Sydney Sightseeing Day 3

On the day after the Australia Day celebrations, we went back to the city. We wanted to see a few things that we didn't have time for before going to New Zealand. And because we didn't know how long we would stay in Sydney and didn't want to go on the weekend, we chose Friday. Actually, we could have slept in, but we still wanted to explore the city :D

So the alarm went off at 7:30 and we took the train to the city at 9:43. At 11:00, we wanted to take the German tour of the Opera House. Unfortunately, it didn't work out because there was a mega long line in front of the ticket counters for the tours and we waited so long that the tour started without us. We had tried to book online before, but it didn't work for the same day. So tough luck and change of plans. We then bought tickets for an English tour at 1:00 in the afternoon and spent the time until then visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is located right across from the Opera House on the other side of Circular Quay and we only had to walk there for 10 minutes. In the end, I have to say that after Sol's recommendation, I expected more from the museum. It was quite small and some of the content disturbed me more than fascinated me. There were a few cool things, but most of it seemed very strange to me. In the end, we were only there for 1.25 hours before we had to go back to the Opera House, but that was more than enough.

Our tour of the Opera House started promptly at 1, but before that we were given headphones and a small device. Through the headphones, we could hear our guide, who spoke into a microphone. So it was like a live audio guide and much easier to understand than if our guide had to shout to the group. It was funny that our guide happened to be the woman who also does the German tours and who comes from Munich. The less good thing about it was that she had a strong German accent and we sometimes had a hard time understanding her. What an irony :D

But the tour itself was really interesting and it was great to see the Opera House from the inside. I especially liked the foyer with its view of the harbor. But the different halls were also impressive. For example, the Concert Hall, the largest room in the Opera House, can accommodate 2,500 people and has an organ with 10,000 pipes. The effect of this room is simply breathtaking and the acoustics are supposed to be just as good. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the halls, but we could take them of the rest of the building. In addition to the Concert Hall, we also looked at the Studio and the Drama Theatre, two of the three smaller theaters below the Concert Hall. Our guide also told us a lot about the shows that are currently running there and of course she promoted them and encouraged us to visit. Some of them actually sounded quite interesting!

As for the history of the building, it was designed by the architect Jørn Utzon and completed and opened in 1973 after 16 years of construction. Of course, there were also problems with the costs, as in almost every major construction project, and as a result, there was a 2-year construction stoppage because the new government did not want to complete the building. The architect was naturally not pleased with the construction stoppage and simply left with the plans because of this dispute. After that, other people had to finish the building as they thought Jørn Utzon had planned it. He himself never entered the Opera House or saw it in real life after it was completed, which is really sad, as the Opera House has now become one of the city's most important landmarks and also serves as a well-visited cultural center.

We also learned a lot about the legendary roof of the Opera House. For example, not all of the tiles are the same, as one might believe after seeing many pictures. Some are white, others yellow, some are glossy and others matte. So the roof always appears different in different lighting conditions and visually blends well into the sky behind it. By the way, the tiles clean themselves when it rains, very practical.

After a very informative hour, our tour was over and we browsed the souvenir shop. Then we went to the Sydney Tower, where we had bought an online ticket that allowed us to go up the tower from 3:00 onwards. The entrance to the tower is located in the Westfield Shopping Centre in the city center, as the tower is built on top of the building. Before we got to the elevator, there were some more information about the tower and for example we learned that it is 309m high to the top and was completed in 1981. The Sydney Tower Eye, the level we were going to, is 250m above the ground. After the information area, we encountered a line of people and thought that it was the line for the elevator, but there was another surprise: a 4D video. So we took two 3D glasses and lined up. After a few minutes, an employee let us into the cinema and the film started. My God, it was bad. Even the children's movies in some amusement park 7D cinemas are better! I found the film poorly animated and edited, and we didn't feel any special 4D effects. But well, that's not why we were there.

After the movie, we finally went up and the view from there was amazing. Because of the beautiful weather, we could see very far and the river and the harbor with its islands looked very idyllic. We could also see the coast and a few beaches, and on the other side, the airport and the suburb of Cronulla, where we lived over Christmas. The high-rise buildings in the immediate vicinity of the tower also looked cool, because we saw them from above and not from below. We could even recognize the Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour through the buildings. So overall, a very worthwhile trip and you can easily spend 1.5 hours up there.

By 5 o'clock we were back on the ground and we met Ylva and Elena from the tomato picking in Hyde Park. The two of them have been in Sydney for a while and have jobs at kebab shops. However, they are not satisfied with the number of hours and the pay because their cost of living in the city is quite high. Their apartment, where they currently live, costs $220 per person per week, even though they share the room with 2 others and the apartment with 6 others. Quite intense!

It was really cool to see the two of them again and to exchange experiences. Coincidentally, the Sydney Festival was taking place at that time, within which there was the Festival Village and some other attractions in Hyde Park, so we arranged to meet there. Unfortunately, all the things except visiting the Festival Village were subject to a fee and we didn't feel like spending $10 on a mirror maze. So we just sat down on the lawn in front of the stage and chatted. To enter the Festival Village, you were actually supposed to show an ID, and since I didn't have one with me, I tried it with my student ID. Funny enough, it worked :D They just wanted to check how old we were so they could give us an over-18 wristband or not. And apparently, they are not familiar with all the international IDs.

After about two hours, we all got hungry and thought about what to do. So I called Sol and asked what they had planned for dinner and if we would still be able to make it in time. They said that there would be roast beef with potatoes and vegetables at 8. So if we got on the next train, we could still join for dinner. Because it sounded pretty tasty and the other two wanted to make something small at home (cost-saving measures), we went home.

The dinner at home was really delicious and afterwards we sat together for a while, Andi and I talked about our day and petted the dogs. It was a really nice social evening, also because we met Ylva and Elena again. But overall, it was a really nice day.

We went to bed around 11 o'clock, although we didn't fall asleep until later, and this time the next day would really be a lazy day! :D