Australia Day

Yesterday we had the day off because it was a public holiday, Australia Day.  Australia Day is somewhat similar to the Fourth of July, but on a smaller scale (ie no fireworks etc.).  I spent my first Australia Day at a BBQ in Rose Bay with a group of friends. Rose Bay is a suburb/neighbourhood near the Harbour in between Double Bay and Watson’s Bay. The day consisted of bbqing sausages (snags), drinking, swimming in Rose Bay and playing cricket. The apartment we were at backs up onto a cricket ground and rugby pitch so it was ideal for barefoot cricket.  I had the BEST time learning how to bat and bowl in cricket.  Everyone explained the basic rules to me and were impressed that I was not half bad (quite a surprise to me as well since I am rubbish at softball).  Although with cricket and the beach the other important Australia Day tradition is to listen to the Triple J Hottest 100 on the radio.  The countdown, which consistes of the previous year’s top song, starts at noon and goes until about 9pm.  This year Aussies cast 1.2 million votes for their favorite songs, which is a large number considering that the population is only 22 million.  The number one song was one of my favorite songs, “Big Jet Plane” by Angus and Julia Stone, who I posted about a few months ago.  All in all it was a pretty ideal holiday and Wednesday afternoon.   

Choc Tops

Choc tops are a quintessentially Aussie movie treat. Every cinema sells these scrumptious chocolate covered ice cream cones.  You hear the crinkly sound of cellophane and satisfying crunch of chocolate at the beginning of every movie. They come in flavors like chocolate, mint, vanilla and boysenberry. I have purchased one of these frozen delights at almost all of the movies I've seen here.  Going to the movies is really a special thing because it is so expensive.  Every Tuesday is "Cheap Tuesday" ("Cheap Choosday" if you pronounce it like an Aussie) and the tickets are lowered from $15 or $16 to $11.  I saw Morning Glory this past week and The King's Speech a few weeks ago.  Both are definitely worth seeing with or without a choc top. 

Field Day

Russ and me at Field Day

Sally, Helen (my flatmate) and me at Field Day

Yesterday, on New Year's Day, Russ and I went to Field Day with my flat mate and some friends.  Field Day is one of many music festivals that happen in Sydney during the summer.  Around 15,000 people attend the festival each year on New Year's Day. The festival starts at 11am and goes to 11pm and is mostly DJ sets and Australian bands. We showed up around 3:30 in  order to miss the peak sun hours.  It was scorching hot and was about 85 degrees even at 4 o'clock.  The festival took place in the Domain, a big lawn area by the Botanical Gardens behind the Opera House.  There were four stages on the venue, but we mainly stayed in front of the main stage. We watched Justice, the Klaxons, Duck Sauce, Erol Alkan, Art vs. Science, Rapture and a few others.  Art vs. Science was one of my favorite performances. They are a Sydney band that has had a lot of success in the past few years.  They were so excited to be playing in their hometown to such a huge crowd (by Sydney standards).  Justice headlined the event and did an amazing hour and a half set to finish up the night.

Taronga Zoo

A few days ago Russ and I went to the Taronga Zoo in Mosman. It is a great zoo with some of the most spectacular views of the Harbour and Sydney.  The skyline acts as a backdrop for many of the animals like the giraffes and elephants. It is quite unique to see the city's most famous landmarks behind exotic creatures. After the zoo we took one of Sydney's famous yellow and green ferries over to Circular Quay and ate gelato and walked around the Opera House. What a lovely summer day.