Sydney Sightseeing Day 2

On Thursday, December 29, we embarked on a second sightseeing mission in the city. This time we started in the morning and were in the city at 10:30 am. The free guided walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, which we wanted to join, also started at 10:30 am and we were a few minutes late. We found the group in the park and simply joined them. Unfortunately, we didn't learn as much new information as we thought, because we are already quite familiar with Australian flora, but the walk was still nice. The garden is beautifully designed. It is all well maintained, there are great places to relax, several ponds, many different plants, and themed areas. However, the walk only covered a small part of it, so we explored more on our own. The walk ended around 11:30 am, even though it usually lasts 1.5 hours. But on this day, it was so hot that our guide made it a bit shorter. The sun wasn't shining, but it was very humid, and according to the weather forecast, it was 38°C.

After the guided walk, we walked to Macquaries Point, where you have a wonderful view of the harbor, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge. There is also Mrs Macquaries Chair, a bench in a rock with a view of the water, which was made in 1810 for the governor's wife. Because you have such a good view of the harbor from Macquaries Point, this place is also very popular for New Year's Eve. While we were walking there, preparations for New Year's Eve were already in full swing, with portable toilets, fences, and stalls being set up. The path down by the water was even closed because a VIP area with bars and grandstands was being built there.

After Macquaries Point, we walked through the botanical garden again, had lunch on a bench, then cooled off under a lawn sprinkler and walked to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which is right next to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Admission is free and you can admire Australian, Asian, and European art. There are rooms for different eras and the whole museum has 4 floors. There was a special exhibition on one floor that you had to pay for, but we could see everything else. And it was really interesting, we spent hours in the gallery! We saw everything from classical to modern and Aboriginal art. We also learned a bit of Asian calligraphy at an art school and there was a video installation by a German artist that was so well made and elaborate that we spent three-quarters of an hour just in those three video rooms! In the end, we were in the art gallery for so long that we abandoned our original plan to go to the Museum of Contemporary Art, as everything closes at 5. Instead, we went to St. Mary's Cathedral and looked at some of the oldest buildings in Sydney along Macquarie Street.

At around 5, we gathered at Martin Place because we had seen a poster there that a magician who had participated in Australia's Got Talent and was supposed to be really good, would perform. And since Andi is a big fan of magicians, we had to go. What we didn't quite realize: the magician Sam Powers was a performance at the Hanukkah festival being celebrated by the Jewish community that evening. So before we could see the magician, we had to endure speeches by more or less well-known people (including one by the Deputy Prime Minister), listen to some way too loud keyboard songs, and watch people dancing. We actually asked an employee before the start of the festival if the magician performed right at the beginning and he said yes. Otherwise, we would have arrived a bit later. So we shared a box of spaghetti bolognese and waited. But it must be said that it was also quite interesting to experience this festivity. We just felt a bit out of place.

The magician's show was ultimately quite short, but it was good. The stage was a bit small for his showy magician behavior, but the last trick, with escaping from a steel box while simultaneously locking a colleague inside the box, was really impressive. The show ended around 8 and we went to Hyde Park. According to Facebook, there was supposed to be a small salsa gathering there, but unfortunately, it had already dispersed by the time we arrived. But since we still felt like dancing, we walked to Darling Harbour, where there was supposed to be a salsa party starting at 9:30 pm, with free admission. It was lovely to walk through the city at night, especially because it was still quite mild due to the hot day, and Darling Harbour looked really beautiful. The salsa party was in a shopping center right by the water, in a Chinese restaurant, which we found funny. The view from there was super nice and we even got a free welcome drink. The music was also good, so we really enjoyed dancing again. It was so nice!

Unfortunately, we didn't have a house key with us and we didn't want anyone to stay up late because of us. So we had to leave at half past 10 in order to arrive in Gymea at 12. The long travel time really annoyed us! But nonetheless, it was a very nice day with many impressions and an evening of dancing in Sydney :)