A DAY AT THE MUSEUM

Sydneysiders were treated to some seriously wet weather this long weekend! For the past two days, the rain has been utterly relentless, with only the very game venturing outside. James and I have been known to go out power walking in heavy rains, trudging on only because we know how much more we'll appreciate a hot shower and a bowl of home made soup once we get home. Having experienced all that yesterday (and square eyes from too much telly), we woke up with a brilliant idea for our last day of the long weekend: a trip to The Australian Museum. We drove our car into a parking lot on the edge of the city and hopped on one of the longest travelators we've ever seen. The Australian-themed mural stretched on for what seemed like forever, taking us as close as we could get to our destination. Check out the happy tourists and this groovy painted tunnel:

The comfort of indoors had to stop at some point. Long sigh. Though the museum was only a short walk away, a walk in the rain is always, always too long. 

Try as we might to dodge the puddles, our shoes still got wet. It was always going to happen. But we got there in the end and were greeted at the window by a friendly face...

Once inside, we were welcomed by some cuddly, stuffed critters:

And creatures the taxidermist didn't get to in time:

This fellow must have been too engrossed in his reading material to feel his hunger pangs and inevitable organ shutdown. Or even to feed poor little Tweety Bird, for that matter:

They called this guy 'The Bone Ranger'. True story.

I suppose this might explain why I am not engaged yet ... James had mentioned something about designing engagement rings from scratch...

A peek out the window to the outside world - my only consolation to anyone who might have been married in the famous St Mary's Cathedral (pictured) today is that rain on one's wedding day is considered good luck in some cultures!

We had a hoot of a time with our nocturnal friends...

... Before the mood turned sombre at the Frederick Clegg Tribute:

By this time our tummies were positively growling and our expedition had turned into a joke-fest. But after a few more displays we finally got to the exhibit that everyone who visits the museum comes to see...

Tremendously pleased with our visit but absolutely famished, we headed for Westfield where I got something healthy (which I stuffed into my gob, too hungry to even think about capturing it on film) and James got this mouthwatering delicacy from Snag Stand. It's called the 'Australia Fare' - beef and tomato sausage on a toasted brioche roll with sauteed onions, cheddar cheese and Beerenberg tomato sauce. The fries are 100% Tasmanian Russet potatoes with natural sea salt flakes. This is the best sausage and fries you're ever going to experience!

A wander through the city with an inevitable stop at the bookstore and we decided to make our way home. Even in the pouring rain, Sydney is such a stunning city. Our trip to the museum meant we got to walk through Hyde Park on our way back to the car. What a gorgeous scene! A beautiful way to end the day, don't you think?

 

...What did you get up to this weekend? Did you have to contend with torrential rain or did the weather permit lots of fun outdoorsy activities?