While waiting for the plane I was able to change my Taiwan dollars that had been sitting around since last year - $50 for free! Thankfully there were no issues with the flight this time, and we arrived in Sydney roughly on time. Thirty seconds earlier and I would have perfectly timed the change over from the plane to the train, since I had no checked baggage, but they come every fifteen minutes so no big deal.
Leaving sunny, and mildly warm, Melbourne to arrive in Sydney for a rainy day wasn't my idea of a perfect vacation, but at least it wasn't heavy rain - just never ending as it turned out. It was about time for lunch so we went to the local Mad Mex before I visited the hotel reception - we got to check-in two hours early so that was great.
Since it was going to be a rainy afternoon I figured it would be the best time to jump on a train out to Auburn for the annual Nike Outlet Factory and Krispy Kreme visit - a pretty expensive weekend return trip at almost $10 when compared to current Melbourne prices. Not many bargains in the clothing section this year, but I did find a pair of Fly Knit Lunar and Jason got two pairs of shoes as well.
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| Donut days. |
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| Nike, also Lonsdale... |
After a quick stop for donuts it was back to Auburn station, this time missing the train by about a minute. With a bit of time to waste before the next train I decided to have a look around the shops in the nearby street and found a place called Nice Bakery, which was like a local family run version of a Bread Top - with good products and good prices!
I didn't want to carry around a big bag of shoes all day so I dropped them off back at the hotel before adventuring around the city, still in the rain. The same Asian bakeries were operating in Goulburn Street so I had to make a quick stop before continuing on to explore George and Pitt Street. There weren't too many new or interesting stores that had changed since last year, but I did some across a cool Bob's Burgers t-shirt in a comic book store, only problem was it only came in an unfashionable light blue, which looked a bit too much like a Manchester City jersey.
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| Not as good as The Great Northern Hotel. |
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| Raining. |
After an early dinner at Grill'd burgers I picked up a cheap Converse t-shirt at Market City behind the hotel, then re-packed a backpack for the night.
We set out on foot through Surry Hills - without an "e" - to Moore Park, where Allianz Stadium is located for the A-League match of the day - Sydney FC vs. Adelaide United - I guess I was supporting the home team for the night. Since the gates had only just opened we managed to find a good seat in the GA section that was undercover, in one of the corners but with a decent view of the field.
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| Still raining. |
The stadium had free wifi to keep me occupied, so the match began in no time at all. Because of the non-stop rain the field was quite slippery which made things a little difficult for the players, Sydney were definitely the better team, with much more attacking play and a number of crosses, only none of them really created much threat of an opening goal.
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| Game time. |
Early in the second half Sydney thought they had their goal off a free kick, only the forwards had jumped offside just before the ball was in play. The game looked set for a 0-0 result until an Adelaide sub put together a nice solo goal around the edge of the box to set up a good final ten minutes. Sydney increased the pressure and had a number of chances to save the match, but just fell short.
So that it was it for the game, and it was time to head back to the hotel for the night. The rain had started to get heavier in the evening, so the umbrellas were useful for the two kilometre trip back - since there is still no train station anywhere near the football stadium district...
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