Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras was all about passion!

I arrived in Sydney holding the assumption that Sydney would not have as many cultural activities as Melbourne.  I'm on a mission to prove that assumption wrong, so I'm trying to do as many cultural activities as I can in the next month.  I began with the Mardi Gras.

These guys were very popular as the crowds gathered

Since I'm still finding my way around Sydney, I was a little unsure how to get to Oxford Street, but I soon discovered that all I had to was follow the crowds of gay couples and teenagers.  It seemed to me that the Mardi Gras was an outing for teenagers (many complete with braces) to show their open mindedness and their individuality.  For many teenage girls, 'individuality' came in the form of a slutty police outfit and over the top make up.  You can only imagine their disappointment when they arrived at Oxford Street to find that 1000s of other teenage girls had the same idea.  Perhaps next year, they will be more creative and go for a nurses uniform.

People jostled for a good spot to view the parade

My favourite float - the lifesavers.  Mmmm, nice bodies!

Arriving on Oxford Street, I was unprepared for the huge crowds, and was unable to reach my friends who had arrived super early.  So,  I hung out by myself before a group of gay Englishmen felt sorry for me and took me under their wing.  We hung out for the whole night, sharing seats and taking photos for one another.  Seats, stools, milk crates, rubbish bins ..... these were in high demand for good viewing.  As I walked up Oxford Street, I came across groups of entrepreneurial backpackers selling plastic stools for $10.  'Who would pay $10 for a cheap plastic stool?' was my initial thought, but after searching for a good viewing spot (and being told by security to climb down off a rubbish bin), I sheepishly went back, parted with my $10 and climbed up on my hot pink stool to enjoy the parade.  I figured that it was cheaper than seeing a movie.

Taronga Zoo float

 A gay parade would not be complete without some YMCA!

The parade itself went for about 2.5 hours (a bloody long time to stand on a plastic stool in a crowd!) and I was completely entertained the whole time.  The range of floats was very diverse.  My favourites by far were the life savers and water polo players (hello, hot bodies!), the choreographed dance routines and those pumping out iconic gay tunes such as 'YMCA', 'I will survive' and anything by Kylie.  Although I consider myself to be quite an open minded person, there were several floats that I felt a little uneasy about, namely the full on leather and bondage float.  Each to their own, I guess!

Camp-Berra - The Queens Capital .... your thoughts Dad?

Mardi Gras colours

The spirit of the Mardi Gras was fantastic, the crowd was as diverse as the floats and everyone was out to have a good time.  Interestingly enough (insert sarcasm), it was the straight people who seemed to cause the most trouble in the crowd and with the usual drunken behaviour to be seen all around, it was a messy place to be at the end of the parade. 

This rental truck looked like it may have toppled over, these guys were loving a dance!

Gay Camping NSW - Camp as a row of tents

Something that didn't make sense to me on the night was that on my way home, I was approached by two different men wanting my number.  What is it about gay events that makes straight men try to pick up?  I declined both, one was a little odd and the other was lovely but only came up to about my shoulder.  

Even the Sydney sightseeing buses were in the parade

The parade was multicultural - the Scottish float .... I love a Scotch Finger!

So, the first cultural event on my list was a success - Melbourne has Moomba, Sydney has Mardi Gras - I know which one I'd prefer to go to!  Next on my list is the French film festival.

Spoilt rotten ....

2009 birthday - Shanghai party

My birthday in 2010 was a day of being spoilt.  The kids filled the 'classroom' with balloons, took me out to lunch and then baked me a gluten free chocolate birthday cake.  Straight after school, I treated myself to a massage where I promptly fell asleep before rousing myself to head off to training (no rest for the wicked!).  After a world record changing time, I went out for birthday bubbles with some friends before roaming the streets in search of a midnight ice cream.  It may not have been Shanghai, but the party time will come on Saturday night ..... Mardi Gras here we come!

Real Chinese massage ....

Enjoying one of my last massages in China

You know that it's going to be a Chinese place when the sign reads 'Real Massage'.  No fancy names, just real massage.  As a birthday treat, I splashed out on 80 minutes of real massage, including a full body and foot reflexology.  As the sign revealed, it was a real Chinese massage, tough but so good for you.  The only downside was that I had to close my eyes as I handed over my cash - $80 for 80 minutes.  Not bad for Australia, but I couldn't stop my mind from calculating how many massages I could have had in Wuxi!

Gigibaba ....

The restaurant's only signage

Smith Street in Fitzroy is not a place that you would normally find the Range Rover driving folks of the other side of the river, but it is exactly where they are flocking (albeit a little nervously), for an amazing little restaurant by the name of Gigibaba.  It's hard to find, with only a simple A4 piece of paper as its signage and its flexible approach to when it opens.  My dear friend, Diane, and I have tried several times to eat there but never seem to be there when they are open, so we arrived nice and early on Sunday night to bag the window table.  The much anticipated wait was definitely worth it - the food was brilliant, the wine was wonderful, the service was fantastic and the company, as always, was good fun.  A highlight of the evening was the fact that we didn't even have to order, we simply told our lovely waitress how hungry we were and out came the food.  The night rounded out with a second bottle of wine at Cutler and Co., another popular restaurant with a 3 month waiting list.  I can certainly say that if I were a Range Rover driver from Toorak, I would be venturing across the river for the Gigibaba experience on a regular basis.

First in line .... we wanted the window table!

Oysters

Cauliflower salad ... my favourite dish of the night

Fish

Orange salad

Lamb sausages

Clams in a pea broth

Beetroot salad

Pistachio baklava

Turkish coffee

Melbourne for the weekend ....

What a great night for it!

It was with much excitement that I boarded the flight home to Melbourne on Friday afternoon.  Being away so often really does make you appreciate home all the more.  The weekend began with dinner and drinks at the Maribynong Boathouse with Mum and Rob, it was a hot balmy night, perfect for sitting outside.  Saturday night was spent at the zoo, listening to Tim Freedman (The Whitlams) with the lions in the background.  I just love events like these, there is something so simple about spreading out a picnic rug, popping a bottle of bubbles and enjoying the summer evening.  Afterwards, a few of us went to Polly, a great cocktail bar on Brunswick Street, just right for a gossipy catch up.  A fantastic weekend to share an early birthday celebration with family and friends.  Stay tuned for a foodie blog entry tomorrow!

Mum and Di

Libby and Julie

The pregnant one .... lovely Anita

Cocktails in hand .... 

Note - I did intend to take more photos so that everyone could be on the blog ... but I was sidetracked by a bottle of Verve!

Finding friends .....

Just like old times ... only in a much classier setting

One of the joys (or stresses .... depending on which way you look at it) of moving to a new city is finding new friends, and in my case, reaquainting with old friends.  Since moving here, I've been lucky enough to catch up with a friend who I spent my GAP year with in the UK and it was just like old times.  Then, out of the blue this week, I had a text from her - another one of our GAP mischief makers was in town from NZ.  Needless to say, a gossipy catch up over dinner and drinks was in order.  It was  a wonderful dinner of reminicising over the fun we had as 18 year olds in our first 'away from home' experience and catching up on the last 10 years of our lives (note to self - must grow up, buy a house and get married).  On the ferry home, I began thinking about the eclectic groups of friends I've made here from all areas of my life ... friends from training, the kid's babysitter, my internet friends, an old school friend, even a friend from China.  Right now, I 'm looking forward to heading back to Melbourne this weekend for a catch up with old friends, yay!

I promised the girls I wouldn't do it, but I couldn't resist .... a trip down memory lane to 1999, Aussie and NZ GAPpers in the UK.

Family visit weekend ....

Last year, we conquered the Great Wall of China, this year it was the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Five weeks into my new job, I was ready for a visit from family.  Dad and Carla visited last weekend with Charlie (the dog), who stayed with me for the week.  Rob arrived on Friday night and we spent the weekend seeing the sights of Sydney.  On Saturday we headed into the city where we explored the markets at The Rocks before tackling the Bridge Climb, a 3.5 hour adventure to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We just missed the rain, unlike the last time I did the climb which was in howling winds and rain.  

Expresso martinis

Hugo's pizza

We spent Sunday in Manly, mostly on the beach running, swimming and snorkelling, despite the overcast weather.  It was also a weekend of culinary delights - we found two lovely Italian restaurants that served gluten free pasta and pizza, yum!  Both restaurants are in premiere locations - in Circular Quay with views over the Harbour Bridge and the other is the famous Hugos, perched on the edge of the Manly wharf.  The second lot of visitors arrived for Sunday lunch - a special Valentines lunch with Dad, Carla and Rob.  Before Rob left, we had a few drinks at my favourite bar in Manly where Rob introduced me to the expresso martini, a dangerous combination considering I don't drink either coffee or spirits!  Now, I'm just looking forward to a birthday weekend in Melbourne, I can't wait to see everyone there!

Charlie enjoys the ocean views