Last Day in Sydney

Wednesday morning I awoke to a drizzle so I took my time having a small breakfast and then read my book for a little while until the rain cleared. I had no real plan for the day, so I decided to take the train up to Circular Quay and catch a few sights that I missed during my first tour through town. After arriving at the Harbour, I walked toward the Rocks and went to Cadman's Cottage, the residence of the harbor master built in the 1820's. It is rather small and didn't take too long to walk through, but it is the real thing and the oldest building in Sydney.

By then it was time for lunch so I grabbed some fish and chips in the Quay and took them out to Bennelong Point to eat near the Opera House. As I sat and ate and watched the scene there was a battle between who could swarm faster, tour groups with cameras getting pictures or the seagulls after food. I walked over to the Opera House and as I had no plans for the evening decided to see what was playing. They had a performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore that evening and I had such a great time at the Barber of Seville I thought I'd go to another opera. I bought a ticket for the evening and then continued walking.

I meandered through the Royal Botanical Gardens to portions I had not visited, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales. A beautiful building at the edge of the gardens, the gallery houses Australian, Aboriginal, and European art. The 19th Century Australian art is mainly landscapes from the undiscovered countryside. Their European collection was mainly portraits of less famous largely forgotten wealthy Europeans who descendants fell upon hard times and had to sell the portraits of their ancestors. I was interested in the Aboriginal collection which was a mixture of paintings and sculpture. Aboriginal art is mostly geometric designs and shapes form nature. The collections were not large, but it was an interesting way to spend an hour or two. I left the gardens and walked through downtown Sydney and returned to the hostel. For dinner I decided to have an Australian staple, the meat pie.

After dinner, I took the train back to Circular Quay for the opera. My seat was a similar to last time and once again I walked up the grand staircase to the lobby on the harbor side. The Barber of Seville was a light and airy comedy, Il Trovatore is a dark tragedy. It was a stereotypical opera with a Pavarotti-esque tenor and a large chorus. Its most recognizable song is the classic anvil chorus which I was surprised to find did not involve anvils at all is about gypsies. Il Trovatore was not as fun as Barber Seville, but it was still a quality opera performance and I enjoyed the show. Plus, the view from the lobby is so spectacular that it could make even the dreariest of performances worthwhile.

After I exited the Opera House I walked around the Harbour area to take pictures of the area illuminated. Night photography can be tricky, but I think I got a few good shots. I walked around soaking up the atmosphere for the last time before taking the train back to the hostel. I packed my bags and got to bed as my plane leaving Australia left the following morning.

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