Today was an awesome day all around!
We scarfed down breakfast at Trisha & Ben’s apartment . . . whole wheat English muffins with cream cheese, smoked salmon and cucumbers, a treat that we haven’t enjoyed for almost 6 months! The little things that delight us these days :)
School in Session
After breakfast we headed down the road to catch the 200 bus into the city. An easy 25 minutes later and we were hunkered down at Sydney’s main library in the Children’s room. Doug had to take a call with our Health Insurance company about a few things while the girls read (a great selection of kids books at their fingertips!) and I worked on a blog post. Then we divided & conquered on school with the girls.
Meat Pie Anyone?
Around 12:30pm we left the library and made the 20 minute walk to Lord Nelson’s Hotel, Sydney’s oldest hotel. When we were hanging out yesterday with Doug’s former Mimeo colleague, Lonnie, I mentioned that I was keen to get a good meat pie while we were in Sydney. He told us one of his favorite meat pies is at the pub at the Lord Nelson Hotel, so we made it our lunch destination. We snagged a table by the window and enjoyed the pub vibe. My meat pie with “smushy” peas and “smashy” potatoes was really tasty. Sadie loved it too, so it was a team effort to devour the meat pie :) Paige loved the grilled tandoori chicken sandwich and Doug & Sadie were underwhelmed by their meals. All in, though, it was a great Sydney experience and set the bar for Aussie meat pies. Excited to try some more in the weeks to come!
Iconic Sydney Opera House
We walked about 20 minutes back to the iconic Sydney Opera House. We went straight to the booth to find out about guided tours. I had done a tour of the SOH when I was in Sydney for work back in 2006. I enjoyed it immensely and was keen to repeat with the fam. Spots were available in the 3:00pm tour (just 20 minutes later), so we bought our family pass and waited with the rest of the tour folks. We had a lovely tour guide named Lyn who kept us interested with her facts and sense of humor. The main concert hall closed to the public for renovations last Saturday (just 3 days ago!), so unfortunately we didn’t get to see that. But we *did* get to go into the Joan Sutherland theater (opera & ballet performance space) to see the Opera FAUST in rehearsals.
The girls were amazing throughout the 1+ hour tour. They didn’t fidget, didn’t fuss, didn’t ask “how much longer” or the like. They were captive & interested tour attendees with their tour headphones, just like us! Very impressed and proud of them. I’d like to think that a contributing factor to their star behavior is the stamina they’ve built up this year with our stretches heavy in tours.
The story of how the Opera House was built fascinated us! So much so that I want to record some topline points here. If this kind of stuff isn't your cup of tea, skip ahead! :)
The Australian government put on a competition to select the Opera House design.
Out of 200+ submissions, a Danish architect named Jorn Utzon was selected. Up until that point he had only designed public housing in Denmark.
The Australian government promised the Australian people the project would take 3 years and $7 million AUD.
Utzon and his team faced an immense challenge to bring his complex sketches to life. No small task!
A change in Australian government leadership in 1965 kicked off a strained relationship with Utzon. They were incensed that it was taking longer than intended and going well over budget. The new government leadership put the blame squarely on Utzon, even though that was far from the truth. Ultimately the strain resulted in Utzon leaving the project and Australia altogether.
Utzon was replaced by three state government architects.
The Opera House was finally opened in October 1973. In the end it took 16 years and $102 million AUD to complete. Way over budget and way longer than promised! It was funded by the Australian lottery.
Utzon never came back to Australia to see his completed vision. He was reengaged in 1999 to help guide future design & renovation work for the Opera House. He and his family are immensely revered and treated like royalty.
It was built in three phases (podiums, then vaults/sails/shells, finally interior) and its spherical design is extremely unique. Its covered in Swedish ceramic tiles that have been fired three times so they are water resistant. Some of the tiles are finished in matte; others in gloss. The tiles are only gleaned by the rain.
After the tour we lingered on the Opera House steps to take it all and snap some fun photos/videos.
(special thanks to Doug for creating this awesome video!)
Garden Walk
We ended up walking through the adjacent Botanical Gardens for a bit. So many interesting trees, plants and flowers here in Australia. We even saw our first kookaburra bird! As if the Opera House alone wasn't beautiful enough, to be surrounded by gorgeous gardens, coves full of sailboats and stunning little beaches, the scenery fully knocks your socks off!
On the Move
We hoped on the bus back to Trisha & Ben's place. Being back in a city means taking advantage of public transport again, which we love. It's such a fun way to feel entrenched in place, feel a bit like a local and see the daily life as you cruise along. We've managed to ride ferries, trains and buses in Sydney. Well done!
Dinner by the Bridge
Our perfect Sydney day ended with a picnic dinner overlooking the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and a sliver of the Opera House!! Hard to beat!
Trisha had loaded her car up with all the equipment necessary for dinner al fresco (folding table & chairs, tablecloth, plates, cutlery, wine, starter veggies, dips & cheeses, etc.). We kept it easy and ordered pizzas through Uber Eats, and enjoyed chatting & laughing, as the sun went down and the lights of the city & bridge came on. It was perfection!
We had set up along the waterfront, just near Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden. You can read about her story here, but the jist is that Wendy & her late husband Brett, were renowned artists. After her husband passed away, Wendy put herself fully into cleaning up & revitalizing an overgrown, abandoned patch of land near their home. It stands today as a gorgeous garden complex open to the public. Funny enough, Trisha told us the story of Wendy Whitley & the garden as we sat down for dinner. About half way through we noticed a woman behind us meticulously clearing up debris and the like in the area. We noticed her signature head scarf, and all whispered amongst ourselves, "Is that Wendy??" Trisha went over and kindly approached her. Sure enough, it was *the* Wendy Whiteley! Trisha thanked her for all her talented work to create the garden, and for sharing it with the public. What a serendipitous, special meeting!
All of us were remarking about how enjoyable nights like these are . . . where you pull together some food & drinks and set up in a lovely setting outside. With a view of Sydney Harbour, and friends like Trisha & Ben, it made for a really memorable & fun Sydney evening! We're already plotting to repeat in a different spot during our Sydney time :)
We walked partially home along the water, alongside Luna Park, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge alight on our side. What a way to end a fantastic day!
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