February 10 – 11, 2015
We arrived at Sydney at dawn and, believe it or not, both of
us were up to greet her. Due to the smaller size of this ship, we were docked
right downtown and we had easy walking access to almost everything. The
Circular Quay harbor is busy with constant ferry traffic, so we had both a
lovely view of the opera house and a constant source of entertaining comings
and goings from our veranda.
Day one we took a tour of the general area visiting all the
neighborhoods and the famous Bondi Beach, ending with a tour of the opera
house. A few tidbits:
- · A certain pub, the Hero of Waterloo, in the historic Rocks district is built over a former jail and used to be a source of “recruits” for the American whaling ships.
- · Bondi Beach is not really the best beach in the area, but it is the closest to the city so is the most famous.
- · The Gap is a beautiful lookout point as well as the site of many suicides, in spite of the high fences and signs with help-line numbers.
The opera house is a performance venue as beautifully
designed inside – three performance areas with incredible acoustics and the flexibility
to accommodate any type of entertainment – as out. Our guide estimates that the
area receives an average of 25,000 visitors each day. In addition to the
performance venues, a wide array of food service, restaurants and bars extend
along the quay at the base of the Opera House. The famous roof is all ceramic tiles in a
variety of sizes and shapes.
When we finished our tour of the opera house, we walked a
short distance and enjoyed a delicious lunch of oysters followed by fish &
chips. The oyster selection included Pacific oysters and Sydney rock oysters.
We both preferred the Pacific oysters.
That night we walked back to the opera house to see a
performance of Madama Butterfly. Going on at the same time as to the opera in
the aptly named Joan Sutherland Theater, was a sold-out performance by a
comedian Billy Connelly in the 2,800-seat concert hall and a “bar/interactive
performance” in the 300-seat Studio. Plus, all of those restaurants and bars at
the base were packed.
Madama Butterfly was incredible – had me sniffling at the
end, even though I knew what was coming. Afterward we strolled back to the ship
along the quay – lovely evening in a lovely city.
For the more adventurous – like the two young men who sit at
the next table to ours in the dining room – there is the opportunity to climb
the harbor bridge. They did it at night and said the view was amazing. Note the climbers atop the bridge in this picture:
Day two we explored the districts near the harbor,
especially the Rocks – the oldest area in Sydney with a strong sense of
preservation in the face of attempts to build more modern structures with
harbor views. In addition to the lovely old buildings, there are lots of shops,
restaurants, and museums among the residences. We did some shopping, and just
enjoyed the vibe of this terrific city.
We are impressed with how clean it is, how
friendly the people are, and the pride the locals take in their city. Seems to
be lots of public transportation in addition to the ferries, and traffic
congestion seemed minimal. In among all the history and sidewalk cafes, we
stumbled onto a push-cart outside an office building where we enjoyed a
delicious lunch for only $20, compared to the $150 lunch we had on day one.
What really made it special was the young man who was working there. He
explained that all healthcare and other social services are free in Sydney and
that jobs like his pay over $20 per hour – a living wage even in this rather
expensive city. Also, in Australia the government fronts student loans for
university education and the loans need not be repaid until the borrower earns
enough to comfortably make payments. Hmmmm.
Museums abound here – the Museum of Contemporary Art was
just across the street from the ship in a beautiful modern structure. Sorry Christy,
we only visited the museum shop. Thoughts about good design graced this one street:
We only had two days. We probably could spend a month here
and not get bored. Sounds like a return visit might be added to the list of
things we want to do. For now, it's goodbye to Sydney.
Now we are sailing a rather choppy Tasmin Sea to
Melbourne, which we are told is even more spectacular than Sydney.
I've read that it costs almost $200 to climb the harbour bridge. When I was there it was free, but of course the guy I was with wouldn't do it, preferring to sit instead in a bar in the Rocks. They started charging later in the same year I went, or so I read. If you go to Melbourne, try to have dinner on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. It's an old tramcar that takes you around the city as you eat. It was a really cool experience.
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