Sydney Streets

Saturday is Rocks Market day. By now, we had learned the 311 bus route to know where to catch it. All good, except our neighborhood street was being blocked off for a street fair. We went to the stop just north of our apartment and read the detour sign and where to go to catch the bus.. After watching the bus we wanted to catch, at our usual stop (!), we walked back there and sat for the next one 20 minutes later. I still don’t understand what the change of route sign meant,

In any case, the market at the Rocks was all locally made crafts being sold by the artist that created them. We wandered around, fondling this and that, knowing that our suitcases were already jam packed. I decided on a pair of acrylic neon purple earrings, etched with bird outlines. Perhaps for Steph (Note after the fact: they didn’t appeal to her, so I got to keep them for me. Smile.)

I spent a lot of time looking at a booth with hand printed signs. “A Woman’s Place is Anywhere She Wants to Be”, “Vivid” done in bright purple and reflected against itself, etc. I especially liked “A Swim is Never Regretted” in blue with several rows of “S” sideways below like water. But we have nowhere to pack this.

Moving on, we saw the knitting tea garden where one could have tea and work on the knitting on the table. Another booth had darling sets of purses and bags, pieced, with a bird or cat in a prominent place. Linen clothes that I’d like to think I’d look good in, lots of warm merino scarves which I would never need in Florida. Our suitcases barely zip not. Just say no to more.

We shared a Bietnamese (yes, how it was spelled) BBQ pork sandwich. Delicious, and the ibis was waiting for any pieces I dropped.

Rather than trying any wine being promoted, we walked over to the Lord Nelson for beers. 

A 324 bus home where there was party, party, party for the Sydney Streets event. Three different areas had bands or DJs, with a local restaurant selling a specialty drink for the occasion. 

Right outside our front door, Bistro Rex had a girl singer and a trio with jazz. We opened our balcony to listen. 

In the street there was a fenced obstacle course for dogs. Perhaps in the morning, while we were at the Rocks, there were trained dogs running it, but by the time we got home, it was open to any dog, some better than others.

Up in our apartment, we watched the Sydney Swans versus the Brisbane Lions championship game on tv. Eventually we realized they were playing Australian rules football, not rugby, which was why the game seemed so different than what we watched during the Olympics. Duh! Sadly, the Swans were routed, 95-67. All the locals at the street event wearing their team’s red and white scarves put on brave faces and consoled themselves with drinks.

We joined them after the game, spending our remaining AU$45 on cocktails. To celebrate my next birthday, I went wild with a French 75 (AU$30) which was served in a plastic cup, probably to conform to festival rules. Disappointing. Fortunately, it began to rain. We paid our bill, told the waitress to keep the change, went up to our apartment and poured our drinks into proper glasses. A toast to a lovely week in Sydney.

Then, packing our bags to leave. Yes, I bought the swim print. Grant has placed it between the cardboard box halves from Kyle’s shirt. That should keep it from bending. We zipped our suitcases, crossing our fingers they will hold, ready to leave early the next morning.