Thursday, November 29, 2012

5 year reunion

For the fifth year in a row we three sisters (and spouses) met up in Sydney for our annual reunion long weekend: four days together, enjoying each other's company and all the delights that Sydney has to offer.  We weren't able to time it this year to coincide with "Sculpture by the Sea" - but found lots of other alternatives to enjoy on a warm, sunny (mostly) late November weekend in Sydney.
 
With a wedding to plan for, we three girls spent ALL of Friday in the CBD... 7 and a half hours (which just flew by).  We did enjoy a long lunch at a window table at the Cloudy Bay restaurant in Westfield, overlooking Hyde Park, but the rest of the time we were SHOPPING! (And the wedding outfits are all sorted!)
 
The boys took themselves down to Wollongong for the day (sensible!) and had a meal ready for us when we arrived home - exhausted. 
 

We took ourselves to inner city Glebe on Saturday morning: coffee at Badde Manors in Glebe Point Road to get our hearts racing then an hour or so wandering around the laid back Glebe Markets (our new favourite Sydney market we've decided).


By now it was after twelve and we were feeling hungry - so I gave up all ideas of searching for the historic Walter Burley Griffin incinerator on Blackwattle Bay and instead suggested we head straight down Bridge Road to the Sydney Fish Markets.  Saturday lunchtime is an absolute bunfight at the Sydney Fish Markets with coachloads of Asian tourists revelling in the quality and choice of food on offer - in this amazing setting facing Blackwattle Bay.

Somehow or other we scored ourselves a table on the bayside deck and were able to enjoy a feast of seafood for lunch - fresh prawns, dozens of Sydney rock oysters, baby octopus, all washed down with cold Hoegaarden beers - heaven!


Although sunburnt, seafood smeared and wind tossed we then headed back to Randwick, to the Ritz to catch the 5.15pm session of "Skyfall". Just as well we did as the queues for the later sessions after ours were a mile long.  We saw Quantum of Solace together on our first reunion weekend 4 years ago and decided we approve of Daniel Craig as James Bond. We all loved Skyfall!

Sunday, we headed to the Domain to see the remarkable 5 Decades of Francis Bacon exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.  Over 50 paintings collected from major galleries and private collections from around the world plus artifacts from his incredibly chaotic studio in South Kensington, London. How lucky are we to have this exhibition in Sydney!


My plan was for us to enjoy lunch at the Poolside cafe overlooking the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool in Woolloomooloo Bay. Unfortunately it was too busy (can't book tables there) so after a bit of wandering by the Bay around the path to Mrs Macquarie's chair we headed back to the very airy and laidback cafe at the Art Gallery of NSW for a lovely lunch there.


Sunday afternoon we all headed back to the CBD to get "the boys" sorted for a few things for the big OS trip next year - but we couldn't resist the opportunity to smell a few roses along the way in Hyde Park, looking particularly shady and gorgeous on this hot afternoon.



These reunion weekends are very special to us - and it's hard when they come to an end. The next time we will be all together will be in London next year!!!


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