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  Sydney, Australia
Sunday, February 10, 2008

February 9, Saturday
The "Sail-In" to Sydney was exciting. At 6:15 in the morning, a light rain was falling, the sky was dark, and the shapes of the cliffs were just barely discernible. As we turned into the harbor, and as the day broke, we saw the city snuggled in the hills and spread out along the shore. We passed Quarantine Island and the Opera House as we approached the "Coat Hanger", Sydney's nickname for the Harbor Bridge. As, we turned left into our berth, we had the Opera House portside and the bridge behind us-a beautiful sight we were able to enjoy for the two days we were in Sydney. We berthed at "the Rocks", in the old part of the city, where the "first fleet"-11 ships carrying prisoners and their families and about a thousand others-first landed in 1788. It is now a center of cultural activity with the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sydney Opera House connected by Circular Quay. The ferries to different parts of the city-Darling Harbor, the zoo, and other communities to the south, come into Circular Quay as well

Sail In to Sydney

. On the weekends, there is a crafts fair in the Rocks and lots of families on Circular Quay.
It rained off and on all day, until about 4 in the afternoon. We walked over to the Opera House and took a tour of the complex. The Opera House itself is the smaller of the two largest venues, with seating for about 1000. The opera stage is surprisingly small, with no wings, so there is a need for an elevator system backstage to move the props in and out (or up and down!). The larger venue is for the symphony and chamber music performances. It is a beautiful hall, with a combination of hardwoods on the floors and walls and softwoods in the seating areas. All the wood used in the hall was Australian and the variety of colors and grains was magnificent. The hall has an intimate feel to it-though it seats about 2000.
We learned quite a bit about the controversy surrounding the design and building of the Opera House-the winning design was only a sketch and was ultimately discovered to be impossible to build. With some modifications to the design and some creative problem solving by a team of engineers, the idea of using the concept of wedges and creating slices of the "wedge" (long concrete spines that define the shall of each shell that are visible from the inside of the building) on the construction site, eventually helped the builders solve the problem of erecting the giant concrete shells that make the building so distinctive

Sydney at Dawn

. The shells are covered with ceramic tiles that glisten in the sunlight. They look white from a distance but are a tan color that blends beautifully with the brown, reflective windows.
We toured the rest of the city in an off-and-on bus that we stayed on because of the rain and got a nice ride through the city neighborhoods. The city is hilly along the coast and offers beautiful views of its harbors and coast line. Later, we hopped on another bus that took us all along the coast to the beaches and bays in the greater metropolitan area. What a treat! The ocean views were spectacular, the beaches lovely, and the small communities around the city inviting-everywhere, it seemed, were families with small children walking along the shoreline. Bondi Beach was especially spectacular-with crystal clear water and huge waves crashing on the shore. The surfers certainly had their work cut out for them in the wake of the storms this week.

February 10, Sunday

Our second day in Sydney was a beautiful, warm and sunny Sunday. We walked through the area called "The Rocks" looking at crafts, searching for good Internet connections, and shopping. We know Sydney needs the rain, but we were happy to have a clear day

Morning

. We did take some time to study the Contemporary Art Museum's exhibit on their side lawn-a very large-scale model of a young woman that was entirely covered in peaches-she had a real "peachy" complexion!
The "Sail away" from Sydney was late at night and was another spectacular event. With the lights on the Harbor Bridge behind us twinkling, and the city lights glistening, we sailed within yards of the Opera House with its lights glowing red beneath the tinted glass. It was a warm, summer evening, and many of us were on deck until midnight enjoying the sight.

Sydney marks the end of the first segment of our trip. We have traveled 11, 399 nautical miles (1 nautical mile is the equivalent of 1.15 statute miles) in 36 days and have visited 14 ports.

We have moved outside of the Andesite Line that defines the Pacific Basin, where there are deep troughs, submerged volcanic mountains, and oceanic volcanic islands that were formed by huge basaltic lava flows-the islands that we have seen thus far were originally great dome-shaped volcanic mountains. Over time, the summits of these mountains eroded and led to the island clusters and chains that exist today. Outside of the Andesite Line, the volcanoes were of the explosive type. We are entering the region of the most explosive volcanoes-the Pacific Ring of Fire-areas off the continental shelf of Asia and Australia. This includes the islands of Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

February 11, Monday
We are at sea today, following the current south toward Melbourne. It's a beautiful day with wonderfully smooth sailing.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Sydney Opera House	Sydney Harbor Bridge	A Rainy Morning	Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Beach Souoth of Sydney	Bondi Beach 1	Bondi	Sydney Beach
Bondi 2	Bondi 3	Bondi 4	Bondi 5
Bondi 6	Sydney Old and New	Peaches 1	Peaches 2
Ella's Story	Sydney Opera House in Late Afternoon	Harbor Bridge at Sail Away	Sydney Opera House at Sail Away
Sail Away at Sydney

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