We are back with getting the posts on track. Sorry for the delay but blame Autralia for being such a nice country that we've been kept busy enjoying ourselves.
Foolishly we started looking for places to stay in Sydney around October: it turns out that most places get booked by March! Fortunately Tom had this clever plan and avoided us having to fork out five hundred dollars a night by booking us a place in the Blue Mountains. The mountains are only two hours away by train (so the same as travelling from Hammersmith to the city centre on the night buses, if you're lucky).
My first glimpse of Sydney was thus the afternoon of the NYE. Virtually every space on the water front was occupied by groups of families or friends picknicking and enjoying the sun. The general mood was great and contagious. I loved the positive energy in the air and remember thinking that surely this was the right way of welcoming the new year (by opposition to the stress and hostility you find along the Thames at the same time of the year, when people are pushed and pushing, wet and cold, drunk and aggressive). This year plastic hats representig the bridge with fireworks were particularly popular, but we bravely resisted the temptation to join in on this one.
For some reason there's a first set of fireworks at 9pm for all the families with kids that want to go to bed early. These are not as big as the one's at midnight but still quite a good show. We found a space in the Observatory's gardens about one hour before and just absorbed the mood. At our right hand side the Harbour bridge was preparing itself to become the centre of attentions at midnight. As the sun set, massive groups of large "birds" took over the city's sky. Except they weren't birds but bats, big bats, actually huge bats, called flying-foxes. I was fascinated... It turns out that they live in Sydney's several parks and have totally adapted to city life. If I ever get one I already chose the name: Phileas, the flying-fox!Anyway, back to the fireworks. At 9pm several barges along the river set off a coordinated show of fireworks which lasted for about fifteen minutes. I have seem many good fireworks shows (not to brag but Portugal has a long tradition on this) but here I saw some shaped like cubes, spirals and even hearts for the first time. And to seem them on that setting, looking down on the city from a hill, several times replicated along the river, amongst a crowd in such a happy mood was fantastic!!
After this first show we made our way to the chinese restaurant we had booked, thanks to Amanda and Phil's suggestion. This might not seem like the obvious choice of venue, but the restaurant had a clear view of the Harbour Bridge in between the rail line and a traffic bridge above it. We enjoyed our several course meal as the clock's slowly progressed to midnight. On the bridge itself the countdown was being made via a luminous hourglass. I got ready with the traditional twelve raisins in my hand (its a portuguese tradition, you eat a raisin with each stroke of the clock at midnight and ask for a wish). Suddenly everyone got up and assumed their positions by the windows. And then it started, the bridge was literally on fire. Each time you though it couldn't get any brighter another bigger set of fireworks went off!
In the grand finale the whole thing went ablaze! It was absolutelly astounding! It would have been even more so if a train hadn't passed just as the show hit its climax and blocked our view of it for a few stressful seconds. 
And then it was time to make our way home, with the thousands of other people also walking the streets. It was nice to walk through the temporarily car-free city centre and apreciate all the christmas lights still on. Every year at home we are greeted with images of Sydney celebrating NYE at about lunch time and every year we think how cool it must be to celebrate it there. Now we know how it feels and oh what a great way to enter 2008!!!Beijinhos,
Vania
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