Returning to downtown Sydney, Susannah took the opportunity to explore some of the key sites in more detail, starting with the official Sydney Opera House tour. Her (not quite direct) walk from the Airbnb to the Opera House travelled through the expansive and peaceful Royal Botanic Gardens and past the site of Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, a rock bench carved to honor the wife of former Governor Macquarie who sat in it to take in the views of the harbor. Alas, the chair was under restoration, but Susannah followed Elizabeth Macquarie’s lead and took in the ever-shifting views – this time of the Opera House – as she walked along.

It turns out that the inside of the Opera House is just as captivating as the outside, offering new appearances around each corner. The architect, Jorn Utzon, was relatively unknown when he won the design competition for the opera house job. (Thanks to Eero Saarinen, one of the judges, for advocating for Utzon’s design, or the Bennelong Point structure might have been a much more mundane box rather than the iconic edifice that stands there today.) The process of designing and building the bridge took five times longer than planned and cost more than ten times the initial budget, but the end result was worth it, and was even paid off in less than two years thanks to funding from government lottery tickets.

Converting Utzon’s concept into reality was the real challenge, given the complexity of the geometry, the use of post-tensioned concrete ribs for the structure, the roof tile ceramic composition designed to provide just enough but not too much sparkle, and the interior material selection and placement to ensure excellent acoustics.

We couldn’t take photos in all the spaces because of intellectual property associated with the set designs for the shows in progress, but the photo of the main opera hall represents the grandeur of the performance spaces throughout.

Her engineering mind happily sated, Susannah headed to The Rocks area of Sydney to quell her hunger. Even a basic veggie burger is served artfully! (Note to self, beet slices are a great addition to burgers.)

In addition to food and shopping in The Rocks, one can also find walking tours to learn more about the area. Today’s guide Brian was a walking encyclopedia of Sydney’s history; he regaled us with tales of various convicts and politicians (sometimes one and the same!) and showed us many places we might otherwise have missed. One hidden park, called Foundation Park, was created from restored foundations of former slum housing – and then furnished by a sculptor to represent the previous use of the space. Another structure of interest is the (until a few months ago) public housing building that was designed to resemble a rock cliff; its location high on the hill adjacent to the Sydney Harbor Bridge provides some of the best views of the city.

Speaking of the bridge – Susannah had climbed on it (hooray for BridgeClimb!) but hadn’t yet walked along the roadway nor ascended a pylon, so took the opportunity to do both. The pedestrian experience walking across the bridge is somewhat diminished by the barbed wire fences but that didn’t stop the constant stream if walkers and runners. The pylon offers a more memorable experience – there’s a small but thoughtfully assembled set of exhibits about the bridge’s history, an accompanying film with pictures from the construction, and 360 degree views from the top.

Back at Circular Quay for dinner, Susannah was accosted by the bird of the day – the seagull. Indeed, not just once but twice, seagulls dive-bombed her trying to snatch her dinner (chicken crepe) right out of her hands. Gives a whole new meaning to “take away” food!

But being near the Opera House again was delightful, especially in the setting sun amongst the crowds enjoying Sydney’s harbor setting. And, Susannah caught a light show projected on part of the opera house roof – pretty impressive!