Jan 2nd

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Thanks loads everyone for all your texts / emails and calls over new year, never felt so popular!! Hope you all had a good one anyway!

My new years was amazing and although im gunna try my best to describe it for you all back home i know it's just not gunna come across properly! but i'll try!

Theres so many places in Sydney that you can see the fireworks from and there were over 1 million people expected to hit the City so priority for us was finding a good spot and getting a good place to sit as early as possible! This year was a big celebration anyway as 2007 is the diamond anniversary of the bridge being built, 75 years old! So, the day before NYE a group went out to investigate each of the major locations (they're also pretty strict here on taking drinks in too so that was of course a factor!) The spot we decided on was Blue Point, central, but behind, the bridge, that way we have a perfect view of the bridge with opera house behind it, a full view of the harbour, and we had Darling Harbour to the right of us too which is another prime location for setting off the fireworks! A group of us left the hostel at about 8am (yes 8AM) to get a good spot, took bout 20mins to get there and there were already a few people there but we managed to get a good spot so set up our parameter for the day! We were so lucky with the weather, sun was shining all day for us and was pretty hot at times so with 15hrs to go till the fireworks we laid back on the grass and relaxed (cos we got there so early we beat the security checks so got lots of alcohol in too!) Loads of people joined us through the day and by mid afternoon me and Stef were surrounded by strangers so had to make an effort to get to know the people we were spending new years with! There was food on sale and drink and they started playing music later on too. There were so many people there it was a great atmosphere. From 1pm each hour was marked by a canon being fired or some sort of flyover over the harbour. Time passed so quickly it was weird and soon enough everyone was waiting eagerly for 9pm which is when the first round of 'family fireworks' went off. We were all expecting a short, sweet and simple display (rothwell style) but we were wrong! They were amazing, set off from Darling Harbour and near the Opera House we didnt know which way to look as they sky was illuminated with every type of firework you can imagine and it went on for ages and ages, when it got to the end everyone was clapping and cheering, such a great moment and so impressed with the fireworks, if that was supposed to be a teaser for what was to come it worked! So 3 hrs to go till midnight.... across the harbour there were loads of cruise boats, all decorated and lit up in green with large diamonds on top, they looked so cool! And then at midnight it happened, the most amazing fireworks Ive ever seen were unleashed. I was trying so hard to get pics for you guys but they were going off all around me my lil camera couldnt keep up! Me and Stef just sat there holding each other for ages gazing up at the sky, it was so completely unreal being there and seeing them, i really cant put it into words for you! Not only were fireworks going off at Darling Harbour and Opera House but also at set locations throughout the harbour itself and then there was the bridge..... in the middle a huge coathanger was illuminated (locallers call the harbour bridge the coathanger cos of how its looks) and in the centre a huge diamond to mark the anniversary. fireworks shot off from the bridge and poured off of the bottom like a river of lights, it was incredible. They seemed never ending and then when they finally did end it was so overwhelming and everyone was so happy i just cant explain it, it was amazing! There were of course lots of after parties going on but me and Stef just wanted to get back to the other side of the bridge, which proved to be a 2 hour task in itself (remember the entire journey earlier took 20mins, this was just getting from one side of the bridge to the other by train!) The streets in the City were packed, most had bee closed down during the day to allow for all the visitors to gather. All the phone lines were jammed and it was just choas in the City but such a good atmosphere! Managed to stay awake till the early hours too so really long day after getting up at 6am!

Jan 1st I was till on such a high from the fireworks that I couldnt sleep like everyone else seemed to be doing so I just wondered round the City still in disbelief of what I had actually seen the night before! Me and Stef rounded the day off with the most gorgeous ice cream you can find down by circular quay before my eyes finally started to catch up with me, not even a great singer in our local irish bar could keep me awake!

Today me and Stef did some shopping (start the year as you mean to go on...) and the visited the Ice Bar which was so cool! (please excuse the pun, it was actually -16C!) We had to wear big duffle coats with eskimo style type hoods and big gloves too! Everything inside the bar from the bar itself, the tables, chairs, walls and even the glasses we drank out of were all made of ice and there were loads of incredible ice sculptures too! I took some pics before we went in, no cameras inside! We got a free vodka cocktail inside and then used our special tix to get another one, so yummy (and pretty strong too, me and Stef couldnt stop laughing when we got out!)  When we got out we got a set of pics that they took inside for us, you can see them online too, go to wwww.minus5experience.com then choose 'Ice Picks' and enter the photocode into the search boxes our 2 codes were:  M5SY701021220945     M5SY701021220946     

Mum i'll be sending the originals home to you to look after, see how they even had a giant man sculpture for us!

Finally uploaded NYE pics, hope they came out all right, I tried!

So happy new year everyone, hope it's treating you all well so far and that you havent managed to break any of your new year's resolutions yet!

Take Care

Love Ang xx