Fifth day in a land down under

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge 

Sometimes, gambles do pay off.

We had waited since arriving in Sydney on Boxing Day for just the right time to visit the city's iconic harbor, and thus see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. Five days into our trip, the weather gods rewarded us for our patience. On the eve of New Year's Eve, this is the scene that greeted us from our hotel room window:

It was a short bus ride down to the waterfront, and immediately we headed toward the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge:

Getting closer to the arch:

Our first look at the Sydney Opera House:

Getting ready to enter the Pylon Lookout Museum:

Some stats: the bridge is 134 meters/440 feet high, 1149 meters/3770 feet long, 49 meters/161 feet wide and weighs 52,800 tonnes/58,202 tons, making it the largest and heaviest steel arch bridge in the world. It took 1400 workers nine years to complete the structure, finally opening to the public in 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression. Construction cost the lives of 16 men:

The center pin:

The views from the pylon's observation deck:

It's possible to ascend the arc on the BridgeClimb, but we didn't see anyone doing so on this Saturday morning. Either it was too early, or the arch was being prepped for the following evening's fireworks extravaganza:

We took our time on the bridge, before descending and making our way down to the waterfront:

The views from Dawes Point Park:

Looking towards Campbell's Storehouses, dating from 1839:

Breaking for lunch at The Squire's Landing, located by the Overseas Passenger Terminal, where one multistorey luxury cruise ship, the Brilliance of the Seas, was docked:

Time for some Australian barbecue, in the form of the Smoked BBQ Brisket:

The restaurant is named after legendary Australian brewer (and First Fleet convict) James Squire:

Following our meal we started strolling around the Circular Quay. The 1816 Cadman's Cottage was closed; my wife was more interested in the skywriter hard at work overhead (someone apparently loves someone else):

The 1845 Customs House:

There were some interesting design touches on the entranceway floor:

Shu-E then suggested we partake in a boat ride around the harbor. I was expecting a leisurely sightseeing cruise, but instead I found myself with the girls on a jet boat:

This was what the ride entailed:

Surprisingly, my heart took the jolts and jumps in stride. It was the contents of my stomach that objected to the excitement afterwards:

It wasn't that hard having a Gaytime on my own:

And now the Sydney Opera House. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, it's arguably Australia's most recognizable image. Supposedly inspired by billowing sails, Mayan temples and palm fronds, construction began in 1959. Costs, delays, egos and politics led to Uzon quitting in 1966, and it wasn't until 1973 when the project was finally completed. The architect died in 2008, having never seen his finished masterpiece in the flesh:

The Brilliance of the Seas headed out of the harbor as we made our way through the crowds:

The structure is composed of 1,056,000 cream-colored Swedish tiles:

There are five performance spaces for concerts, dance, opera and theater:

Staff in the restaurant were getting ready for the evening dinner crowd:

I really hope she doesn't know what that means:

It was getting late in the afternoon, so we caught the train two stops to Museum Station:

Exiting the station put us back in the area around the Queen Victoria Building:

The interior of the 1898 High Victorian Gothic shopping center:

For dinner we went Japanese at a restaurant called Nazimi:

Yuzu cocktail in hand, and looking back on a very enjoyable day:

New Year's Eve wasn't until the following evening, yet Ted was already thoroughly trashed:

Stopping in at a Metro supermarket on the way back to the hotel:

It doesn't take much effort to Google lists of the world's most overrated tourist attractions (such as this one). But I would be very surprised to find the bridge and/or the opera house included on any of them (and if I did, I would seriously question the motives of the compiler). I can honestly state with all the smug satisfaction that I can conjure up that it was most definitely worth waiting for the perfect day.

And for that, I salute you, Sydney!:

On to New Year's Eve...

Next up on the Sydney playlist: