Day 30 - Sydney, Australia

We booked a tour separate from the ship some time ago. We were set to tour the Sydney Opera house tour and have an inclusive meal. 

We arrived in Sydney as scheduled. We had to once again muster for this next segment of the tour. We did that, which only took a few minutes to check in. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but the process now is much different than in the past. First we are to watch the presentation on TV, which is about 5-7 minutes. Then you simply go to your muster station and check in that you have watched. Incidentally, the TV "knows" if you watched or not!!! Anyway, after that we got off the ship about 9:30a. We walked around Circular Quay (pronounced "key"). I had been here before with John so it was familiar to me. I found my postcards and stamps and we browsed a few shops. I passed the Opal shop where John and I bought Deb a ring. Nice memories. 

We got to the Opera House in plenty of time. The construction I saw in 2019 is now completed and adds much to the ambiance and enjoyment of the Opera House. We checked in with our voucher for our tickets. The young man offered us the Mobility Tour (I guess one look at us and he figured we needed it! lol) I did know there were steps and when I asked about how many steps, I was stunned to hear 200-400 steps. So, needless to say we opted for the Mobility tour. He said we would like it better anyway because there will only be 6-8 people on the tour and the regular tour has 35. So we are all set. Walking on to the destination of the beginning of our tour and enjoying some architecture along the way. 

The tour was just amazing and we saw so many back stage areas and 3 specific venues: 1) The Studio with 300-320 seats depending on how they arrange the changeable seating. This venue features smaller performances of possibly non-favorite presentations. 2), the Concert Hall with the magenta seating and petal acoustics on the ceiling. This venue has 2,700 seats, is entirely made of wood, including the seats. The ceiling is white Birch and the wall have Brush Box wood that is curved which emanates sound waves at middle C. Really something to see. There is also a pipe organ with more than 10,000 pipes. 3) Was the Jørn Utzon Room, named for the Danish architect Jørn Utzon who designed the Opera House. There was quite a story about Jørn Utzon as he eventually "quit" his job - all politically based, and the people were angry with the politicians and wanted Utzon back. He left the country and never returned. He was invited back several times but would not come. Eventually, he sent his son and they honored him during the visit. Jørn Oberg Utzon, AC, Hon. FAIA was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the basis for the landmark. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on June 28, 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime. The Opera House opened in 1973. It took 16 years to build. When renovations are necessary, they maintain the same color schemes. We also walked outside between the sails, an area closed to the public now, and touched the Snow and Ice tiles of the structure. 

Our next stop was the Box Office. We were able to secure tickets for the Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade concert. We were thrilled. At this time we did not have enough time to have our included meal. We checked back where we got the tickets and found that we can have our "lunch" as late as 6p. Perfect! We got a quick snack and proceeded to the venue. It is so exciting. What a fantastic performance. We got to enjoy this concert in a the same venue we visited on our tour, an extra special treat. It ended approximately 4p. 

From there we went to the Opera Bar and had delicious fish and chips, along with an included drink. It was delicious and we were stuffed! We walked on in the warmth of the day stopping at one of the same shops that I saw some nice blouses. I bought 4!!! Prices are quite good for us with US.69 to AUS$1. Since we were warm we stopped in a shady place for a cold drink, before long the sun emerged from the clouds and it was sweltering! On we went. I mailed my postcards that I filled out at dinner. A few more photos and we are back at the ship, quite exhausted. We had a couple drinks, then to the cabin. June ventured out to the show, but not me. We enjoyed "Sail Away" despite the rain, thunder and lightening. 

Another fantastic day on this epic cruise.

These are all around the Quay

June and Sydney Bridge
Dinner
Touching the tiles of the Opera House
Between the Sails
The Opera House
The Concert
                                                                       The Concert
Good-Bye Sydney





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