Highlights from my weekend in Sydney

There have been 5 highlights from the last 3 days.  In chronological order they are:

 

1. The new batman movie "The Dark Knight" on Imax: the screen made me dizzy, and made the gross parts really gruesome, but  it was a great movie!

 

2. Missa Solemnis: This is a mass written by Beethoven, and is supposedly his favourite.  I can see why!  The brass and double bass parts were awesome, and it was so cool to have 4 bassoons and a contra bassoon!  It was so exciting to see a performance at the Sydney Opera House!  I could go on about the acoustics and aesthetics forever, so it f you want details on this later just ask!

 

3. Bondi Beach: home of the first lifeguards, as well as a very beautiful beach and trendy suburb of Sydney.  The ocean was almost glacial lake cold, so we didn't go swimming.  But, it was hilarious to see the crazy tourists who did!

 

4. Closing Mass: there were 500 000 people there!  The crowds were unbelievable!  It was cool to attend a traditional mass with the Pope.  It was so traditional it included Gregorian chants and "Our Father" in Latin. But what was really exciting was being next to a huge group of Spaniards when the Pope announced WYD 2011 will be in Madrid, Spain.  They went nuts!

 

5. Hillsong Church Service:  from traditional church service to rock/punk service all in one day...  quite the opposites!  It was really cool to attend a famous church of that size and upbeat nature.

 

It's been so much fun here in Sydney.  Now we are off to Tasmania, where it will be cold (1 or 2 degrees) and not crowded at all.  I'm looking forward to the later and not the former!

 

Love,

Andrea