NYE '07 in "Emerald City" (Part I - Day)

We were of course also in Sydney for the city's world famous fireworks every New Year's Eve (you know, the one they always show on the NOS Journal before our NYE starts). Anyways, this year the rumor on the street was that it was going to be bigger, better, and louder than ever. Now we've talked to some locals about the event so that we could develop a strategic "battleplan" for NYE (i.e. where are we going to sit, what to take, how late to go there, etc.). Here are some tidbits about how that memorable day went by:

After the friendly input by locals and the informative NYE website of the city council we decided on a spot called "Mrs. Macquaries Point" from which you had excellent views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the city's skyline. At 30/12 we already scouted the location and we decided that this was going to be THE spot for us (little did we know then).

Right, so we got a spot, now the right time to get a decent spot at that spot. After some quick shopping at the supermarket we decided that if we would get there by 11:30 (in the morning) then we would surely have our spot. YEAH RIGHT. When we came closer and closer to the entrance point, there were literally already thousands of people waiting there (max. capacity was 25.000 for that point btw). Nothing but lines and lines and lines and... ok, you'll probably get it by now. We overheard people talking that they had already been standing there for 5-6 hours, PFFFF!!! And this is when yours truly decided to investigate where that line was going to so walked down for about 10-15 minutes until we saw a security checkpoint. Now we know what you are all thinking... YES we DID!!! We simply went up to the information desk there and slipped into the line as if we just stepped out for a minute to get a map or something. PURE EVIL or PURE GENIUS... guess we'll let everyone decide for themselves.

So we cut the line with mixed feelings but we could still walk all the way up to the front of the park's railing with a view so it paid off. Well, at least in the beginning (and end) it did. We planted ourselves with no picnic blanket on the hard asphalt, knowing that we had to wait for another 12 hours before the action started. Within the next hours, all hell broke loose as everybody was sqeeuzing up to each other to take our spot. It was silent fight were piecies of ground were meticulously covered with our personal belongings to signal that this was our land. Just look at the pictures (except if you're claustrophobic) and look at the masses and our ever increasingly happy faces. On top of that, Sois ate some bad junkfood and started to get cramps in his you-know-what. But more on that later as nighttime was becoming closer and closer at hand...

Sois keeping down the "fort"

Crowded much?

Chel looking tired but still keeping down the "fort"