Ringing in the New Year in Sydney!

On the 31st, Erin woke up before James, and after seeing that the forecast was sunny again, with a high of 85 degrees, she made the executive decision to not spend the entire day (we would have to arrive at 10 am to secure a spot for midnight fireworks) at Macquarie's Point waiting to watch the fireworks. She heard James coughing a bit early in the morning, and thought that spending a day outside in the sun would probably be restful for him, but also unpleasant as it could lead to potential sunburn or heat exhaustion.  When James woke up, he was relieved to hear that he could relax a bit more in the dorm during the day. We felt the heat in the dorm room though as it didn't have air conditioning, but only 2 fans.

We ate the continental breakfast in the cafeteria in the morning. It was a bit different than any that we had experienced before, as it was closer to an "open kitchen" than anything else. Erin used the griddle to make us some eggs and we enjoyed a nice breakfast together while reading the Australian newspaper.

After breakfast, we contacted our friend Ruth, a German traveler we had met in China, who was also in Sydney for the New Year. We decided to meet up with Ruth and her family for the evening fireworks. We were happy to have a plan, and we were eager to see the New Year's celebration and the Sydney fireworks demonstration on the Harbour Bridge, as the (local) television reports had been calling it, “the greatest fireworks show in the world.”

We had a little bit of time before we met up with our friend, so we decided to explore the University of Sydney campus. We put on our sunscreen and our hats as we headed out into the scorching daylight. We walked through Victoria Park and gazed at all of the people at the public pool and the children playing on the playground. We walked through some of the university apartments and the cafes near campus. We also walked through the actual campus, stopping for a few minutes at the law building and the main campus courtyard.

Lake Northam in Victoria Park.

Sydney University - looking quite like a University should.

A view from inside Sydney University's Quad.

James poses in the quad at an odd angle...

After we finished up our tour of campus, we headed back through town to meet up with Ruth, her sister and mother, and head out to Balmain, a western part of Sydney with a terrific vantage point to watch the fireworks on the Harbour Bridge.

James and Erin, excited to be on the bus to Balmain.

Our view of the Harbour Bridge from Balmain before the fireworks began.

One of the American (sigh) tourists that the police stopped from repeatedly jumping into the water.

A view of the park, filled with fireworks-watchers.

The first round of fireworks began at 9pm, scheduled so that the kids would have a chance to see something before midnight. These were exciting to see and we were very thankful we had such great seats. After the fireworks ended, we ate some of our food, and waited some more as the real show wouldn't occur for another 2 and one-half hours or so.

James and Tabitha prepare for 2011!

Green Fireworks off Harbour Bridge.

And some lovely Red Fireworks off Harbour Bridge.

About 30 minutes before midnight, the park really began to fill up. We decided to stand up in order to take up less space and get the best views. Right on schedule, the Harbour Bridge fireworks began at midnight. We watched as the bridge lit up with the hands of a clock and had our own countdown to the new year. We celebrated with a kiss, just as tradition suggests we should. The fireworks were great! We aren't certain that they were the best display we've ever seen, but we were incredibly thankful we had such a great spot to watch and that we had good company to watch them with. We can't imagine a more unique New Year's experience, and we really did feel quite blessed to have enjoyed it together in beautiful, sunny, Sydney.

Fireworks both above and directly off of Harbour Bridge.

Some of the fireworks reflecting off of the harbor.

Might we mention that it was 70+ degrees at New Year's?

The finale... of 2011.

Instead of braving the crowds and long bus lines, we decided to walk home after the fireworks were over. We used google maps to navigate the hour-long walk. To our delight, the walk was long but straightforward, and we didn't have too many encounters with out-of-control drunks (but still ran into a couple). We arrived home around 2am, and made a quick call to our families to wish them a happy New Year before heading to bed.