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Published: February 16th 2008
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Sydney: February 9 and 10, 2008
What a glorious city! We were so fortunate to be docked right at Circular Quay directly across from the Opera House. Our disembarkation in Sydney required an inspection of everyone’s passport, which meant that everyone aboard had to report to the lounge, get our passport, and file past customs officials, flash our passport, exit the lounge, and return our passport to the ship staff. Of course there were a couple of people who didn’t come when told, so we all had to wait to go ashore until they showed up. When we finally cleared, we four headed for the Opera House to get our tickets for the evening’s performance of La Boheme.
We walked around the Quay past many shops, cafes, and ferry boats to arrive about twenty minutes later at our destination. It was a drizzly day, but not really an unpleasant walk. The lobby area teemed with tourists - some waiting for tours and others in line for tickets. Bruce and Brigid left us for a tour, and we picked up the tickets since we had seen the building before. It is probably the most impressive modern building we have ever seen. It looks from a distance like the sails, or shells, are solid when actually they consist of small tiles. Inside, the architect didn’t consider access for the handicapped since there is only one elevator from the stage door and it only goes part way up to the first lobby of the main theater. However, they are now in the process of putting in elevators and escalators for easier access. It is definitely impressive and beautiful.
On leaving, we went down to the lowest level when we got outside, and walked along the harbor under cover, passing still more cafes and shops as we searched for a restaurant for our pre-opera dinner. Of course the Opera House Restaurant was booked, as were all of the cafes nearby since there were five venues taking place that evening. We continued our walk passing many ferries going to the zoo, the aquarium, Bondi Beach, and several towns across the bay. This is a very busy port with many sail boats and yachts in addition to the ferries and water taxis. All public transportation is very accessible to tourists as well as commuters. On/off busses take people all over the city during the day, as do trains and monorails and the people are so helpful with directions making travel easy.
When we got back to the Rocks area near the ship, we found a strip of restaurants overlooking the bay and the Harbor Bridge. About three years ago when we were here last, we ate at one of them and enjoyed it. So, we were able to make reservations at Wolfie’s Grill(no connection with the Florida Wolfie’s!) for an early dinner giving us time to take a cab to the theater. The six of us had a good dinner, a great waiter, and a nice start to the evening. We took two cabs, arriving in plenty of time to begin the long climb to our “nose bleed” seats at almost the top of the theater. As I said before, there is no elevator past the lobby level (about), and our door was #25, giving you some idea of the height. As we neared the top, the stair turned right, then a flight to the left, and another to the left, and finally our door. Our seats were in the middle section where the acoustics were wonderful and the view perfect, albeit a wee bit high. The climb was indeed worth it once the opera began, and we all had a very memorable evening.
The next day we boarded a bus for a trip to the Blue Mountains, a range of hills about an hour out of Sidney. On the way to the mountains we stopped at Olympic Village, the site of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I guess there is always the question of what one does with an Olympic Village once the Olympics are over. Well, the Aussies are doing their best to utilize the stadiums and pools and courts by holding sporting events and concerts in some of them. Many corporations are building offices and hotels because facilities are readily available for meetings and conferences. The grounds are well maintained and everything is still in good condition. It was an interesting place to see.
Then it was off to the mountains which really aren’t mountains, but rather more like large hills. When we got to the lookout point, the views were more like looking at a canyon as we looked down into the cliffs and valley. There is a haze over the valley giving a bluish hue to the area at times. Hence the name. We then stopped at a little village for lunch before our next stop. From there we headed for the cable car. Actually, we went on two types of cars. The area had been a coal mine and the tracks used to haul coal up the mountain were kept and they use them now for tourist rides down a steep drop(the steepest drop in the southern hemisphere, they claim) to a platform leading to a walk through a rain forest. We walked through this temperate rain forest to the cable car stop which took us back to the top of the mountain. It was really fun and we had some beautiful vistas in the process. We said goodbye to the Blue Mountains and returned to the ship, traveling over the Harbor Bridge on the way back, and another view of the ship, harbor, and Opera House. Oh, by the way, we did see several people climbing the bridge. Don’t know how they do it!
We skipped dinner in the dining room that night to go up to the Lido deck and watch the sail away. I must say, this was by far the most spectacular sight of all as we passed the Opera House at night with its lights shining and “sails” looking very proud and stately. It was unforgettable! Now its on to Melbourne.
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