Wednesday 30 May 2018

Loving Life, Loving Sydney


With VIVID here (the three week light and music festival), I have to say, I'm loving Sydney. The city is alive with hoards of people in the streets enjoying this glorious city.


I was discussing with a traveller the charm of Singapore as a modern city, like Sydney or London (because she had said it was 'culture-less', I argued it was a evolving modern city with plenty of history that shaped it, just not a 'culture' that was something you could look at in a patronising Western fashion. It was a global city and the culture was in the thoughts and way of life of the people, that shaped the activities and way they use public spaces. She then stated that she wasn't a fan of Sydney either, and that London was more 'real and historic'. I have no idea how a city isn't real? It has to be real for the people living there. If you see a city and think it isn't real, I suspect that means you haven't made the effort to see beyond the tourist trail. 


Unlike Melbourne, you can't walk down the street and be guaranteed a fabulous meal - you have to do some research but there's plenty of gems at all budgets. If you stay put in the CBD and visit the Rocks, you've missed most of what makes Sydney so special - get up to Palm Beach and catch the ferry, head to West Head or the quaint Bobbin Head,  hit the coast road south. Natural beauty bounds, art is everywhere, music and comedians are on nightly (somewhere) in the city. Sydney (like Singapore) is a city that rewards you with the effort you put into it. 

If you managed to coincide your visit with the three weeks of VIVID, get out on a boat or hit the streets, take in the festival atmosphere and be dazzled by the visual delights. If you live here, don't listen to the naysayers, visit many times in small trips to just one part - the Rocks one night, the Gardens another. Easy, accessible and free.

In it's tenth year, VIVID is now part of our city's history and culture. Real or otherwise.






Follow my Instagram for more VIVID adventures live. 




Linking this old post with #TravelTuesday #MCoW #WednesdayAroundtheWorld because it's lights on for VIVID this weekend, after missing out for two years in a row!

16 comments:

  1. You're absolutely right - Sydney is that city where you do have to push beyond the CBD. And yep, one of the best ways to see Vivid is by boat...or after an event at the Opera House. Enjoy. #teamlovinlife

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  2. Oh gosh I love Sydney. I don't know it very well, but I get the feeling there is so much to discover if you put in the effort. I like the fact that it will open up its treasures in stages, which makes me keen to come back again and again. Thanks for reminding me of this and offering some new suggestions of places to visit and explore.

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  3. Sydney is so spectacular right now with all the Vivid lights!
    I've been twice already to see the lights and want to go again!

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    1. Ditto! And I want to get out to Chatswood too - theirs was FABULOUS last year.

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  4. Thanks for the guide, Lydia. We are aiming to visit the zoo, the CBD and Chatswood this year for VIVID.

    SSG xxx

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  5. I absolutely love Sydney. I would love to visit during VIVID. I think it's a city rich in history and culture - plus it's stunning scenically. #TeamLovinLife

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  6. I did go twice in 2013 I think. I went by myself when I was staying overnight at the Stamford and combined it with an event at the Sydney Writers Festival and then I brought my granddaughter in with me and we did the ferry to Fort Denison trip. In all my years as a Sydney sider it was my first visit to Fort Denison!! Love Vivid.

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  7. Lydia, every year now I hear about Vivid I think of you as you were the person who first introduced me to it. I'd never heard of it before that and I adore your enthusiasm for it. It's important to appreciate the stuff that's on our door-step!

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  8. I do love Sydney. My sister used to live there (at Balgowlah) and it was fabulous to visit regularly. I've been there for Vivid and it was a fantastic night! There's so much more of Sydney I've yet to see though ... so I'll be back! #TeamLovinLife

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  9. thanks for these spectacular pictures of sYdney (especially the opera by night)

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  10. How I wish I could visit. It would be very boring if all cities were the same. I love London for its history, Singapore for its colours and vibrancy, Sydney for its people and water views.

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  11. Gorgeous night shots! Wonderful colors!

    Happy Times to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  12. Great Vivid shots. I'm posting a few every day.

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  13. I wouldn't knock any city without a very good reason!
    Many, many years ago, I took my much-younger brother to Australia, and we still talk about it. Today I bought a scanner that will translate our colour slides to online photos. I'm so excited.
    We didn't spend a lot of time in Sydney, because we were traveling with friends in Queensland, but we did take some time to see a play at the Opera House as well as walking around the city. We saw nothing there to dislike!
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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