Pilgrim Plunders, Holiday Hordes, and Cold Children

I can’t get Mason to leave the apartment today (Wednesday, July 9th). Well, I know I could, but I really don’t want to push it. Remember the two week holiday? It truly changes the normal Sydney routine. Crowded playgrounds, packed places in all directions, long lines, and the coldest weather Sydney has seen in several years will definitely be more than enough to keep us Floridians indoors for the next few days. And then of course the Pilgrims have landed – no, it’s not Thanksgiving, but World Youth Day. I’m perplexed, why call it “day” when it’s a six day event. It officially starts July 15 and ends on the 20th. (The students go back on the 21st. YEAH!) These young people from all over the world have already emerged on the Sydney scene in full force. The amount of people arriving will surpass what they had for the 2000 Olympics. They are coming to see Pope Benedict XVI who will make an appearance on July 19th, Saturday night to hold a nighttime vigil from 7 to 9 PM. Another interesting bit of information – the City Rail Union is planning to strike on this day if wage increase demands are not met, and they are not budging even with the government’s counter offer! If you talk to any Sydney native, most are leaving the city during the World Youth Day event. We plan to do the same. That weekend we plan to ride a bus for Canberra, Australia’s capital. Some of you might be puzzled to why Canberra when Scott’s first encounter with Australia was in this city and it wasn’t a pleasant one, but at least he knows that he’s not working there and it is a beautiful city to visit.