What a beautiful city!
We were scheduled to arrive at dawn with commentary as we sailed through the complex harbor. Unfortunately someone who was advised not to take the trip for health reasons insisted on coming and his health deteriorated to the extent that he required a medical evacuation. So the captain proceeded at maximum speed and got us to the Sydney Overseas Terminal shortly after midnight. At least the threatening rain held off.
Approaching Sydney and Opera House at Night
Sydney Opera House at Night
Sydney Harbor Bridge at Night
Unlike at most ports of call, we didn’t buy any of Holland America’s excursions. Instead we did our own thing. We were docked in the perfect place, across from the Opera House, next to the Central Quay—the hub of transportation with ferries, trains, and buses—and almost at the base of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
Sydney Opera House from the Rotterdam
Janice and I went out after breakfast to gather intelligence. As usual in addition to supplementing the information about sights and transportation provided aboard ship, we inquired about Wifi. That lead us to the old Customs House, which now houses the Sydney Library among other things. (Of course we never really had time to use the library’s Wifi, but at least we knew were one hot spot was.)
Sydney
In the floor of the Custom’s House atrium, under glass, was a scale model of Sydney. The blue arrow marks here the Rotterdam was docked and you can see y my shadow that I was standing on the Harbor Bridge (the only way I was to stand on the bridge!)
Sydney Scale Model
After an on-board lunch the three of us walked around the Quay for a tour of the Opera House. During one of the preceding sea days we had attended a lecture on the building of the Opera House and all the delays and controversies. The tour guide added some details about the history and also about the execution of the design. We toured the five performance venues: two small theaters, a “block box” theater, the concert hall, and the opera hall. They only let us take photos in the concert hall.
John and Janice in Front of the SOH
SOH Concert Hall
Around Circle Quay the city has created the Writers Walk with bronze medallions, which are about 2.5 feet in diameter, embedded in the sidewalk.
Collage of Writers Walk Medallions
After an on-board dinner, Janice and I went out to explore The Rocks, the area near the ship and drink some Aussie beer. We found a nice bar in the Observer hotel where the bar tender offered us a taste several varieties of what he had on tap. We wound up with James Squire; Janice had the Gold and I the Amber. They were good beers, but it seems hard to find a local stout or porter.
The Observer Hotel (by daylight)
For the second day in Sydney, we bought day passes on the Sydney Explorer, a hop-on hop-off, 28-stop, narrated bus tour. We got off at Mrs. Mcquaries Point, a prominence of land just east of the one the Opera House is on, named for the wife of a Governor.
Sydney from Mrs Mcquaries Point
Of course we had to sit in Mrs Miscquaries Chair, actually a ledge the Governor had carved out of the rock to one side of the point where his wife used to go sit and look out on the harbor.
In Mrs Mcquaries Chair
We also hopped off at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Typical of many of Sydney’s buildings, the old facade was preserved and a new building incorporated above and/or behind. The museum has works by aboriginal artists (which we were not allowed to photograph) as well as works by 19th and 20th century Australian and European artists. Here is one of the latter we found particularly amusing:
What Happened Here?
We continued to bus tour content to stay on the bus.
An Example of Building Reuse
After an on-board lunch, Janice and I ventured back out. This time we caught a free bus to Chinatown. We started by walking around the outside of a beautiful Chinese garden.
Chinese Garden
Then we went into Chinatown.
Entrance to Sydney
The smell of Chinese food was almost overwhelming. We managed to find a pair of “Kung Fu Shoes” for each of us (and have become the envy of the Tai Chi class). Then it was on to the Queen Victoria Building.
Queen Victoria in Front of Her Building
Today, the inside has been renovated and it is a modern shopping arcade.
Interior of Queen Victoria Building
Finally it was back to the ship for an evening sail away.
Sydney Sailaway
Sydney Sailaway
What a beautiful city. We’d love to return.