Sydney’s Main Attraction
Mission to Mrs. Macquaries’ Chair. We had figured out that I could pedal a bike better than I could walk (if you are not sure what I am talking about, check out my Motivation Monday: Work Through The Pain), so we were determined to head to the park and to Mrs. Macquaries’s Chair lookout point.
We had to be careful pedaling on the roads because Australian’s drive on the left side of the road in comparison to Canadians who drive on the right. The stunning view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair made it all worthwhile. The sandstone rocks were a stunning orange in the light of the sun, but we certainly couldn’t get enough of the view!
We saw the ferries going across the river and we watched the waves crash over the rocks, but watch out because a few of the waves crashed over the wall and onto the path.
After checking out Mrs.Macquarie’s Chair, take a walk through the Botanic Gardens in your way to the up close and person view of the Sydney Opera House. If you are like me and couldn’t walk too well, be aware that you can not ride bikes through the Botanic Gardens.
HRH Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House in 1973 and has visited 4 times. The Sydney Opera House’s architect is Jorn Utzon. He submitted the plans for the Sydney Opera House as part of a competition. The plans were initially rejected by three out of the four judges, but the fourth judge, Eero Saarinen, declared his piece to be outstanding and the Sydney Opera House was born! Mr. Utzon never actually visited the intended site where the Sydney Opera House was to stand, but used his naval experience to study charts of the harbour. Its design includes about 1000 rooms including five theaters, five rehearsal studios, two main halls and numerous souvenir shops. So, you could say that what you see above is “just the tip of the iceberg”!
While in Circular Quay, if you are not staying to visit a show at the theater, you can grab a bite from one of its four restaurants and six bars in the Sydney Opera House, warning: it can be expensive. Then you can hope on the ferry over to Manly, to visit its absolutely gorgeous beaches and cliff sides (there are different ferries so check out Tips for Traveling in Sydney to find your best option) .
If you decide against taking a ferry or you get a litle sea sick, head over to the Sydney Olympic Plaza via bus or train. Google recommends that you take either the Blue Mountain Line or Central Coast & Newcastle Line to Strathfeild station and transfer to a bus, but these train lines are not always as regular as the Sydney subway, so I suggest to take the Sydney subway on line T1 to Lindcombe station to a small train line which connects to Olympic Park Station.
The stunning architecture which includes two stadiums, two fountains and one water station for each summer Olympics up until 2000 all powered by solar panels.
#2018 #Australia #Sydney #Travel