Happy new year from Sydney!! I just returned to my hostel and I am already in 2013. Have to say that the year so far doesn't look that different than 2012 haha. :)

We started the day at 9 in the morning, when Loretta came to my hostel to go together to a park to find a spot to watch the fireworks at night. In fact, there are two fireworks here in Sydney, one at 9 pm for the children and the the one at midnight, the big one with the fireworks from the bridge. We went to a parc overlooking the bridge and Opera house but it was clear that we weren't the only ones heading for the parc at this time of the day. I am used to queues, as I am a yearly visitor of Wimbledon of course, but I wasn't prepared for this queue.

It looked organised in the beginning, but it ended up in one big hurrying crowd soon as the doors were open. I won't mention that I ruined my shoe but I ended up through the search area with one shoe in the hand and the other on my foot. But anyway, we got a spot on the grass and spread our towel and blanket and sat down. So, 12 hours to go till the end of the year...

Surprisingly it went fast, the time. We chatted with eachother, with the ppl around us and watched at people coming by, we spent time in more queues for the toilets and for drinks. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to get up and find a spot for the little fireworks. Bad thing is that the trees were blocking our view so we didn't see much of it, but what counts is to have been there. ;)

Back at the spot we sat and talked till it was time to get up and move to the front for the final part of the day. Still we were behind the trees and there were no better spots to find unfortunately. But we could see a bridge through it, and something that was supposed to be the opera house. And of course, we were for a few minutes in the center of the worlds attention with this huge fireworks. It's amazing to be part of, to be counting down with so many others, to wish others a happy new year and watch all together at the fireworks.

And the queues, maybe they learned that from the English. After all it were the english who conolised Australia for the first time in 1770. They must have left more then just their language here. )

Happy new year!