oh, jesus

I've known for a while that I was going to have to strategize for a couple of days here - today is Good Friday, and I am in a happily Catholic country. Which means everything is closed. The same will be on Sunday, and to a much lesser extent, tomorrow and Monday as well.

I opted to be in Sydney, thinking that it is a much more international, tourist-oriented town, so there would at least be MORE available to me. So far, that plan has worked out really well - most museums and tourist attractions are open, and my hostel is even having a Good Friday BBQ on the roof deck. I have enough in Sydney that I want to do that two days not needing cute shops or tiny restaurants to be open should not be a big deal.

What I didn't count on needing was to have enough to do in Sydney on a Good Friday WHEN IT'S RAINING. I meant to go to the zoo today - the outdoor zoo, a ferry ride away. But it is chilly and rainy. It's been nice for WEEKS here, and now it gets the rain? When I get here? Why am I suddenly courting all terrible weather everywhere I go?

Anyway, I adapted, and went to the Powerhouse museum this morning - it's really cool, in an old power station near Darling Harbour, and exhibiting things that seem to be lumped together mostly under the heading of "interesting stuff." They had displays on industrial design, general stores from 1880 to 1930, computers, Princess Diana and steam power. Random, but a really entertaining way to spend a morning.

This afternoon, I was going to go to the aquarium, but I dawdled too long. It's Good Friday, which doesn't just mean that things are closed for Jesus, it also means that everyone has a four-day weekend. Plus, Darling Harbour has an Easter Hoopla festival for kids (no idea what it is; it just involves hoola hoops somehow), so the line to get in was around the block, and there were signs that there were similar crowds at all exhibits.

So, I have to readjust. I think the weather is supposed to improve somewhat, enough for a zoo excursion, and I can go to the aquarium nearer to opening time to avoid the family time. I just hope that the weather gets better this week - I want to see some of Sydney's famous beaches, and I am going out to the Blue Mountains for some hiking and outdoorsy time.

I will say, though, that it's mostly just overcast, not torrential and problematic. It's certainly fine to be outside, it's just a bad combo, to have a rainy holiday weekend day.