Exploring Our New City

If there's one thing in Sydney that really lets you know you're here, it's the Opera House. Aside from Crocodile Dundee (which, by the way, Blake watched for the first time on the plane ride over), it's one of the few Australian icons that most Americans can actually identify. Anyone who has ever visited Sydney has, without a doubt, taken a picture in front of the Opera House. Probably several. However, unlike myself; most people probably wait until they land first. If you want any pictures of an airplane window with a white speck in the distance, let me know.

We had our first good look at the Opera House as we drove from the airport to our hotel; however, it wasn't until the following weekend that we headed downtown to see it up close. Our day started with an enjoyable train ride from North Sydney over the Harbour (spelled with a "u" in Australia) Bridge into the City. Emerging from the train station, we found ourselves immersed in the heart of Downtown. We headed down George Street, Sydney's most bustling thoroughfare with more shops, restaurants and bars than one could count. We first stumbled upon the Queen Victorain Building, a late nineteenth century Romanesque building filling an entire city block. Originally designed for a shopping center, it deteriorated in the 1950s, and has since been restored to its original condition. Despite my extreme dislike for shopping, the architecture alone was worth a long slow walk through the entire structure.

From there, we made our way over to Hyde Park, a 40-acre park on the eastern edge of the CBD. Passing the last row of towering skyscrapers, we were awed by what must be one of the finest green spaces I have ever seen in the heart of a city. Peering down one of the wide tree-lined walkways, we were greeted by Archibald Fountain, the park's centerpiece, and the imposing gothic-style St. Mary's Cathedral in the distance. St. Mary's is the largest church in Australia, one of the largest in the world, and it has a design reminiscent of Notre Dame. Completed in 1882, it can hold its own with any of the magnificent cathedrals scattered throughout Europe. Considering Sydney's brief history, we were pleasantly surprised by the city's remarkable historical buildings. After soaking up Hyde Park for a few moments we headed north through a string of parks leading through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. We meandered through the 75 acre-gardens, stopping for coffee, and for the jaw-dropping sight of thousands of Grey-Headed Flying Foxes (we thought they were bats) dangling from the trees above. During peak season, up to 22,000 of these creatures fill the Botanic Gardens.

At last, we reached our final destination of the day, the Opera House. Up close, the Opera House is a collection of massive concrete overhangs covered with relatively small white tiles. In all honesty, I have seen much prettier buildings, although probably none as unique, and certainly none with quite the significance. As we took our pictures from every imaginable angle, the exciting reality of our move across the globe truly set in.