Cruising the Tasman Sea, heading
for a berthing in Sydney at 14:00.
Buongiorno amici miei!
The iconic photo of Sydney is one of the opera house with the Sydney harbor bridge in the background. Well, this afternoon we had the opportunity to see it live! The photo just doesn’t see to present it as it really is. It may be the one-hundred-degree heat, the fact it is the end of summer or that the photos are taken by professional photographers but while it is impressive for sure, it simply didn’t spark the emotion one would expect.
The opera house looked “dirty,” the photographs always seem to show it gleaming white, or light up in various colors at night. It also looks so large in the photographs, here from the ship it doesn’t look quite so large. We’ll be seeing in a few hours on the four-and-a-half-hour tour of the opera house and the famous Bondi beach.
We docked White Bay, a commercial port with a very nice cruise line facility. It isn’t in the city, and we will have to take a shuttle us to get there, but we have a nice view of the Anzac Bridge, and if you look really hard you can see the Sydney Harbor bridge. The Mariner went under the Sydney Harbor bridge and past the opera house, that was an exciting experience.
The Australian immigration people want everyone off the ship and go through a face-to-face inspection. It isn’t completely clear why. We all had to have visas. We all had to make and file declaration forms. Both of which had to be done at a minimum of two days before arrival. There was a debarkation or arrival form which we had to fill out and present to the officer during the inspection. Everyone had to get off the ship, before anyone was let back on. It sounded so ominous and threatening over the announcement, but it was all very quick and easy. We could leave on our tour as soon as we cleared immigration, so we didn’t have to wait for everybody to clear. The good thing is we only have to do this once in Australia.
Today's excursion is focused on two things, Sydney Opera House and the world-famous Bondi Beach.The ride to the opera house took us across the AZNAC Bridge, past Darling Harbor, then, although not in an efficient straight line, we crossed the Sydney Harbor bridge one way, then under and back the other way, before arriving at the opera house. A scenic route to be sure.
Darling Harbor seemed of more interest to me as we drove buy. Apparently, like East Boston or the piers along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Darling Harbor has been a commercial district since the 1800’s. It had become run down and was an eye sore and political mess. In the 1980’s, maybe a hundred years after its peak, they city council decided to rejuvenate and renovate the area. We didn’t get to stop but it appears to be the up-and-coming hot place to be in Sydney. Really quite beautiful.
The coach couldn’t stop at the opera house. It had to stop about a half mile from it. It was a slight uphill walk to the opera house which you really couldn’t see. It was one-hundred degrees. Then you reach the top of that little knoll just before the opera house, and you see it up close for the first time. Now, it looks massive. This just isn’t “a” building but a whole community of buildings. Restaurants, bars and shops. People galore. Misters creating a fog of cool water. There are multiple levels of activities.
Oh, then you see the opera house. It isn’t so small anymore. Last year it celebrated it’s fiftieth anniversary. There isn’t one preforming arts centers here, but several. It isn’t just an opera house. Plays, dance, opera for sure, but concerts and much more. It is a hugh facility. In the hour and a half here, we didn’t get to see but a small fraction of the facility.
We did go into the main performance hall. It is truly amazing. Cathedral like. Open, modern yet somehow classic. Wood everywhere. It is clear why this is a much sought after space. We didn’t get to experience the acoustics of the hall, but one can imagine how great they must be.
The guide then took the time to explain about the roof design and construction. Those sails aren’t a single piece by millions of tiles. They aren’t all white! It isn’t a solid mass. There is a ribbed framework under the tiles. Similar to the ribs on ship. The tiles are then placed on this framework. They aren’t even completely flat. From a distance it appears as a single piece. Up close it clearly isn’t.
The engineering is what makes this complex a UNESCO World Heritage site. The most interesting thing was the walkway between the buildings and in the restaurant and shop space. The “floor” isn’t a solid piece either. It is a large number of “tiles” about a meter by a half meter. They are attached to a superstructure beneath by bolts, and a quarter or an eighth centimeter of space in between. When it rains or they wash the floor, the water goes in between the tiles and is carried away. No puddles, no mopping up. Ingenious! The roof is the same way. Self-cleaning.
Honestly the rest of the excursion was a bit of a let down. We did drive through Sydney looking at various neighborhoods and stop for a couple views across the harbor. The harbor is immense. It turns out it is the world’s largest natural harbor. The driver kept going on about how expensive the homes were. “It will cost you more than a million dollars to buy that one.” On and on. Well, a million Australian dollar would be less than seven-hundred-thousand American dollars. Being for California that doesn’t seem so bad.
Bondi Beach, for those that like the sea and beach scene, is apparently world famous. Yes, it is beautiful. The eye candy is enough to make you diabetic, male or female. It has been a public beach since the late 1880’s. It is well established and has some beautiful buildings. The surfing is apparently great, but not the best in Australia. It is a half mile crescent of sand and a maybe a mile and a half of shoreside restaurants and stores.
The drive seemed to think we were wasting our time here. There are som many other nicer beaches in the area. Ok, but this one has all the services you might want on a holiday excursion. It had already gone six by the time we got there. It was still eighty degrees and the sun was thinking about going down, but here were people everywhere in beach clothing. Not much of it, but just enough.
We walked along the beach. Stopped at a store and bought some water and a snack. There wasn’t much time to do much else. It was time to get back on the bus by the time we finished our loop. Again if beach is your thing, this would be a lovely place for a holiday.
By the time we got back to the ship it has gone seven. We had dinner with Stuart and Chrissy as this is their last night with us. They are taking ten days to see Australia before returning home. We had a nice dinner in Compass Rose. Stuart and I were excused to go have a final cigar together.
All in all it was a really good and informative day. Sydney would probably be a great place to spend a fe weeks. There is lots we didn’t get to see and do here. We have another day tomorrow but it won’t be in Sydney.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico
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