Walsh Bay -- home of the Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Dance Company and the Sydney Writers' Festival. The photos are from earlier in the festival, but I hadn't got them up yet. Wasn't it a beautiful sunset?
Anyway, just when you thought Kim couldn't possibly go to any more of the festival ... she did. (Really, she couldn't believe it either.)
Today's episode was much briefer than, say, Friday's, and was really lots of fun. I went with two friends who had cleverly walked across the bridge (we're all Lower North Shoresiders). I, however, running perpetually late, determined it would be much faster to simply meet them there. Besides, on the way I discovered I could also grab a cupcake that way, too.
Amazingly, we all ended up in the line for our session at exactly the same time! I was floored, but, as I've said before, it was a writers' festival. Stranger things have happened.
Anyway, my friends wanted to see Dr. Karl, a renowned Australian scientist with lots of books and a radio presence, so we got in line for his presentation. As per usual, we waited patiently until five minutes before and then filed in. (Incidentally, this is the second time in writing about the writers' festival I typed out "orderly" as in, "we filed orderly in" but realized it needed to be something like "orderlyly," which clearly isn't a word, but surely "orderly" is already an adverb, but it still doesn't make sense there, even though it does later in the sentence -- "we filed in orderly." Maybe it has something to do with separable and inseparable phrasal verbs? Gosh, I've been teaching ESL too long!)
The talk itself was pretty interesting and exceptionally rapid. You think (those of you who know me) I talk fast -- you should have heard this man! When we left I asked if it had been a hour or an hour and a half. It was just an hour, but man, he packed 90 minutes' worth of talk into it. It was funny, informative and, as one friend said, rather on the manic side. He was kind of all over the shop in terms of topics (I, for instance, completely missed the segue between the Bermuda Triangle and the lack of justice served by judges in Israel. But hey. I suppose it could happen to any of us.)
Afterwards, (this was such a novel concept to me after Friday) we (are you ready for this?) left! It was so exciting! Much as I love the festival, it was lovely to simply go for one session and then leave. Particularly as we then walked over the bridge! (Have I mentioned how much I love the bridge?)
We left discussing how great Sydney is -- there really are so many amazing things in the city -- fun things, free things, cultural things, cool things, etc. that just happen regularly and are there for everyone to enjoy. And then there's the harbour and the Opera House and the bridge and the view. Sigh. I'm so happy to live in Sydney!
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