Part 2 of the AFL Grand Finals series! WOO HOO! I felt so excited about going to watch the Grand Finals! Literally couldn't sleep the whole night, and was up early on the day of the Grand Finals.
Before I start talking about the amazing Grand Finals experience, here're some pics of the sunset I saw, after walking around the purple Cappuccino Strip.
It was very cloudy that day, and I could only see tiny bits of the sky. Decided to hang around to watch the sunset anyway, and happened to spot a couple cuddling by the beach. How romantic!
Low tide for now...but check out the gorgeous purple-blue clouds! Fortunately it didn't rain that day.
Then the dramatic waves started coming in. I actually didn't want to get my feet wet, so everytime I saw the waves coming in, I had to dodge! Fortunately there was lots of seaweed on the shores...
The seaweed was really useful in providing more drama to the pics though!
Decided to go a bit further out onto the beach for more pics. And that was when my feet got splashed by an unexpectedly large wave crashing against the shore! It was freezing cold!! I didn't expect that the next wave would be equally large, so my feet got splashed twice.
But being close to the sea actually paid off! Had to stand really still (despite being splashed twice) though!
What I like most about these pics - the purple-blue clouds...so beautiful! Made me feel as if the whole of Fremantle was cheering the Dockers on, even the clouds!
The big waves kinda subsided and I saw some smaller waves...and then more big waves came in! These were way bigger than what I had just experienced...and soaked my jeans thoroughly! The water went above my ankles, and there I was, standing in the quicksand.
Decided to edit one of the bigger waves and make it black-and-white...and I kinda like the effect!
There was a little girl who spotted me going near the waves, and decided to do the same too! But she was so adamant on keeping her feet dry, that she ran away when the waves were just about to crash onto shore!
One more pic of the beach (and the waves!) just as the skies started getting darker, and I decided it was time to call it a day and go for dinner.
I was craving so badly for paella. Fortunately the Fremantle Markets were open, so I went in for some! Tried chicken and chorizo paella and it was SO GOOD...
Now I need more paella again...maybe I should go again next week!
Dessert? Well - hot chocolate as usual! Although I overdid it and had too much in one night.
Went to Fremantle bright and early next morning, and people were starting to get themselves hyped up for the AFL Grand Finals! There were really long queues outside the pubs...as people wanted to get good views of the giant screens. No traffic was allowed in here, and buses had to stop just before the Cappuccino Strip. Some people were also grabbing quick lunches, while I decided to take my time and have a good lunch.
The organisers for the event had arranged for three giant screens to be set up in various parts of Fremantle (two were along the Cappuccino Strip). We saw the first one...but too many people were crowded around it and there was no way where we could get a good view!
Went to the other side of the first big screen, and realised that there was another screen set up! Equally crowded, but I managed to get a good spot towards the front. And that gave me a good view of the giant sea of purple and white...
During the march-in of players, some fans were more enthusiastic than others...and were leading the crowd in cheering for the Dockers.
And check out the view from where I was! Pretty amazing. I could see the whole match without having to strain my eyes or stand. Spent half the match standing and half the match sitting.
The Dockers were - of course - scoring quite a number of goals...especially in the third quarter! That was when the entire crowd went wild!! Lots of screaming and stuff. And there was someone in the crowd, who was really keen on leading us in a massive cheer. Others waved flags and balloons.
There were a number of diehard Dockers supporters behind me, and they went absolutely nuts whenever the Dockers kicked a goal. Lots of different facial expressions here!
Every now and then I'd spot an inflatable ball being thrown into the crowd - especially when the Dockers scored a goal or a "behind". People would pass the ball around. At one point it did reach me, and I had to pass it on.
The fight was very, very intense. Unfortunately the Dockers didn't win (and we were all really disappointed). Nevertheless, they did a really good job in attempting to narrow the score gap! And they did really well in the game anyway.
A lady from the TV station came up to some of the supporters to interview them, and unsurprisingly, many of them were pretty unhappy. The boys who were sitting behind me earlier (i.e. the diehard Dockers supporters) were literally sitting with their heads in their hands...in dismay. Poor dudes. They wanted the Dockers to win so badly.
People then started clearing the area. If the Dockers did win, I was anticipating a massive party here in Freo, with lots of drinking and so on. Unfortunately the massive party didn't happen, so most people went off for lunch instead.
When I was going home on the bus, the whole bus was literally filled with people in purple and white. Every restaurant I went to - there'd be lots of people in purple and white. Gosh!
After the madness had simmered down, I went for some pasta at Cicerello's, as I was very hungry from all the yelling and cheering.
Walked around Bather's Beach for a while, and took pics with this gorgeous sculpture here. She was more than happy to have pics with us...I think! She's always sitting alone...poor lady...
It was so sunny when the footy was on. Now it was cloudy. As if the skies were unhappy about the game. Anyway, I did see some sunlight peeking through, so - every cloud does have a silver lining after all! Maybe the Dockers will have a comeback next year!
Walked around the Maritime Museum and O'Connor's Landing area before heading back.....to let my food digest so that I wouldn't feel so bloated.
