Vivid Sydney 2014 has been on for 2 weeks and I have been
telling my husband that we should go see it. The photographs put on the
Australia Facebook page looked fab. Last year we ended up going on the last
Sunday, it rained and was cold. This year the first week was good, dry and
sunny all through the week so I suggested we go then. Also thought going during
weekday would be less crowded. But it
seems that I am fated to go when it is cold and wet.
Well this year we planned to go by train but from one
station away, as then we would have the choice of 4 trains in the hour rather
than just 2. So we set off at 4 pm with a view to catching the 4 23pm train. I
think we got there early and managed to catch the one before. All jumped in, we
even found seats and settled in. Normally the train starts off even before you
have got comfortable in the seat but today the doors were still open. Soon
enough there was an announcement that the delay was due to a police operation.
Yes! It does happen to us…… Soon enough there were policemen walking on the platform
and through the train. They were looking for someone and while we speculated –
wonder if the person they are looking for got on here? Or did they get news
that there was a suspect on the train from earlier stations? Would we see
someone running? Craned out necks to see outside and catch glimpse of what was
happening in this police action. It seems we were the only ones interested,
shows our sheltered lifestyle!
After 5 minutes, the police walked away without any drama of
dragging someone away in cuffs and off we went. There was a couple sitting next
to us and both were on…. Yes you guessed … their iPhones. The lady was checking
her mail or playing games, while the husband got a call. Soon there was a break
in the network and he kept saying to his caller that he could not understand as
the voice was breaking up. Am not sure who he was talking to as the phone was
off and then his wife spoke up that of course we were going through a tunnel.
Now there is a minuscule tunnel effect in that stretch of the line. Now a
sensible person who knows that you are on a train and network is not good, when
cut off, will wait for a while till you get off the train to call back. However
the person kept calling back every couple of minutes. What could be so
important that it could not wait and one braved the flickering network to get
the message, a sentence at a time, across? Meanwhile, the lady started calling
her kid who had made a few missed calls while the mother was buys playing
games. How does asking if child is with friends help? All I can say is within
20 mins I was ready to punch the man out should the phone ring again.
As we got to Burwood the skies had darkened a lot and down
came the rain. And with it my mood went south. When we got out at Wynyard and we
had to walk about half mile down to Circular Quay, in the rain. Walked along
the quay to towards the bridge end so we could be positioned to see the display
on the Opera House when it started at 6 pm. Then realised it was just 5 15 pm
and the prospect of standing in the rain for another 45 mins was not welcome.
So we jostled our way back up to the top end right by the train and ferry
terminal.
This year they had closed off the road just outside of the
whole area and so people could spread out and walk along the roads and the pavements.
Last year it was a hazard trail to walk through 10 deep people crowd on the pavements
and cars trying to creep along the road. If you did not hold on to the person
with you, you could get swallowed up by this pulsating monster. But today, even
with the rain and the cold and it being the last Sunday for the light show, the
only place you actually locked horns with the tide of humanity was around the
ferry terminals when each ferry arrived.
Since we had very little for lunch, we decided that the
waiting time should be best spent having dinner. The whole of the quay area is
lined with restaurants and each one had a long queue outside. Everyone had the
same thought, sit outside and dine while watching the light show. So we made a
beeline for the fish and chips shop there which is very good. There is a big
crowd in front and one tries to figure, where exactly is the queue, if there is
one? Here you have to order and pay first and they give you a number. Then
people just stand crowding around the front waiting for their number to be
called. If you are not careful you might be left standing in the same place as
people do not even look embarrassed when caught jumping the queue. Indeed this
gentleman I tapped just pretended to look bewildered as if queue was an alien
concept.
My husband got talking to the chap standing next to him
about this strange paying and waiting concept as in UK you pay and get the food
at the same time, most likely as everything is cooked. While here each order is
cooked once placed and so you have to wait for the piping hot chips. It turned
out he was also an immigrant from UK, and actually from just up the road from
us! One also had to have keen hearing as the man called out the number and you
had to hear it over the din. There is no seating there but we were lucky to
find a pillar with no one leaning against it and enjoyed our piping hot food.
Once the tummy was full and the big plus of rain stopping we were set to enjoy
the Vivid Sydney Show.
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