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dec 11, 2000
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It is the home stretch of this long trip- a jog from Brisbane to Sydney,
stash the big bag at the airport, bus into the city, and try to take in as many sights as possible in one day/evening. Sydney is a big town, eh? and 
I had already spent some time in Darling Harbor. This time I chose a nice spot in "The Rocks" the area right in the heart of Sydney's Harbor, Circular Quay, and one of the first settled parts of the city.
The accommodation was the rustic but quaint Russell on George Street. One of the "rustic" parts was a lack of air conditioning, noticeable on this day when the humid heat was pushing 100 degrees. But I had no intent of staying indoors, so "no worries" (until later?). It's location is perfect for walking to some of the best sites of Sydney-- right outside the front door is a view down George Street to the majestic Harbor Bridge.
Without a doubt the most famous, and rightfully so, Sydney landmark is the opera house that can be seen from all points of Circular Quay. Even if you have seen a picture of it, in person the beauty, grace, and style of this structure steals your breath. The arches gently reach for the sky. There is more I can say, but see for your self in the main slide show. It was difficult not to take 50 photos of this building, so I settled for about 20.
From there I backtracked over to the Sydney Harbor Bridge, probably the second major icon of the city. it is a tremendous arching structure, that when designed and built in the early 1900s, it was decided even then that s simple structure would not do, that this bridge had to be utilitarian (carrying trains, horse-drawn carts, and autos) but also classy. The vertical granite pylons at each end are not even there for structure, purely for looks. Inside one pylon is a set of stairs you can climb for a grand sweeping view of downtown and across the harbor.
Underneath the bridge you can quickly appreciate the skill and craft that went into its construction, a massive nest of steel support held together with giant rivets and basketball sized bolts. I think of it as the ultimate erector set.
In there evening everything is lit up beautifully perhaps just a glimmer of the atmosphere during the 2000 Olympics, yet still magnificent in its own rights. Sydney has a lot of class, day or night, and is an active lively place. My time in town was not significant enough to take in more than a fraction of a percent of what is there, but even that small amount was a lot.
I would have liked to go on, but I had a plane to catch the next day...
