I took the bus to Town Hall Station. There, I found the Town Hall, Queen's Square, the Queen Victorian Building, and a fully functional Woolworth's - complete with lunch counter. I knew that guided tours were required for Town Hall because it is a functioning government building, and I didn't make arrangements or have time before lunch for that, so I didn't go in. It is a marvelous building, and I would like to arrange a tour of the insides at some point.
Queen's Square is a little patch of ground in front of the Queen Victoria Building on which there is a statue of - guess who - Queen Victoria!
The Queen Victoria Building, like many of the period buildings, was a beautiful piece of architecture. All I knew about the QVB was that it was a mall with shops and eateries. I had seen malls everywhere and had no interest in seeing another one, so I didn't go in. I have since learned the error of my ways, but since I learned too late, I don't have any pictures of the interior of this amazing building. Looks like the Town Hall area will be on my list for further exploration on my next trip to Sydney (along with the Maritime Museum and Vic's Meats, so far)!
The other two corners had modern buildings on them, but in one of them was a Woolworth's. Woolworth's has been out of business in the US for decades, but I still remember going into the Woolworth's in Cynthiana, KY, with my grandmother, often getting shakes at the lunch counter (and sometimes actually getting lunch). When my sister and I went to movies in town while we were very young, we would sometimes wait for one of our parents to pick us up at Woolworth's, since is was just a block over from Mr. Jack's movie theater. Not to mention the historical significance of the Woolworth's lunch counter during the civil rights movement. So, even though it looked like just a normal grocer and sundry store (kind of like Walmart, and definitely priced higher than a "five and dime"), I had to go check it out.
I took the train from Town Hall Station to Circular Quay, where I was meeting my friends. We had a nice, long visit, and they warned me that a Cool Change was coming. Having only heard the phrase in the old Christopher Cross song, they explained that this was the wind changing from a southerly wind blowing warm air from the north to a northerly wind blowing the cold air from Antarctica, which is not so far away.
After our visit, I boarded the ferry for Milson's Point and Luna Park so I could walk the bridge going toward downtown Sydney instead of away. When I got there, I had to try a few selfies again. I think I'm getting better at them.
The walk to North Sydney and the stairs to the bridge were uphill again. But after getting acquainted with several benches and a couple of hits from the inhaler (so glad I switched out for a new one before leaving), I finally made it to the steps up to the bridge. I had to take another break when I got to the top, but there were no benches to sit on once I got on the bridge.
When I got to the top, I did learn, however, that had I just walked a few more steps, I would have found the elevator!
The view of the iconic bridge from the top of the stairs followed by views from various vantage points. The views were phenomenal! When I started across, the sun was beating down, the winds were calm, and I had broken a sweat (several times, in fact). Soon after starting to cross, the winds picked up, clouds blew in, and I was really wishing I had brought a jacket! It didn't keep me from stopping for the incredible views and exhilaration of being on this bridge and able to cross it, if not climb it.
I took oodles of pix of the Opera House from the bridge. These are the ones I liked best. I just love the green and tan ferry boats!
These are the bridge climbers getting ready to make their ascent up the bridge stairs. It was enough for me to just get across the bridge. Climbing was not on my list!
When I got to The Rocks side, they had another elevator, so I used that one, only finding the stairs once I was already at the bottom. I also was able to get some daylight shots of the sights from the convict tour, so I grabbed a few of those shots on my way back down the hill.
This is one of the "oldest" bars in Sydney. During an international football tournament (I'm unclear if it was soccer or rugby), Australia and England played in the final against each other. The owner of this bar and one in England made a bet that whoever won would take over the other's bar. England won, and this bar became The Englander (instead of The Australian) for a period of time, complete with a banner covering the name, and English decor.
The Suez Canal
Having completely exhausted all of my stamina for the day, I grabbed a cab from The Rocks to my Airbnb, turning in early for the day.
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