Daily Photo – Early Morning on George Street

I was up early. I don’t know why, I just was. So, with time to spare before I had to be anywhere of note, I went for a walk in the city centre. I’d half expected it to be filled with delivery vans coming and going from the various establishments that lined the main street, while baristas and bakers prepared for an early morning onset of locals wanting a fix of coffee and something made of pastry to start the day. But I was wrong. There was hardly a soul around. A few enthusiastic souls passed on their way to a nearby gym, moving with that purposeful stride, yet apart from them, the city was remarkably quiet. The entire place had the look of a place that wasn’t sure it wanted to be awake yet, as though it had been nudged from a perfectly good dream and was now blinking at the day in mild protest.

As I moved down the street, the sun began to peek over the rooftops, sending soft, warm light across the buildings opposite. It caught the glass frontage of the Wall Street Mall, and the pale façades along the street glowed gently, their details becoming clearer as the light moved down the walls. There was a calmness to the place. Shop windows stood still and silent. Even the plants along the street seemed to be taking their time. It felt like a small moment of peace in the middle of the city, a reminder that some of the best views happen long before the crowds arrive.