So ya, it's pretty fantastic. We had a deal where tickets were buy one, get one free, and it was the last game of the season. So around noon we decided to head to the ticket store in Pyrmont and get tickets..... Now if the game starts at 4:40, and it's around noon, what do you next....? GO FOR DIM SUM!!!
Chinatown has lots of good dim sum places (or as they call it in Australia, Yum Cha, don't ask me why). Afterwards we went to Paddy's Market, right in the neighbourhood, which always has some interesting items for sale....
So what do you do after you've already stuffed yourself with pork buns for lunch? Why, go have some dessert! There's this tiny hole-in-the-wall place in Chinatown that we've walked past a dozen times, and each time there's a long lineup outside. Well this time, with a bit of time to kill, we decided to wait in line to try their cream puffs. At $5 for 20, they sure are cheap, and were worth it. Would we go back? No, but it was good to try them once!
So, finally,we decide to make our way out to the stadium. Now this isn't any old stadium.... this is the Sydney Olympic Park, home of the 2000 Olympic Games. It's quite a distance from the centre of the city, but we discovered that you could take one of Sydney's fantastic ferries out there! So, what better way to get to a sporting event than a scenic boat ride! Of course, walking to the ferry we walked around Darling Harbour, where there was a giant inflatable turtle, with what can only be descried as a QR code pattern covering it.... you know.... a normal Saturday in Sydney! I do love public art, even when it's a bit odd and silly!
Next up - the game. The team we are (now) supporting is the Sydney Swans. The game started poorly - Sydney was down 31-0 after the first 15 minutes. But the clawed (do swans have claws??) back in the second quarter, and it was a close game at half time. Did you know that they don't serve full strength beer at sporting events here? Seriously - 3.5% only.... Canadians take note.... And they charge pretty much the same as a beer at a NHL game! The Stadium was absolutely huge, and with only 31,000 attendees, there were quite a few empty seats.
The second half was intense, with the Swans taking the lead for a brief time, only for it to back to Richmond. With a few minutes left and the Swans down by two they pushed hard, and had a few chances, but never made the goal needed. Richmond was in a do-or-die situation, as they needed to win to make it into the playoffs, whereas Sydney was already locked-into a spot. With moments to go Richmond scored again, finishing off the Swans. Overall, a great time. Of course, no sporting event is complete without a long public transit ride home - fortunately Sydney Trains have a fantastic system set up, with marshals guiding people, loud speakers with directions, and trains every 7-8 minutes. And the trains here hold a lot of people. Of course it's not as nice as walking home from the ACC or Skydome after a game (if you're in Toronto), but it's better than trying to drive!
So, yes, we are now committed Swans fans. They've won the first game of the playoffs, which means they get a week off and then play next week. We may try and get tickets, and fingers crossed we aren't bad luck a second time!
