Art Gallery of New South Wales

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After mass last night at the cathedral, Maggie and I walked to the subway station and saw a number of Sydney's big fruit bats flying by. (See photo) It is hard to tell in this picture, but these grey-headed flying foxes can have a wingspan of up to three feet. They are perfectly harmless to humans, but present an eerie sight as they soar by 10-20 feet above your head. We took the subway back to Circular Quay to the same cafe/restaurant where we started the day. We had a light supper and watched the crowds of people strolling by and the ferries coming and going. (See photo) This morning we did some strolling ourselves. We walked the length of the pedestrian street known as Martin Place. This is a stretch we have walked frequently in the past and we enjoyed seeing the familiar sights. One of our favorites is "Il Porcellino", a statue of a boar that is a replica of the original one in Florence, Italy. (See Photo) Our destination today was the Art Gallery of New South Wales, i.e. the art museum. Maggie and I have always enjoyed this particular museum, especially the works by Australian artists, both Aboriginal and of European descent. There is a very fine restaurant in the museum with gorgeous views over to the harbor. (It is our second favorite restaurant in Sydney.) We ordered a carafe of white wine and had a rather expensive lunch. (See photo of spatchcock (me) and sirloin steak (Maggie). Both were excellent. Not pictured is the chocolate tart with salted caramel for dessert. Yummy.) It was well worth the expense because we enjoyed ourselves AND we supported the museum which has no admission charge nor even a suggested donation. After lunch we looked at some of the contemporary galleries, but I always find these harder to appreciate. Rain is predicted in Sydney for the next several days. New South Wales can always use the water, but the weather will dictate what Maggie and I do. I will let you know what that is in my next blog!

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