Day trip to the city of Sydney, for Christmas vibes.

First stop Central Station, end of the line, after almost two hours on the Newcastle/City x-press train with just three stops throughout the journey. Christmas spirit was happening here at Central, with a band playing at one end and Christmas carols being sung. Santa walked around with an elf -helper too. We stopped for that much needed dose of caffeine, listened to the music some distance away, and watched the world go by. Seeming like a long way from home for the moment, it was great to be able to sit and observe....

How beautiful the old stained-glass windows don't you think?

Finished our coffee and managed to dodge many marauding pigeons who had hoped for a handout (we weren't eating), and off now down the escalators and then up again, to one of many platforms, this one for the City Circle train to take us one stop further along, to the historic Queen Victoria Building.

On the level we entered ... many windows decorated alike to this one.

More, exquisite stained-glass windows.

Standing right underneath the magnificent Swarovski Christmas tree. The 'white' centre is the trunk full of glistening crystals. This tree is adorned with beautiful Swarovski crystal candles, big ones all around the outside of it; each individual candle has big crystals hanging from it. The tree starts on the basement level and reaches up to the top .... floor, and the ipoh Corporate News tells all about this being the largest Swarovski Christmas tree in the world.

On another level now.

Now inside the new Myer mall/Westfields.

Beautiful cascading neon lights.

This photo taken whilst coming down the escalator.

It was indeed time for caffeine injection again! My friend and myself had walked our legs off all day on hard tiled and marbled floors. We hadn't expected our flat-whites would come in super-duper sized bowls like this! Lovely treats were well deserved we decided, a fruit tart and a lemon tart with ..I think it had crushed pistachios around it - that was mine.

Further reading if you like; my Helium article here, tells some of Christmas in Australia (from a nature-lovers point of view).