Sydney's Brittarella

Once upon a time, 

in a wonderful hot country at the other end of the world, there was a traveler. A traveler who visited different cultures and places to go to a ball on this one enchanted day that would change her life. . . . Oh no, wait, it wasn't a ball - it was the opera. An opera at the Sydney Opera House. I actually wanted to see a ballet, but unfortunately the season for that hasn't started yet, so I didn't really have a choice. So, Darya and I got a ticket for an English version of Cinderella.

Between the day of the opera and my return to the city center, I had a whole day of free time, as I didn't meet Darya for dinner until the next day around 5. I spent that time chilling in the sun (at least for 10 minutes) with a stunning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Here, there's a small secluded area from the harbor where I could also go swimming, and I read, took a nap, and went for a little swim.

I then spent the evening and the next day quietly blogging. Since I had to check out of the hostel on the day of the opera, I stored my backpacks at the hostel and then quickly got ready for the opera in one of the shared bathrooms. I didn't make a 'big deal' out of it, as my Travel Turtle mode doesn't have a suitable wardrobe for that, but I put on my best pants, applied a bit of mascara, and braided my hair.

Even during the tour a few days before, we were told that there is no longer a 'dress code' in the opera, as they want everyone, regardless of their social class, to feel comfortable attending the opera and not to be 'discriminated' against just because they can't afford a Gucci dress and Manolo shoes (yes, I googled those shoes). For this reason, they no longer use the grand staircase from the outside for entry, but the general lower entrance. I find this an absolutely fair measure that also creates a very interesting mix of clothing styles and scents in the opera, as there were people in sandals and shorts all the way to older ladies with a very prominent perfume note and thick freshwater pearl necklaces. I could have just stood by the entrance and watched the people - a show in itself.

Before going to the opera, I met Darya for dinner at Darling Harbour because I wanted to see kangaroos and also try the specialty of kangaroo meat. There are some restaurants in Sydney that have it on their menu, and the meat can also be purchased at the simplest supermarket. It tastes quite similar to beef but with a much more pleasant and tender texture. Very delicious, in my opinion.

Of course, there was also a very short photo session before and after the opera because I don't often see myself standing in front of the opera in 'nice' pants and mascara. The opera itself was in English and was a shortened version of the French classic. This was my first opera, and I must say that I'm more of a musical and dance performance type, because even though the opera was in English, I had to continuously read off the prompter to understand what the singers on stage were saying. Not really my world, but still a great performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hours.

In the end, Brittarella walked down the steps of the hall right before the clock struck, to get into her carriage and ride off into the night. . .

In that sense, it was really right because I met up with a colleague from Hobbiton who had rented a van in Australia for a short time, and after the opera we drove towards the Blue Mountains and spent a night in the Australian wilderness after he picked me up directly from the hostel.

More about our day in the Blue Mountains in the next post.

And so she traveled many more days happy and satisfied,
Your Brittarella