Monday, May 26, 2014

May 23 -- Sydney on Foot, Vivid Sydney

We had the day to ourselves and got to sleep in a bit, but made up for it in total distance covered. We headed over to Chinatown (gotta see them where ever we go) and the market there. No where near as extensive or cohesive as San Francisco, but interesting, and we got some fun souvenirs at the market.
Entrance to 2 block Chinatown walking mall

The Chinatown mall -- note lights strung
in front of trees -- probably better at night.

An ibis just kind of walking along. We actually saw
them in several places.

Practicing tai chi

Hotel that adapted the SF Chinatown look.
On the way to the bridge, we passed a convict-built wall,
identifiable by the marks scratched into each sandstone
block to prevent convicts from filling their quotas from other's work.
Next up was a walk across the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The first challenge was just figuring out how to get ON the bridge as a pedestrian. The map and the signs were oriented to cars and bikes. It was a bit of a hike, but we walked over and back and met a native Sydney woman who was on her very first WALK across the bridge!

Remember the cassowary photo from
the rainforest? This is the speedbump
sign that got modified as 'After' and with
head and feet to mimic a run-over
cassowary.

Starting the bridge walk -- like the Golden
Gate Bridge, one side is bikes, the other is people.
View from Sydney Harbor Bridge to 'Dolly Parton' Bridge

Top of the bridge with bridge climb tour and national flag on top

View of the harbor from the bridge

Front view of the opera house

Walking back the other way

Folks finishing their bridge climb

View toward 'The Rocks', one of the two
oldest parts of Sydney - the convicts got
the rocky shore, the military the flat area opposite.

Jim on the Sydney Harbor Bridge

For lunch, we went to the Aussie version of Burger King. A guy named Jack started it many years ago, but couldn't call it Burger King because when McDonald's arrived, they had bought the rights to the Burger King name for 20 years. When the name was finally available, everyone was so used to calling the Burger King "Hungry Jack's" that it would have been confusing to change it.

Next up was a stroll through the large, beautiful Botanical Gardens. I really like it when the plants are labeled so I can learn what I am enjoying.
Another ibis

This is called 'The Dreaming', the aboriginal version
of creation

Friday afternoon at the park. All school kids wear uniforms,
not just private. Note the ibis in the center foreground.
More school kids in the park
The Art Museum of New South Wales (Sydney's state)
lists names of included artists on the facade, but someone
must have flunked spelling.
Closeup of spouting turtle in a fountain.
 Jim also thought I should have some opal earrings, so we ventured into another opal shop, this one on the 3rd floor of a shopping street building and totally not commercial looking compared to our experience yesterday. And wouldn't you know it, I was able to add to my ridiculously extensive collection of earrings. After that it was one last trip to the ATM for cash, then back to the hotel to clean up for our farewell dinner. Hard to believe the trip is all but over!
We had a hotel rooftop cocktail half hour before dinner
and got a glimpse of sunset.

Arlene celebrated her birthday with us and was given
a genuine Aussie hat to keep off flies

Our travel group getting ready for dinner
 Tonight was the opening of Vivid Sydney, a two-week festival of lights with light shows on tons of buildings all along downtown. After dinner, we walked around with the group ogling all the displays.
One of the fun things is that the displays changed.
On this one, you can see the building displayed on.


Same projection, but the building is more obscured and
the trees look more 3D

Two designs on the same building --above is kind of
eerie, below is more tame.
 
Sydney Harbor Bridge, above and below
Circular Quay and the city behind it.







Sequence of designs on the opera house. Some are
a bit blurry because of the challenge of this type of
photography with a hand-held camera.







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