A Landmark Weekend!
Like most other backpackers/tourists the first thing we did on arriving in Sydney was to drop of our bags and head to Circular Quay to see the iconic views the harbour has to offer. It is possible to while away many a hour down at Circular Quay and still not tire of the spectacular architecture of the opera house and the bare-faced cheek of the Aussie’s for stealing the Tyne Bridge and claiming it as there own ;0)! Just for the record – Chris has enjoyed mentioning this lesser known fact to nearly every taxi driver we have happened to meet with his tone varying from jovial to dead serious depending on the amount of Schooners he has consumed!.
From our first visit to the Quay we wanted to see the inside of the opera house but were not satisfied with embarking on one of the daily information tours – we wanted to see it being put to its purpose as a concert hall! So last friday we marked our ten year anniversary (yes I know – you get less for murder these days!!) with a trip to the Opera House to see ‘Showstoppers’ – hits from Broadway musicals – but not before we had a slap up meal in one of the many restaurants which flank the harbour. The meal which was delicious proved to be the first course to a great night out.
The opera house itself is absolutely stunning when the sun is shining but one of our first observations was the tiles used to cover the famous sails are not all that disimilar from those found in a swimming pool changing room (and as you all know……I know my swimming pools!). That said when the sun is shining you are unable to notice the tiles due to the sublime glow the opera house emits.
Compared to the magnitude and beauty of the curves the outside view of the opera offers the inside is a bit of a let dwon to be honest (but please realise that is both a relative and personal opinion). The inside is largely constructed from concrete and wooden panelling and exudes a certain kitsch feel however it was not enough to detract from that overwhelming feeling that we were stood inside of ‘The Sydney Harbour Opera House’.
We took our seats and the show began and what a show! I absolutely love musicals and sat throughout with the cheesiest grin permanently painted on my face as they sang classics such as ‘I could have danced all night’ from My Fair Lady, ‘My Favourite Things’ from The Sound of Music and some of our favourites in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (me) and ‘We Will Rock You’ (Chris). The Sydney Syphonic Orchestra literally sent shivers up my spine as they reached a crescendo and the singers and dancers were excellent leaving me upset when the show finished!
Now those of you that know us both will know that the night did not finish there – Oh no! the night was still but young! We moved a stone throw away to ‘The Opera bar’ and met up with a young couple of newly weds from Cwmbran who we later enjoyed a few drinks with in ‘The Cross’. The Cross is the locals name for Kings Cross which is Sydneys red light district which also gives rise to many late bars.
The next day could only be more subdued with a visit to Sydney’s Botannical gardens, where Chris was bit by a Cockatoo – unsurprising really when he put his hand by its mouth!. Fortunately it was only a cockatoo and not one of the many oversized fruitbats which reside in the trees in the botannical gardens.
During teh week Chris had learned that a rare Malaysian plant had flowered in the tropical centre so we took the opportunity to see the ‘Titan Arum’ first hand. With its huge flowering structure and its single immense leaf, it certainly is a giant among plants, as its name suggests. Coupled with its characteristic foul stench (which is said to resemble rotting animals inorder to attract insects and thus encourage pollenation), and the rarity of flowerings, this plant has attracted headline in Sydney. The plant itself only flowers every few years and then only for 3 days, but we were unfortunately (or thankfully depending on how you view it!) too late to experience the smell!
Having worked up an appetite walking around we headed into the best sounding of Sydney’s suburbs – Woolloomooloo! – whoever named it is simply genius (I have a hunch it could be Aboriginal because most of the best sounding places tend to be! Another fave is Wagga Wagga!). Woolloomooloo is home to the famous Harry’s Cafe De Wheels. Yes Pete we finally made it! and thanks for the recommendation! Harry’s Cafe De Wheels is a pie kiosk which has grown into a famous Sydney institution which has for decades served all-comers outside Garden Island Navy Base…….and the pies….Delicious! If ever any of you are in Sydney this is a must! The pies come with mash, mushy peas and gravy piled high on top….Harry was certainly another genius!
Tired we returned back to our flat (aka ‘the shop’) to find Donnie and Jen had kindly bought us tickets to the Great Britain v Australia Tri-Nations Rugby League match (thanks again guys!) that evening to thank us for putting them up for a few days. I am now somewhat slightly ashamed that we went along expecting to get a pasting by the Kangaroos (we have learnt our lesson and will not be basing our opinion on the Aussie sporting media again) but were able to witness a fantastic match and Great Britain showing true grit to battle to a 23 – 13 victory of the Kangaroos. Go the Lions!! Grrrr! Bring on the Ashes!
After one of the hottest Octobers in history Sydney weather has taken a turn over the last week and the rain on Sunday put the kibosh on the Manly coastal walk we had planned for Sunday. Instead we did what any self-respecting Geordies (obviously I am speaking for the others here!) would do and bought the Sunday papers and retreated to the nearest bar to raise our glasses to a great weekend!
Tags: Australia, Opera House, Oz, Sydney
Chris and Charl
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