This morning we had a delicious breakfast in the hotel. There was the usual breakfast items, but in addition, they featured pork dumplings, stir fried noodles, and congee. There is a large Asian presence in the city. 

After breakfast, we visited the iconic Sydney Opera House for a private tour.  Groundbreaking for this magnificent structure began on March 1, 1959 and was completed in 1973.  The opera house is the home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theater Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and others.

It was designed by Jorn Utzon, but completed by Peter Hall due to circumstances that overshadowed the building of the opera house, causing Utzon to be forced out and resign. Sadly, he never returned to Australia to see his design completed, but he did live long enough to see it named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Our tour guide explained how the structure was built.  It features a series of over 900,000 precast concrete shells forming the roofs. It is supported on concrete piers that sink at least 82 feet into the ground. The shells are not all white (ice), but also include beige colored ones (cream) so the overall look from the distance is not stark white and instead becomes “ice cream” colored. 

We were very fortunate that there were no rehearsals going on in the different concert theaters so we got to see the Joan Sutherland Theater where Opera Australia as well as the Australian Ballet perform.  Interestingly, the floor where the ballerinas perform is made with a special Tarkett floor which gives slightly so the ballerinas do not injure their legs when they perform. And often, the stage managers mop the floor with classic Coca Cola  to make the surface sticky so the dancers’ shoes will stick better and they won’t slide. 

Beautiful red carpet, a royal color, leads the way to the Sutherland Theater, but into the concert hall, there is a purple carpet leading the way.  Although purple is a royal color as well, it is considered bad luck by many musicians. When Pavorotti came to sing at the concert hall, he refused to go in and so they had to move everything to a different hall, one without any hint of purple. 

There are what look like large petals hanging from the ceiling in the concert hall that can be moved in different ways to reflect sound back to the musicians so they can hear better.  

The opera house is just beautiful and we enjoyed learning all about it from our guide. It is well worth seeing the inside and of course marveling at the iconic outside, as it sits perched on the water. 

We then met another guide who walked us all through The Rocks District. The Rocks is the oldest historical district in Sydney and was originally a slum with very squalid conditions. The bubonic plague broke out at one point causing thousands of homes to be demolished. 

We walked through the “Nurses Walk” which runs into the “Suez Canal”, a narrow passageway where sewage actually flowed through, hence “Sewers” canal.  The canal was later filled in and became a haven for prostitutes and gangsters. Today, the Rocks is a thriving neighborhood with cafes, restaurants, and boutique shops and is lovely to wander through the narrow lanes that wind throughout. 

We enjoyed lunch and then took a long walk through the botanical gardens with another guide who was a First Nations member.  First Nations’ recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the sovereign people of the land. She told us about her life and customs, many of which we had already learned about in Port Douglas, but she was very interesting and we enjoyed the talk as well as touring the gardens. 

The heavens opened up at one point with thunder and lightning, so we made our way to the cultural center where she showed us many artifacts indigenous to her culture. 

I want to mention that whenever we take a flight in Australia, begin to listen to a lecture, or begin a tour of an historical area, the Aboriginal people are honored with these words: “We respect and honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions, and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on this land and we commit to building a brighter future together”. This is usually followed by a moment of silence. 

Allan and I had a quick bite to eat and then we took an Uber over to the Handa Opera House on Sydney Bay to see West Side Story in the open air overlooking the bay. 

We had fabulous center seats since I purchased them months ago, and it was a sold out performance, so I was happy to have purchased tickets so far in advance. 

It was a beautiful moonlit night with mild temperatures, although we were dressed warmly which we appreciated as the evening wore on and the breeze over the water picked up. 

The sets were amazing, the singers spectacular, and the dancing choreography was unbelievable. The actor who sang Tony’s part was our favorite. His voice was beautiful as he sang Maria. Fireworks went off at one point during the show which was wonderful!  

We had purchased platinum club tickets for intermission which was to include drinks and appetizers, but that was a waste of money. The wine was awful and we were only offered two measley appetizers along with a cookie. 

The show was well worth the price and we Ubered back to the hotel with the iconic tunes to the musical swirling around in our heads until we climbed into bed. 

It was a fabulous day. 

Flying into Sydney

Sydney’s beautiful skyscrapers

The iconic bridge

Inside the opera house

An amazing architectural feat

The ice and cream colors

The purple carpet

Spectacular!

Botanical gardens

Art museum. ….Michael Angelo??? Too funny!

The stage

A friend took this photo. Gorgeous!