Gallivanting Grandma

Friday – November 23, 2018

Jeff and I rode public transportation and walked all over the city of Sydney during our two weeks here.  We obtained Opal cards and put some money on them to have access to all the buses, trains, ferries, and light-rail trams all over the city. The cost of transportation depended on the distance. Most ferry rides were about six Australian dollars. The trains and trams were just a couple of Aussie dollars. Great public transportation system!

The main commercial street down the center of Sydney is George Street.  Most of the street was closed to traffic because a light-rail tram system was being built.  I’d love to come back and see it in action.

Sydney is developed with modern high-rise office and apartment buildings.  A few original sand-stone buildings are still standing as a reminder of Sydney’s elegant Victorian British roots.  The Strand Arcade is one of those original buildings.  Today the Strand houses Australian high-end boutiques, tailors and dressmakers, a custom shoe manufacturer, a bridal salon, art gallery, jewelers, a chocolatier, and several restaurants.

At the other end of the commercial shopping spectrum was Market City.  This was a low-end marketplace with outlet stores, a supermarket, Paddy’s Market filled with inexpensive tourist souvenirs, and an Asian food-court.

Did I mention the Australian White Ibis?  They’re everywhere, like giant pigeons or our sparrows, picking up bits of food dropped by careless people.  Their heads, tails, and feet are black and their bodies are off-white or light gray, so I don’t know how they were named.

Buskers were at all the prime tourist locations.  The young man playing the didgeridoo in the photo below was near the train station on Circular Quay. He was very good!

Tuesday – November 20, 2018

We had read about “The Blue Mountains” which are located about two hours west of Sydney.  We left early in the morning and took the train from Central Station to the town of Katoomba.

The mountains get their blue hue from the droplets of oil in the air from the native eucalyptus trees.  We took a bus from Katoomba to a tourist area called Scenic World which offered multiple ways to view the mountains.  There was a cable car to go down into the valley to experience the Rainforest.

In the cablecar, we passed the rock formation called “The Three Sisters” and heard several different legends about the famous siblings.

We walked along the wooden walkways on the floor of the Rainforest.  Unfortunately, there’s been a longterm drought in the region and the forest wasn’t very moist.  I guess we were lucky it wasn’t raining.  There was a variety of rainforest trees which was very interesting.  Coal mining was the main commodity here about a century ago.

Scenic World reminded me of an amusement park with several “rides” to go over, under, in, and around the nearby mountains and valleys.  At the other end of the Rainforest walkway, we took the Scenic Railway back up to the top of the mountain.  It was like a short fast roller coaster ride.  But we went up backwards!  I imagine going down might be very scary!

Scenic World was crowded with multi-generational families.  Later, we rode across another deep gorge in a giant cablecar that held 75 people.  The floor of the car opened during its passage to reveal the tops of the trees below.

Later in the late afternoon, we caught a bus to take us to the train station to return to Sydney.  We decided to take the train from the nearby town of Leura on the same railroad line.  The Leura post office was decorated for Christmas, but with 70 degree temperatures, it doesn’t feel like Christmas!  It was a fun day and gave us a chance to see the region outside Sydney.

Sunday – November 18, 2018

We were very lucky to get tickets to an afternoon performance of the Australian Chamber Orchestra.  They played two of our favorite Beethoven pieces in the magnificent Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

We attended a pre-concert lecture given by Francis Merson who was the former editor of an Australian classical music magazine. The lecture was held in the “North Foyer” overlooking beautiful Sydney Harbor.

It was an excellent talk about Beethoven’s life and Mr. Merson explained the story of the two pieces: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and the beautiful 5th Symphony.  After the lecture, we had enough time to find our seats in the concert hall.

I was surprised that there were seat behind the orchestra and on both sides.  I don’t know what the sound would be like in those areas.  This is a photo I took from our seats facing the orchestra.  This is the largest concert hall at the SOH with more than 2,000 seats.

Another surprise was that the musicians of the Chamber Orchestra stood up during the entire performance (except the cellists).  The conductor was Richard Tognetti who played the violin while conducting.  It was an incredible performance!  And a real treat!

This is a view of the city of Sydney looking from the Opera House.  There was a different cruise ship in the harbor every other day.

The Opera House at night:

Saturday – November 17, 2018

We’re having a great time in Sydney we and love exploring this dynamic city. It’s too bad Australia is so far from home. It’s a wonderful city to visit. Our hotel is located in the historic “Rocks” district so we learned about the redeveloped waterfront neighborhood. High-end modern shops and restaurants in the old buildings:

“The Rocks” was the original 19th century port of Sydney filled with commercial sailing ships, whaling vessels, and ferries.  It flourished with warehouses, chandleries, and houses for dock workers.  One side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was built in 1932, is anchored in the Rocks.

Everyday, we saw people climb the steps to reach the top of the Bridge in all kinds of weather. There are 1,332 steps to the top. Climbers wear special suits and harnesses. It must be a fantastic view!  We were NOT tempted to do the climb.

Climbers are not allowed to take any personal belongings with them, including cameras. Guides take photos of the adventurers at the top of the bridge. I would be very frustrated not to have my camera.

On Saturdays and Sundays the end of George Street was closed to traffic and a fun weekend market was set up.  They sold everything from jewelry, masks, juice, food, soap products, craft beer, tee-shirts, corn on the cob, clothes, and tourist souvenirs.

Face painting at the market:

It was spring in Australia so the beautiful blue Jacaranda trees were in bloom everywhere.  This one was in a narrow alleyway between buildings in the Rocks:

There were many good restaurants, cafes, and boutiques in the historic buildings:

Warm weather brought out musicians working for donations:

People rested on comfortable bean-chairs on the ground while they enjoyed the music:

This fellow always attracted a crowd:

This is a birds-eye view of the Rocks along the approach to the bridge:

Sunset beyond the Sydney Harbour Bridge:

Friday – November 16, 2018

People told us that Australian weather was unpredictable and it changes quickly, so I carried an umbrella & rain jacket in my daypack. This morning was a lovely 68 degrees with large puffy clouds rolling against a bright blue sky.  We really like Sydney and are having fun exploring. We’re gradually working down our list of “Things to Do in Sydney.”

We passed Sydney’s Public Library:

We walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens.  I love botanical gardens and I could spend many days exploring the beautifully landscaped scenery and reading the signs that identify Australian plants and trees.  This goes back to my youth in the Bronx because my grandparents lived within walking distance of the N.Y. Botanical Gardens.  My brother and I spent many summer days wandering around the Gardens, admiring beautiful native and non-native trees and plants.

A gorgeous Banyan tree:

Australia has an incredible diversity of unusual vegetation.

This was the entrance to a special exhibit of carnivorous plants.  It was called, “Plants That Bite!”

On the other side of the Botanical Gardens is the Art Gallery of New South Wales.  This is Sydney’s major art museum with exhibits from around the world, including Aboriginal art.

Neither the Botanical Gardens or the Art Gallery charged an admittance fee.  All public museums in Sydney were free, but sometimes there was a charge to see special exhibits.

The exterior of the Gallery was neo-classic Australian sandstone, but the interior of the building was quite modern.  Contemporary art was displayed next to classic works.

It was a treat to see Aboriginal art and learn that recognition was given to the artists.

We spent several hours exploring the Art Gallery and saw a variety of artistic works.

On our way out of the Gallery, we saw a pair of colorful birds perched on a wire.  They’re native to the state of New South Wales and the city of Sydney.