Day 1: January 1, Sydney

I began 2016 having completely missed the last day of 2015 — lost to the international date line at some point while I slept fitfully while flying across the Pacific.  I had sorta believed that the pilot might alert the passengers of our 777 when it was either officially midnight in Sydney, or when we crossed the dateline and never had a midnight, but with the plane’s cabin in darkness and passengers  trying to sleep away the 15 hour flight I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that it was already 2016 when the cart came round with orange juice.  So I wished seat mates a happy new year and hurried off to immigration, worried that I might have to toss my little bags of Trader Joe’s trail mix and Kind Fruit and Nut Bars, which technically I had to declare as I went through customs.

My room at The Westin wasn’t ready for me at 9:30 when I arrived, so I had (another) breakfast and planned my day.  Since I subscribe to the concept that what you do on January 1 is reflective of what your year may foretell, I was committed to ensuring that it was a good day.  My exploring took me on the walk over the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  Not the Bridge Climb, but a walk across and exploration of Milsons Point and the famous midway-like amusement park, Luna Park.  After the walk back over I strolled through the Rocks, the now gentrified area of cute shops and cafes in the midst of many historic buildings just saved from demolition in the early 70’s by a civic group dedicated to maintaining the old sandstone structures.

My energy finally gave out and I headed to the hotel for a nap which didn’t come, so I watched the ball drop with Anderson and Cathy on CNN and celebrated the east coast midnight before heading out for another walk.  With the sun lower in the sky, I walked through the beautiful and varied Botanic Gardens. The Australian White Ibis were out in force, and since it’s summer, the flowers and trees in bloom.  And just round the corner, yet another view of the Sydney Opera House.  (I think I’ve captured it from every angle).  In close up, it’s 3 separate buildings, and the white sheen of the sails come from ceramic tiles on the exterior.  I had thought it was like the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago — some sort of metal — but was surprised to see it was not.  But still stunning from every view.

After dinner at a spot along the promenade, (but beyond the party boat noise further out in the harbor), I walked once more back to the hotel, so I could get this first entry in the blog.  I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and that 2016 brings you peace, joy and of course, adventure.