The weather started to improve on my third day. I took the ferry to Cockatoo Island to check out the installations for the Biennale. It’s a great sit with some many things to see and so much character.
In the evening I ventured back to Circular Quay, but this time with my trusty tripod. I ended the night at Darling Harbour.
Day 2 was a bit soggy. During the day I visited some art installations for the Sydney Biennale and in the evening I explored Vivid in the Botanical Gardens.
In past years I've heard of Vivid, but always when it was too late to go there. But after visiting White Night in Melbourne earlier this year, I was prepared! I planned a short trip to spend the June long weekend in Sydney. Not only would I catch Vivid, but also the very end of the Sydney Biennale.
I arrived on the Saturday morning. During the day I visited the MCA and took a few snaps around the harbour. My first evening of photography was without a tripod. I wandered around The Rocks and Circular Quay.
As with Vivid, I had heard of White Night before, but always too late to go. But one of the apartments I have stayed in for work emailed me a "deal" for White Night early in the year which tipped me off. So, I planned a short stay in Melbourne to check it out.
During the day I visited the NGV. Then, once it was dark I headed out. I wasn't prepared for the vast numbers of people. It took me over 5 hours to walk from Carlton Gardens down past Federation Square.
Being my last evening in Berlin I wasn't going to sit around the apartment all evening. I briefly toyed with a crazy plan to go to Berghain, the infamous club and one thing I'm disappointed on missing in Berlin. But the plan was truly crazy and would not have been worth the effort so I will save it for next time. Instead I decided to head to the west of the city again and check out installations for the Festival of Lights over there. I found a few. It was fun and worthwhile doing, but I'm still a bit underwhelmed by the festival. Maybe I'm missing something?
Tonight was the opening of the festival of lights which runs for 12 days. Here's a link to the promotional video. I decided to go back to Potsdamer Platz where the official count down would occur. So I jumped back on the U2 line which actually takes me straight there. I was there early so had plenty of time to get a spot and practice getting my camera settings right to capture the light images. I must admit I had a few "pinch me" moments when I realized I was across the other side of the world at such an event.
The count down came and the show began. After staying at the start for a while I followed the massive crowd as we wandered east across the city. Luckily all the walking I've been doing held me in good stead and I actually recognized where we were going.
There are lots of illuminations across the city and I only saw a few tonight. Unfortunately, what I saw underwhelmed me a little. It was still good and a great event to be part of. Here's the best of what I managed to capture. I thought the lights on the Brandenburg Gate were the best.
