Sydney…the city of sensible footwear

What a wonderful whirlwind 3 days in Sydney! This is such a stunning and vibrant city built around one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Founded in 1788, it is the largest and oldest city in Australia with around 4.5 million people enjoying all it has to offer. I would say the majority of those 4.5 million people wear sneakers on their feet. Very sensible. I did not even touch the surface of all there is to do here, but I believe with the 30+ miles I walked, I got a good feel of the city.

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I started my first day with a goal or a destination and then allowed lots of time to get there, stopped along the way and experienced anything that caught my eye. My goal for the day was to go to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. I wondered through Hyde park and I stumbled upon the Anzac Memorial, which not only honors the service and sacrifice of servicemen and woman, but is also a stunning piece of architecture. I found the most impressive part of the museum was "The Home Soil." It is 8 walls which display the home soil of all 1,701 New South Wale's towns, cities, suburbs and homesteads given as a home address by First World War enlistees. It was moving beyond words.

I also came across St. Mary's Cathedral, Art Gallery of New South Wales with an outstanding Kandinsky exhibit and the Royal Botanical Gardens. These were all within a 30 minute walk.

I did eventually make it to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair and got to see the stunning view, but it wasn't until the late afternoon. This is a stone chair carved out of sandstone by convicts in 1810. It was commissioned for Governor Macquaries wife Elizabeth who loved sitting there and watching the ships come in. Now it is one of the best vantage points to view the Opera House and the Harbor bridge.

      Wondering back to my hostel I came across Forgotten Songs. This is a public artwork by artist Michael Thomas Hill. It celebrates birds which were living in central Sydney before they were gradually pushed out of the city by European settlers. It was the artists way to return the bird's sounds to the city. So unique.

The funny story of the day came when I popped into the Salvation Army thrift store. I needed a dress for the opera and was instantly drawn to this gorgeous gold gown. The two ladies working there said it was made for me, and I had to try it on. It was a little big, but one of the ladies came wielding a stapler and used it to tighten it up a bit. They also found me a green and gold shall and gave me the name of a real tailor in Chinatown. They were lovely, and I was now mostly ready for the opera.

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The next day started with a trip to Chinatown. Chinese immigration to Australia dates back to the 1800's and with that a vibrant area with excellent authentic food, lively markets and often free events. My first stop was Lily's alteration, a small hole in the wall store filled with one sewing machine and about 1000 articles of clothing, but my Salvation Army saviors were correct, they said it would be done in a couple hours, so that meant I had time to explore Chinatown a bit. I first strolled around Paddy's market. There are over a thousand stalls selling fashion, jewelry, gifts, gadgets and tourist crap. It had a fun lively feel, but the yummy smells across the street got my attention and so I picked the busiest restaurant and ordered a Taiwan beer and dim sum. Of course I had to finish it off with a box of dreamy Emperor cream puffs.

After dropping off my newly altered dress back at the hostel, I made my way to Sydney Tower Eye. It is the tallest structure in Sydney at 1,014 feet tall. Here's a tip. It cost $35 AUS to go to the observation deck or you can go to the Bar 83 which is near the top level and, although they have a $30 AUS minimum, you get a cocktail and a comfy seat with 260 degree views of Sydney. I loved just watching all the sailboats whipping around the harbor.

On my way back to get ready for the Opera, I got to witness some of the cultural diversity of Sydney. I got caught up in a peaceful protest for Palestine. There were over 50,000 people marching and chanting "cease fire now". They were protesting Australian government support for Israel and wanted freedom for Palestinians. Apparently, there were no incidents or arrests. I had wondered earlier why every street corner was full of cops.

So the big event for me for the day was attending the opera Sybil at the world famous Sydney Opera House. I got all decked out, which I have to say is not easy in a hostel and grabbed a cab the harbor. Australia, I learned, is a very casual country. I was by far the most dressed up person there, but I didn't care. It's my 50th birthday, just like the Opera House.She turned 50 on October 20th.

Such a stunning building. I did not take a tour but just walked around marveling at the architecture. Here are 7 Little-Known Facts About the Iconic Sydney Opera House stolen from Archtectual Digest:

1. 233 designs were submitted for the Opera House’s international design competition held in 1956. Danish architect Jørn Utzon (pictured) was announced the winner, receiving 5,000 pounds (a little over $12,000 at the time) for his design.

2. Construction costs ballooned from an estimated 7 million Australian dollars to 102 million Australian dollars—largely paid for by a State Lottery. Utzon, who resigned midway, never saw his design completed.

3. Paul Robeson, American singer and civil rights activist, was the first person to perform at Sydney Opera House.

4. Seven A380s—the world’s largest passenger airliner—can sit wing-to-wing on the site.

5. Sydney Opera House was designed to be cooled with seawater removed and replaced directly from Sydney Harbor.

6. More than 1 million roof tiles cover the iconic roof, all made in Sweden.

7. Sydney Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973. She visited another four times before her death, most recently in 2006.

The Opera was interesting.....not my favorite, but the whole experience I will remember for a lifetime.

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The last day I had big plans, but woke up to pouring rain, and I was having major technical difficulties with my phone and internet which I wanted to get fixed before continuing on my journey. My plan was to go to the Sydney Taringa Zoo. I had lunch down at the Rocks on the patio at the oldest pub in Sydney The Fortune of War. After lunch I went inside to use the bathroom and noticed the bar was lively and there was a lone seat available. I figured zoos are always more fun with a couple beers in me, so decided to have one more. Well.... struck up a conversation with the people sitting next to me and the afternoon got derailed. A pub crawl commenced to some of the coolest pubs in The Rocks. Way more fun than the zoo. 😁

So after Fortune of War, we went to The Envedour, Lord Nelson Hotel (oldest hotel in Sydney) and then eventually back to Fortune of War. Music, laughter, making friends what a way to end my Sydney adventure. Definitely need to make it back here.

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