My mom visits Australia! Can you believe it? After an hour wait in arrivals, she made it but her luggage didn't. Quantas did provide a funny emergency pack with the worlds smallest toothpaste along various Quantas branded clothing in one-size-fits-none in the beautiful shade of show-off-my-sweat-heather gray. (God, I hate heather gray) We ended up shopping a bit to get mom something decent to wear. For the first 4 days we continued on our Gold Coast Tours like we did with Sarah's parents and showed mom some of our favorite spots. We showed her the jungle, some beautiful beaches, the top of a very tall tower, explored Brisbane, introduced her to our kangaroo mates, and did some wine tasting in the hinterlands. We talked a whole bunch which I think is what mom wanted more than anything, she wore us out. My grandfather ended up passing midweek which was difficult for all of us. I think it was good mom was with us though and thank you to my brother for heading to Montana.
The highlight of the week was was the Sydney Opera House. We picked up mom a ticket for her birthday present and enjoyed the hell out of the most beautiful city I have ever been to. I didn't think it was possible San Francisco could be beat, but there it is - Sydney is unbelievable. It is a city built around tons of harbors so it has moments of Seattle and SF. All of the desirable neighborhoods are circled around the Opera House harbor, the best way to get around is a water taxi! There is great mix of historical victorian and modern design throughout the city. The buildings are very dense downtown. The Rocks is their oldest neighborhood with restored buildings standing along original narrow roads and paths. Historical sites have been saved and many modern design additions have been added for viewing and preserving. At one spot, they made a hostel over the top of a digging site! There is also an incredible park next to the Opera House with miles of grass, strange Aussie-trees and birds. We took a water taxi to a neighborhood called Manly to see how the locals lived. It was the longest taxi at 25 minutes and gave us water views of the Opera House, so it was the perfect choice. Manly had a nice avenue with shopping and dining in front of their beach. There, we picked up some real Aboriginal paintings and found a nice cafe. We followed a jogging path and found ourselves at the other end of where Manly beach looks out to. There we found another beach nestled under trees and a vantage point we hiked to the top of for some big ocean views. It really felt like another city in a city and it was amazing how different it was at only 25 minutes from the CBD. I can see why Sydney is one of the best city's in the world because of this, we were sold.
The Opera House was a thing of beauty. Looking at it you are in shock that you are actually looking at this thing after the years of images and stories. We didn't intend on doing a tour but mom wasn't leaving without one and it was the best decision of the week. The interior of this thing is a Mid Century maze of poured concrete and timber. The way the light plays with the elements is striking. There are multiple theaters in both buildings which I thought there was just one grand hall. The theaters themselves are underwhelming compared to the exterior and what we have to offer in Seattle. The architect actually quite halfway through the build and never got to see the final product before his death. His son took over the project. Incredible history and a visual overdose, you have to see it.
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