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Highlights of Sydney
March 2, 2000. We take off from SFO airport for three weeks in Australia and three
weeks in China. A few comments on our planning. Jon and I each carried a camera, his
was a digital Kodak with plenty of memory chips and mine was a Canon SLR with loads of
slide film. We each packed one softsided roller bag and a daypack.
We had more books and paperwork then clothes. We did not drive a car or cook our own
meals for six weeks.
The morning of March 4th, we touched down in Sydney, home of the 2000 Summer
Olympics. Well, a few things need to be completed prior to the start of the games
ie. mass transit from the airport since we stood in line for an hour waiting to
catch a cab into the city.
Opera House
We parked our luggage at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Sydney and took off
exploring the city on foot. Our location was several blocks from the Sydney Opera
House, designed by the Danish designer Utzon, and took 14 years to build once started in
1959. Hard to believe that the sail-shaped roof forms are covered with Swedish
ceramic tiles.
 
  
Adjoining the Opera House are the Royal Botanic Gardens which follow the harbor and
allowed us to take pictures looking back at the Sydney Harbor Bridge as well as the Opera
House. In the Gardens we checked out the wire sculptures and the infamous flying
squirrels that look like bats in the trees; then we returned to the Circular Quay
area where ferries transport commuters and tourists all over the harbor.
 
 
 
Our hotel overlooked the Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Sydney. After a good night's
rest, we started our day with a double latte at the Museum's Cafe. As we headed to Darling
Harbor, site of the Sydney World's Fair, we visited some architectural sites along the way
including the Bank of Australia.
 
 
In the heart of the Sydney is the Queen Victoria Building. Completed in 1898 the
Romanesque sandstone exterior is capped by the glass dome. The 7 level interior
arcade complemented by stained glass windows and patterned tile floors houses over 180
retail/food/souvenir shops.
  
The Sydney World's Fair was sponsor of a delightful Chinese Graden which we visited
on the way to Darling Harbor. The tea garden was a serene quiet place amidst the
hustle and bustle of the major metropolis of Sydney.
 
 
 
We stopped to visit the National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbor. We climbed through a
coldwar Russian submarine and the last Royal Australian Navy gunship. Besides hotels
and restaurants, the Harbor is home to an IMAX cinema, giant McDonalds and fire works
display every week.
 
 
 
March 6 - A day in the Blue Mountains. We took an EcoTour to the northwest of Sydney to
catch a glimpse of the major mountain range that hindered early explorors of Australia/
Sydney from navigating westward. Our bus journey took us past the Olympic Park which
would be the scene of much activity several months later in the fall. The climate
and ecosystems changed dramatically as we descended into the canyon.
 
 
Our next day we saw the IMAX movie about the history of Sydney then took a trip out to the
famous Bondi Beach. No babes in bikinis this day - just liquid sunshine.
 
 
We spent a lot of time in airports during our trip. Below Care is escaping Sydney's rain
while waiting to board our plane to Adelaide and then on to Kangaroo
Island
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