The City Awaits....

I had my longest drive yesterday...felt exhausted, took in the last of the Gold Coast and had an early night in my last stop before Sydney, Port Stephens. It was a shame because the area was beautiful, far more interesting than Coffs. It is well known for its sand dunes and a common activity is 'sand dune surfing' (I really liked the sound of that!)

After a long sleep I was pleased to be greeted with short drive (well, two hours) and then Sydney!

The drive into Sydney was spectacular! Great bridges and highways cut into rock. The first glimpse of the city was a wonderful relief.. After a few wrong turns and general frustration because roads I wanted were one-way, I dropped off the car, checked in and hit the city..

Sydney is an extremely easy city to get around.. I've walked the best part of the day, I find it the best way to get my bearings. The first stop was the Sydney Opera House...This building must be one of the most photographed buildings known to man so I tried to get different angles.. the opera house tour was particularly useful for this.. The architect wanted people to feel the harbour had come to them..and it certainly did..but with an estimated building cost of 4 million and a 4 year build this actually became 14 years and over 100 million!

I was pleased to hear the architect has been acknowledged for his grand acheivement and continues to make contributions to the building. This was not the case ten years ago, it was a very similar situation to The Millenium Dome in London...spiralling costs, the building was shaming Sydney and Australia..the government refused to pay him and yet for the love of architecture, he continued.

I expected the Opera House to be white..this is one of the biggest misconceptions...it is actually cream and the disappoinment is only temporary when you realise, despite all this cosmetic trickery, it is a stunning building and the performance spaces are awe inspiring!

We went into the main house I will see Pirates.. I thought Sadlers Wells was one of the most beautiful performance spaces I had seen but this exceeded it. On stage was the skeleton of a boat.. it took up the whole stage! Changes of scene can operate as a lift so adventurous producers and directors can go for elaborate sets.

I booked tickets for two performances on Tuesday (Pirates of Penzance) and Thursday (An Organ Symphony)..I can't wait.

I then made my way down to the Police and Justice Museum. This was quite a brutal affair but armed with a childlike fascination for all things bloody and gruesome, I was eager to find out how people died and why... In the police cells, there were cabinets of different torture items, including sacks and the hangman's noose!

I am considering ending today with the aquarium...

People in Sydney seem a little more human, that is to say, rather than 'no worries', there are a few, you see them expressed, there is some reality, but I have to say, much more laid back than London... I think Sydney has a healthy balance.

Sydney is also very fashion conscious but perhaps not as much as London...Again, anything goes really.