NYE in Sydney

On Saturday it was time: New Year's Eve was approaching and we were supposed to start the new year at a special party at Sydney Harbour and see the famous fireworks over the harbor. Pretty cool!

So the first thing we did on New Year's Eve was sleep in. So that we could last long into the evening! After breakfast, Andi and Luke quickly drove to a friend's party, but I preferred to get ready in peace. After all, nails, hair, and makeup had to be done. I wasn't used to that anymore! Alana was really sweet and lent me eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick because she has so much stuff that she doesn't use and I didn't bring anything like that to Australia. So I was able to make myself look pretty in that direction and when she asked me what I was wearing, I could only answer that I didn't have anything special, she immediately offered to lend me clothes from her. We happened to have the same dress size, so she just showed me some of her things and I tried them on. A skirt or a dress would have been nice again, but since I also wanted to go on rides, that wasn't very practical. So in the end, I wore a black jumpsuit with a golden belt and Alana even found golden earrings that fit perfectly. Now I had a really great New Year's Eve outfit!

When Andi came back from Luke's friend, he was also very excited about my clothes and I matched him much better with a shirt. He told me that the party was really cool, that he had already pre-gamed 2 beers in the 1 hour he was there, and that the friend has a python that he was allowed to put around his neck. I got really jealous! I've always wanted to have a snake around my neck, but usually that costs a ridiculous amount. And now Andi comes along and can do exactly that! I regretted a bit that I didn't go to the party, even though I know that there would never have been enough time for getting ready. Maybe I have another opportunity to visit this friend.

At 3:00 Sol drove us to the train station and at 4:00 we were in the city. Together with Karo and Matze, we had reserved a table at an Italian restaurant where we wanted to have a cozy New Year's dinner. The two of them were already there when we arrived and after the greeting, we went to the restaurant together. There were no guests there and the tables were pushed together. Huh? The nice man behind the counter greeted us by saying that the restaurant was not open today and that there was only takeaway. So I immediately said that I had reserved a table for today and that I had specifically asked if the restaurant was open on New Year's Eve. He said: no, that can't be, they only have takeaway today. Another person then checked the reservation book and my reservation at 4:00 p.m. was actually there. Well. The guy who entered the reservation was on vacation over New Year's and the people who were there today were just a reserve team for the takeaway and couldn't say anything about it. We got upset and said that this couldn't be and that we couldn't just go somewhere else spontaneously. We had reserved way in advance and had racked our brains about where to go! After a bit of back and forth, they allowed us to eat in the restaurant, but there were only 5 pizzas with one drink for $20 to choose from. That was the takeaway offer. Since we felt like pizza and didn't really have any other choice, we accepted the offer and sat alone in the restaurant. They also told us that if a customer comes in, we should say that we are family. Apparently, he had already turned away other people who wanted to eat on site :D

Andi and I then ordered a house wine, Karo and Matze a Coke, and each of us ordered a different pizza. The restaurant was actually really nice, the pizza was delicious, and we had a great time chatting because we hadn't seen each other in ages. The atmosphere was a bit uncomfortable because there was no nice light or decoration, but there were also no other guests and therefore no background chatter. It was definitely something different and special for New Year's Eve :D

At 6 we were done and made our way to Luna Park, which was only a few hundred meters down the road. At the train station where we got off earlier, we picked up Laura from school, who spontaneously bought a ticket for the party. It was a funny story because she posted in the Australia Backpacker Group on Facebook asking for a cool location for New Year's Eve in Sydney and Andi wrote her a message that we are also in Australia and going to Luna Park. She was really excited about the party and thought it was funny that we would see each other again, so she bought a ticket the day before New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, the tickets were sold out on the website when she tried to buy one (there were still some available in the morning when Andi checked), but when she called, they still had one ticket left and she got it. Really funny!

So we picked up Laura at the station and the five of us went to Luna Park. We wanted to meet Lorine (from the Whitsundays) and a friend there, but unfortunately it didn't work out. We didn't see her all evening because she had her phone on airplane mode and didn't call us... A bit annoying, but we still had fun. Right after we entered the park, we tried the rotor. A ride where you stand against the wall of a tube that spins so fast that you stick to it when the floor goes down. I've always wanted to try that, but at Oktoberfest it was so expensive! Here, all the rides were included and since it was still early, there weren't many people waiting yet. Except for Karo, we all went in and it was really awesome! At the beginning, I didn't think I could handle the pressure, but once I got used to it, it was just cool! The entertainer also played some games with us like "reach your hands forward" or "high five your neighbor". Really funny. But then I was pretty dizzy! Thank goodness we didn't have any drinks yet :D

The drinks came next and we were shocked by the prices. The cheapest option was a cider or beer for $10. A canned cider for $10!! Then there were mixed drinks for $12 and cocktails for $14. Quite expensive! But what I really liked was that there was free water at every bar. You could take as much as you wanted and it was inevitable to get thirsty in the temperatures!

After the first drink, we went on another ride, then had another drink, and then went on another ride. In between, we sat comfortably in the picnic area and at 9 o'clock, there was the first fireworks display above the harbor. The children's fireworks, so to speak. It was smaller than the main fireworks, but we thought it was still pretty good! Since there weren't many people on the boardwalk where we could watch the fireworks at 9 yet, we also had a pretty good spot and a nice view.

When we returned to the park after the fireworks, we noticed that it had become much more crowded and we had to wait much longer at the rides, the bars, and the toilets. That was the point where we each bought 2 drinks at once so that we didn't have to wait in line again right away :D

Until quarter past 11, we had a great time in the park and enjoyed the nostalgic rides. There was, for example, an amusement house with slides that you slide down in bags, with a mirror cabin, and with a spinning disk on which 7 people sit and the one who is still sitting at the end wins. I won :D

At half past 11, as I said, we went back to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks. There were already a lot more people there than at 9 and we didn't get as good a spot, although it was still very good. The half hour until midnight went by really quickly and from 60 seconds before 12, there was a countdown on the bridge pillars of the Harbour Bridge. At 10, everyone started shouting and then it started. It was such a beautiful fireworks display!! Everyone cheered and was happy and it was such a wonderful atmosphere! Unfortunately, we couldn't toast because alcohol was not allowed on the boardwalk, but we didn't really have time to wish each other a Happy New Year anyway because there were colorful lights everywhere and a new, incredible part of the fireworks was constantly shooting off. I don't know how long the fireworks lasted in total, but it felt both like forever and too short. Really beautiful, something special.

After the show, we let ourselves be carried back into the park by the crowd and got some more drinks. Now it was time for the music hall with live performances by the DJs! There had already been music there before, but after 12 there were the top acts. Apparently, they were really famous Australian DJs, even though we didn't know any of them. But it didn't matter, we could still party to the music and there was also a great laser show :D

At just before 1, Laura, Andi, and I lined up for the Wild Mouse so that we could ride something before the rides closed. Unfortunately, there was a lot of people and we had to wait for over half an hour, but it was still worth it because the Wild Mouse was pretty wild and you got thrown around quite a bit in the small two-seater car. I arrived with a fit of laughter :D

We spent the rest of the night at the DJs' and when the lights came on at 3:00 and the party was over, we made our way home. It was sooooo cool! I don't think I've ever had such an entertainment program on New Year's Eve. Really beautiful and diverse.

With two different trains, waiting times, and transfers, we arrived in Gymea at 4:50 a.m. and then had to walk home for another 25 minutes. The birds had already started chirping and when we finally got into bed at 5:30 a.m., it was already getting light. But we were really tired!

On New Year's Day, we set an alarm for 12, but ended up sleeping until 1. I noticed when I woke up that something was wrong and soon it was clear: I was really sick. And no, it wasn't a hangover. Andi also got sick, but not as bad. I was really exhausted. When we went to the kitchen for breakfast, there wasn't much going on in the whole house yet, but gradually we met everyone and of course had to tell them about the party. The rest of the day we just took care of a few organizational things and played Wii Mario Kart with Cameron. That was exhausting enough for me... Then I got some cold tablets from Hilka, which hopefully will start working soon. In the evening, we had takeaway food from KFC, then I took a nice hot shower and went to bed.

The next day, my condition wasn't any better, even though we slept until 1 again and I had 14 hours of sleep. It was really shitty because we wanted to fly to New Zealand the next day and from there we actually had a tight schedule planned for the next 3 weeks. Besides, flying is not the best thing to do when you're sick. But what can you do, we couldn't exactly postpone our trip. So we packed our stuff and stored everything we didn't need in the car. In the afternoon, Luke's friend who has this adapter for the car, with which you can check why the engine light is on, came by for a moment. It turned out that the engine consumes a bit more gasoline than it should. But we hadn't noticed any significant increase in consumption, so we still didn't have a concrete diagnosis. An appointment with the mechanic is unavoidable and we will make it for right after New Zealand.

At half past 7, we brought our car to Cronulla, where it can stay for the next 3 weeks. Since Steve and Sue have a balcony with a view of the street, surveillance there is a bit easier than with the Solomons. Actually, we just wanted to quickly let them know that the car is parked now and leave them the key, but there was a family celebration going on at the time, so of course, we had to say hello to everyone and it took longer than expected. Of course, it was nice to see everyone again, but Sol was so kind and followed us with his car so that he could take us back to Gymea and we didn't want to make him wait too long.

Back at home, we had a delicious egg-vegetable-chicken casserole with fries, salad, and herb baguette for dinner and we also met Alana's friend Daniel because he was there for dinner. Luke's girlfriend was also there, so the six of us were able to have some funny couple conversations after dinner. Eventually, it was time to go to bed since we had to get up early the next day, and we said goodbye to everyone and thanked them for the nice time and the great accommodation.

From now on, we will go to New Zealand for 3 weeks and we are really looking forward to our experiences there!