26 March 2016 :- AUSTRALIA >>>Sydney (Last day of the journey)

AUSTRALIA :-  Sydney

21th Day: 26.03.2016

Practically this is my last day in Australia. I have my pre booked Sydney Opera House Tour at 12:00 and I have got also a ticket for the Requiem Concert at the Sydney Opera House. It is a day for relaxation and smooth activities.

After a fine sleep during the night I woke up around 08:00 and then I started to walk on the

Wattle Str. down to the Sydney Fish Market. It is approx. 1,2 km from the hotel where I am staying. On the left hand side of the street there is a big green park close to the Fish Market. Some people are doing sport at this nice weather.

As I came closer to the Fish market I wanted to take some pictures but I recognized that I have forgotten the memory card of the camera at the hotel. So I walked back to the hotel, took the memory card of the camera and then came again to the same place.

At the Sydney Fish Market

 

Mud Crabs, alive ready to buy
Anyway, I looked around in the fish market. The people have already opened their shops and benches for the new day. There are various sea products like shrimps, oysters, lobsters, fishes any kind all around. In some shops within the market there are also ready to eat sea food which were very attractive even in the morning. I tasted some sashimi and  similar small items.

Sydney Fish Market

After leaving the fish market I walked the Pyrmont Bridge Road and crossed the Pyrmont Bridge at the Darling Harbour.

Crossing the Pyrmont Bridge, at the Darling Harbour.

It is very nice to walk in the city in the Saturday morning. The George Str took me to the Rocks. The Rocks is a historical part of Sydney. It is the oldest convict settlement in Australia.

Street Markets at The Rocks

The Rocks markets (=shopping huts) are open every Saturday and Sunday as well. I stopped at the Guylian Café and took a macchiato. Walking at the Overseas Passenger Terminal I saw the big cruiser still there. The passengers of it where spread out enjoying nice weather of Sydney City.

Sunny day at Sydney Cove, the big cruise ship in the background.

I walked to the other tip of the Sydney Cove where there is the Sydney Opera House located. I had to get my tickets at the ticket box. After having them I came to the meeting point of our tour group. A nice tour guide took us into the various sections within the building. She explained technical facts and history of the building.

From Wikipedia :

“ The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia, identified as one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings.^[3]

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973^[4] after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The government of New South Wales, led by the premier,Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction. The government's decision to build Utzon's design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect's ultimate resignation.^[5]

The building and its surrounds occupy the whole of Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, between Sydney Cove and Farm Cove, adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and close by the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Though its name suggests a single venue, the building comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest of performing arts centres – hosting well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people.^[6] A wide range of performances is presented in the venues, by numerous performing arts producers, including four key resident companies: Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, more than eight million people visit the site each year, with around 350,000 visitors annually taking a guided tour of the building.^[7] The building is managed by the Sydney Opera House Trust, an agency of the New South Wales State Government.

On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^{[8] “}

This is the design philosophy behind the Sydney Opera House :- Sails of a ship

One of the performance halls of Sydney Opera House

Tiles of the roof have been manufactured in Sweden

Precasted concrete modules are holding the building together

Perfect symmetry is everywhere in the building

Percasted beams of special cross-section of the Sydney Opera House

Our nice guide at the entrance of the Utzon Room-Utzon is the Arcitect of the Sydney Opera House

In the Utzon Room
In my opinion, those who are studying architecture and/or civil engineering must see this building. It pumps the enthusiasm and creativity.

After finishing the tour roughly in one hour we met with Lilette in front of the box office.

She had also bought ticket for the same concert as me. We walked into the concert hall.

It is fantastic and really big space inside. Occasionally, without knowing each other’s seats we had bought almost neighbored seats at the same row. We had only two seats between us.

Audience of the "Requiem" at Sydney Opera House

Orchestra

Orchestra

The concert “Requiem” of Mozart was fantastic. It was finished around 16:00 o’clock. When we came out we walked to the Rocks where we met Hakan, son of Lilette. He was waiting for us there. We sat with him at the Bavarian Bierhaus and ordered two beers.

Meanwhile, Lilette wanted to make shopping within the Rocks’ shops. Later on, after buying some souvenir she came to our table and we continued to chat altogether.

Hakan found a Japanese Restaurant to dine. It is Sushi Yachiyo in 1/13 Kirketon Road, Darlinghurst (Tel.02 9331 8107). Then we walked to the restaurant. It was a long walk from the Rocks. It is a little restaurant with cozy ambiance. We sat around a small table and the food was wonderful.

After the dinner Hakan called Uber Taxi and we all drove to our Hotels. They first left me at my Hotel. It was around 22:30 when I came to my room. Tonight I am going to have short nap because my flight to Dubai departs at 06:00. I have already ordered through the reception a taxi which will pick me up at 03:30 from the hotel.

I packed all my stuff and started to sleep the last night of the Australia+NZ journey. Tomorrow will be a long day on the way to Istanbul.

25 March 2016:- Australia:- Sydney

AUSTRALIA :-  Sydney

20th Day: 25.03.2016 

We will have a kind of reunion today. Mrs Lilette who is a friend of mine from Istanbul and her son Hakan who is living in Brisbane will fly this morning from Brisbane and they will come directly to my Hotel Vulcan. On the other hand our friend Erhan Izmir and his lovely wife Gul will pick up all of us from the hotel and we will enjoy the day altogether.

The meeting time at the hotel is 10.00. Gul and Erhan came first and we waited a little bit for Lilette and Hakan at the breakfast hall. They came directly from the airport. Then we jumped into the Erhan ‘s car and he took us to many places in/around Sydney which we couldn ‘t cover by ourselves. Gul and Erhan have been living in Sydney for more then 20 years.

We, first, made a sight-seeing tour with the car on the south Sydney. After seing the down town of Sydney we drove to Rose Bay and Voucluse and headed to the South Head. After walking a while altogether we made a coffee break in Watsons Bay.

Sydney from South Head

Suicide point at the South Head

Erhan,Hakan, Gul, Lilette and me

 

South Head -Background North Sydney

Cem, Erhan, Hakan with umbrella, Gul and Lilette

Then we started to drive and this time Erhan took us to Bondi Beach on the east coast of the south Sydney. Bondi Beach is a well-known and even it is autumn there are a lot of people surfing and laying in the beach. The weather was cloudy. We drank some beer and ate some short stuff here. After that we departed and we took Bondi Road and Oxford Str.

headed the Harbour Bridge. After crossing the bridge we stopped shortly at the Milsons Point and took some pictures.

From Milsons Point

Harbour Bridge from Milsons Point

 

Neutral Bay and Mosman Bay are the places we passed on the way to Spit Bridge. We are now on the North Sydney and it is still nice. The area is in intimate touch with the sea and this makes the city lovely in my opinion. Right after crossing the Spit Bridge Erhan took us to the big green field at the Arabanoo Lookout. He had used to play football here.

From the Arabanoo Lookout

As our final destination we came to Manly. We walked shortly at Manly Beach and then

we –except Erhan and Gul- took the ferry from Manly to Sydney. To use the public transportation someone must have Opal Card which is sold at every “Convenience Stores”. I had bought one yesterday and I have used it at the ferry.

Manly Beach

Heading to Sydney on the ferry from Manly

After we landed at the Sydney City, we took a taxi and Lilette and Hakan dropped me at my Hotel and I gave their two pieces of luggage from my room. We agreed to meet at a restaurant for dinner and I have rested a little bit in my room.

Around 19:00 o’clock I went out and walked to the down town. Meanwhile I have received a message from Hakan to go to the restaurant in Darlinghurst where he found a restaurant

popular with pasta and sauces. We met there and ate some fine pasta and drank two bottles of tasty red wine of Australian Origin. Late in the night, around 23:00 we drove back to our hotels.

Good Night .

16 March 2016:- AUSTRALIA & NZ :- Brisbane>>Sydney (1st Phase)

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND :- Brisbane>>Sydney

11th Day: 16.03.2016 

I woke a little bit earlier then my IPhone rang. It was 08.30. I packed all my stuff and went out from the Hotel in order to have a breakfast and to buy spare shorts for me. My Hotel Mantra Midtown is very close to the shopping center. I plan to come back to the hotel at 10:00 o’clock and to go to the airport.

Just on the Albert Street upwards I had distinguished some cafés and breakfast bars.

There is also a big shop called “Kathmandu” for the outdoor gear and clothing. First I walked there and bough walking shorts and a T-Shirt. This part of the earth is heading winter, the clothing for summer are in sale. I made good trade!

Coming back I sat in a café at the side of the street and ordered a Spanish omelet with added cheese and a cappuccino. I paid 17.-AUD. After the breakfast I walked around the corner and arrived at the hotel. At 10:04 I was out and walked with my trolley bag to the Central Station which is only 15 minutes’ walk. The best choice to get to the airport is to take this train. I had bought two way ticket and now I am at the platform 3 where the train

departs at 10:31. Around 11 o’clock we arrived at the Domestic terminal of the Brisbane Airport.

Our flight to Sydney is at 12:25. I have achieved the check-in and baggage drop of through

One of the Qantas Kiosks by myself. It is very practical to give the luggage.  Then I spent some time in the Terminal. I walked, I looked around, I took a coffee etc. Brisbane Airport is a modern and big building. The food court and the shops are comprising a lot of variety and choices. While sitting at the gate I also downloaded pictures in my NX1 Samsung camera into the Iphone. They took us into the plane at 12:05 and we took of exactly at 12:25. The journey to Sydney took only 2,5 hours max.

After landing at terminal 3 and claiming the luggage I went out in order to find the shuttle service to my hotel. Airport Hotel Sydney is very close to the Airport and I am planning to stay here because next day I have the early flight to Auckland. I do not want to take the risk of traffic. The hotel is located in Arncliffe and as per the information received from hotel reception there should be a shuttle company named “Redy2Go”. As I found their office in Terminal 2 I asked the guy about the service but unluckily he said that the service starts after 5 P.M. It was 13:45 right now. I decided to take a taxi from the airport and we drove in 10-12 minutes to the hotel. I paid 30.- AUD which is really too much for 4-5 kms.

Arncliff Station, Sydney

I put all my stuff in my room. Then I walked about 700 meter to the Station Arncliffe. I bought a two way ticket 9.6 AUD and get into the next train after 15 minutes. The train took me to the Central Station. I started to walk at around 16:00. It is most probably the rush hour and there are a lot of people on the sidewalks and on the streets.

There are a lot of famous brands’ shops. The people are from various origins. It is like New York City at the first glance. As I was at the old Post building the rain started. I went inside of the Post Building. It is a huge building but it is no more serving as Post Office. 

Inside of the Post Office

Stairs of the Post Office (entrance of the Hotel)

Stairs of the Post Office

On the lower basement there are nice bars and restaurants and on the upper floors there is an exclusive hotel. I sat at a bar in the basement and drank Campari with soda and a slice of orange. It was nice. Then I stepped out and saw that the rain has stopped. I walked in the direction of the kay where there should be also the Sydney Opera House. After a short walk I suddenly met people at a corner where they were working for a movie. It was a stunt and there were actors and actresses in appearance of nineteen forties. I watched them for a while and then walked downwards to the kay.

People making movie (?), Stunt of the movie.

People making movie

It was dark. Lights of the city and boats were fantastic. I took a lot of pictures of the city, of the boats cruising in the harbor, of the bridge and including the Sydney Opera House.

I was lucky. After I finished taking fotos the rain started to rain again. There are nice bars and restaurants on the connecting galeri of the Sydney Opera House to the Main Kay.

All of these have protection against rain and this sheltered walking galery is very well designed. I walked in the direction of the kay and sat in a restaurant having view to the sea.

After having the dinner I walked to the train station ant took my train to the Arncliff.

As soon as I was at the hotel I asked the lady in the reception to book me on the Ready2Go

shuttle servive for tomorrow morning at 06:45. My flight to Auckland is at 08:45.

Then I went to my room in order to have a good sleep.