Harbour Tour? Ferries are Cheaper!

My last full day before heading back to The States.  Nothing actually scheduled (except eating at Harry's Pies).  Several potential outings, all of which would be awesome.  I chose to focus on the Harbour, yet again, but this time from the water.  So, off the Circular Quay I went again, this time by way of Kings Cross.  This apparently used to be a happening spot, and we all know that nightlife hotspots aren't always so pretty during the day.  While there are some shops and cafes, most of the venues were late night bars and strip clubs, remaining from the lock-out laws of 2014.  There are signs limiting alcohol consumption in the area, and I understand that the upcoming repeal of those laws applies to all impacted areas except Kings Cross.  It is said that people go to the Finger Wharf to find a wealthy mate and to Kings Cross to find a cheap date.  Because of the likelihood of getting apparent prostitutes in my shots, with many women and men on the streets obviously plying their wares, even that early in the morning, I limited my photography to Fitzroy Gardens and the El Alamein fountain.  I did raise my camera at one point to take a picture of the sidewalk and establishment fronts, with the alcohol prohibition sign in the forefront, and a lady stared me down.  I didn't feel intimidated or afraid in any way.  Her stare was in no way threatening.  It was more sad, and it made me feel as if taking pictures would be an intrusion into her private life, like taking a picture of someone on the toilet.  If she felt that way, others in her situation probably also do, so I respected the privacy they have and put the camera away until I got to Circular Quay.

Then, it was off to Circular Quay for a day of ferry hopping!  From Circular Quay, you can get almost everywhere.  All roads may lead to Rome, but all ferries and trains lead to Circular Quay!  It was a beautiful day, and the ferries would take me all over the harbour (except, of course, to Woolloomoolo, where they want you to give a F)!  So I took a variety of ferries to a variety of locations and rode around the harbor!  When I got to Circular Quay, today's performance art was a human statue.  Much better than the guy that was climbing in and out of tennis racket frames!  And for the first time, I noticed that there were markers in the sidewalk that celebrated various celebrated writers who call/called Sydney home.

By the time I had exhausted Sydney Harbour, there was still plenty of time until dinner, so I decided to walk home, this time going around the Royal Botanical Gardens from the other side.  So I climbed to the top of the hill (no small feat), took a nice long rest on a bench, and started snapping pictures of beautiful things from this part of the Gardens!

When I finally got back to Woolloomooloo, it was starting to get close to dusk, and I was getting hungry for the world famous Harry's Pies.  Harry's started as a little push cart selling meat pies.  As his following grew, the "cart" grew larger, and customers started coming to Harry's instead of Harry coming to them.  There are pictures all over the "cart" of celebrities and politicians eating Harry's Pies. Then I sat between the Finger Warf and the Naval Base to eat my pie and chips.  It was absolutely delicious!  I don't know how the Brits do their meat pies, so can't comment on whether the Australians improved it (like the friend I met at the opera house last night), but it's an awfully hard taste to beat with a hearty beef and gravy filling in a flaky crust topped with mashed potatoes (with glorious lumps), mushy peas, and more gravy.  My Airbnb hostess said the Harry's was good when Harry was making the pies from scratch.  She thinks they've gone far downhill since they started mass producing them.  She may be right, but I thought it was absolutely scrumptious!

With a full belly, I walked the last block home, got packed and ready to leave in the morning, and finished my Tim Tam cookies.

The morning taxi ride to the airport was uneventful and cheaper than the ride into town.  I did find kangaroo jerky in the airport and started to get some.  Fortunately, the guy at the counter asked where I was going and warned me that they would confiscate it when I changed planes in Fiji, as kangaroo meat and honey are banned from importing there.  So, no kangaroo was eaten by me or brought home for sharing with others on this trip.  The flight back to Seattle was equally uneventful and as pleasant as can be expected.  None of these flights were full, and I had an empty seat beside me on every leg of the trip back.  Days after getting home, my Achilles' tendon became inflamed again, and I'm now back in physical therapy, so it could be a while before the next trip.

The Sydney Opera House and the Badu Gili

It was a late night getting back to my Airbnb from the Walkabout Wildlife Park (which was shared out of order).  I drove from Calga back to Artarmon where I turned the car in through the after hours process (which worked wonderfully).  Then, I took a bus to the Milson's Point station and rode a train over the Harbour Bridge this time.  When I got to Town Square Station, I caught my bus, but it was going the wrong way.  So, when it reached the end of the line in Miller's Point, I waited the 20 minutes for it to start back up.  It was late when I got home, and I smelled like a koala (which isn't overly pleasant), so I still wasn't ready to go to bed.  Obviously, I slept in.  Needless to say, it was a bit late when I awoke.

This morning, my destination was within walking distance - with breaks.  So, I crossed the street and headed for the Sydney Opera House by way of the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Directly across from my Airbnb was the Navy base.  Next to that was Harry's Pies (which we'll talk about in the next blog), followed by the Finger Wharf.  This was the site of the original Sydney fish market.  It now contains a working marina, expensive restaurants, and apartments.

Beside the Finger Wharf is a hotel with an interesting display in front

Across the street is a banner encouraging residents of Woolloomooloo to vote in ferry service to the wharf.

After another set of Sydney-style stairs and multiple stops on benches strategically placed just before I gave up and sat on the ground (where I might not have been able to get up), I finally made it to the entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  The walk, being mostly uphill or up stairs, was much harder than anticipated.

The gardens are magnificent.  I'll just leave a handful of pictures for your enjoyment.

There were a series of these koalas throughout the park.  I got all 21, but I'll spare you!

A beautiful rainbow tree with all the colors in its bark.

Another dangerous tree, like those in Hyde Park!

As I rounded the last curve, the Opera House appeared right in front of me!

That obviously meant it was time to try the selfie again!  I think I'm starting to get there...

When I got almost to the gate, I saw the Garden's advertisement for their carnivorous plant display that's being featured in one of the exhibition halls!

At the gate, there was a little train that would drive you around the gardens for $10.  I jumped on that puppy and saw the main sights of the Gardens without having to walk so much.  There were lots of benches, but there were lots of people, too, and I apparently wasn't the only one who wanted to sit!

This pavillion (The Calyx) is reminiscent of the FLR-9 antenna array we used while I was in the military.  It's been declassified now, and you can even find an article about it on Wikipedia, so ...

On return to the gate, I crossed over to the grounds of the Opera House and got some shots around there.  

The main entrance, under the stairs

After making arrangements for an afternoon tour, I settled on a Chinese restaurant on Circular Quay for lunch.  I had the crocodile.  It was good, but a bit fishy.  I have to admit, I prefer alligator, even though it's not as tender as crocodile.  

Walking around after lunch, this guy was on the sidewalk painting some pictures.  I thought his sign was awesome!

The tour was nice, but I didn't get many pictures.  We went into performance rooms, and most of them were loading in or loading out for performances.  Therefore, we couldn't take pictures.  I thought it was neat how sets are loaded in and out from the basement with lifts to move them up and down instead of side to side or back to front to do scene changes.  We also learned the history of the architects and the drama surrounding the design and building of the Opera House and tidbits about the acoustics in the different areas, which are designed for the room and the purpose of the room in mind.

When the tour was over, I took some more pictures and hung out on the Opera House steps waiting for dark and the Badu Gili.  I met a guy from England who had migrated to Sydney.  He was taking photographs with all kinds of equipment.  He said he wasn't a professional photographer and gives his photos away, but people have offered to pay him for them.  He was really a very nice young man, and it was a very pleasant conversation while I was waiting for the Badu Gili and he was waiting for the sunset that he had hoped would be more colorful than it actually was.

The Badu Gili is a light show that celebrates the Gadigal people who lived along Bennelong Point, where the Opera House has been built.  The name means "water light".  I apologize for the quality of the sound on this.  The wind was blowing, and the sound of the wind along the microphone drowns out the music that goes along with the light show in most of the performance.  It was an amazing show!  If you have the chance, you should see it.

After the show was over, I took some night shots.  While I was at the bottom of the stairs, the guy I was talking with before the Badu Gili ended up at the same spot I was taking some shots to get some shots of his own.  He asked if I had eaten at Harry's Pies yet, and I told him that was on tap for tomorrow.  He said meat pies is one thing the Australians had taken from England and improved upon!  We had a couple of laughs on that.  He walked with me to the taxi stand, and I headed home.  It was a lovely evening.