TB and I started our morning with the chocolate breakfast - mocha lattes and pastries... then got Phil and began walking to the Opera House to see it "up close and personal" the tiles that make up the "sails" are an incredible engineering/design feat....
after exploring the Opera House we head toward the Botanical Garden- you will recall that I didn't really insist on the garden in Wellington because I knew we would probably want to do the one here in Sydney- especially since it wasn't closed Christmas Day (not ever assuming the weather would be so bad we couldn't tour the garden)- but Phil really didn't want to walk around the garden he really didn't want to walk around outside - he wanted to go to the museum (neither TB nor I were all that interested in Aboriginal stuff) and he wanted to go to the zoo - which was for all intents and purposes in another state- a ferry ride away and then some... so he was in a mood and sat on the steps at the opera house while TB and I explored the tile work. Then the three of us compromised and decided to take the little train around the gardens - thereby sort of touring them in about 35 minutes. TB wanted to do the Hyde Park Barracks and I wanted to walk around the Rocks residential areas and take some photos... so we had lunch along the quay and then split up for the afternoon...
here are some photos of the day which started with my heading to the roof top to take another round of photos-
you can see the streets are wet and things are still quite dreary from the horrible Christmas Day weather - but it had actually stopped raining as we left the hotel- and headed to the breakfast chocolate shop where TB and I had become "regulars"
we walked along the circular quay past the Sydney Anish Kapoor installation- and while I like the Kapoor in Chicago (Cloud Gate) better this is an excellent example of his reflective and always changing work-
if you google "anish kapoor sculpture" you can see some images of his other amazing works-
the blue sky was finally starting to peek through as we arrived at the Opera House- to see the tiles close up...
have I mentioned that in 1999 TB and I went to Peru with a friend who now lives in Sydney and that she planned out a wonderful week's itinerary? (which of course we couldn't complete in two and a half days - LOL)
oh and before we get to the Opera House I want to mention how I became obsessed with the Luna Park under the Harbor Bridge- I wanted a close up of the big face but we didn't have time for going over there- so I tried pretty much everywhere to get an unobstructed view at a steady enough hold to pull it out of a much larger shot-
OK I am going to stop with the Luna Park photos - and next time - and there will be a next time- I am going to plan enough time to actually GO to the park---
but back to the Opera House- the sails- the tiles--- etc.
I had commented to TB on the first day that it was weird to me that the roof looked "beige" from across the quay - especially in certain light and when we got up close I understood completely- the tiles are not all bright white and they are not all reflective- and of course I have lots and lots of photos for you to experience it yourself - LOL
the design came to the creator when he sectioned an orange (or so the story goes...)
the view from the Opera House Terrace and one of the paper holder in the WC (LOL)
on to the Botanical Garden-
Probably the very best view of the Harbor Bridge with the Opera House came from a point out at the Botanical Garden- wish this was a tad clearer but it was taken from a moving train-
and it also gave us a wonderful view of the city skyline-
Now on to lunch before we split for our own touring- TB to Barracks - me to the other side of The Rocks and Phil to Internet and napping... after a bad night's sleep. We found a place along the circular quay where TB had an opera house themed drink (LOL) and we had various items for lunch but the only one I have a picture of is the arancini- who knows why....
so for the remainder of the day's photos I am going to do another post - as this one has gotten quite long...
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