city.
I go to New Zealand for mid-semester break in exactly one week!
