On Saturday we walked down again from Bondi to Coogee Beach, which is a very nice trip with beautiful views over the beaches and the ocean. We planned to see the outdoor exhibition “Sculpture by the Sea”, which was interesting, so we will write a post about that later.

Between Bronte Beach and Clovelly Bay the road goes through a cemetery. When we saw this for the first time, we were so amazed that we almost had to laugh about the situation. It is a bit absurd, if you see men without T-shirts - headphones plugged in their ears - running over the hills, showing their sweated bodies. Or happy families walking through with small children as if they were in Hyde Park.

No doubt the Waverley cemetery is located on one of the most beautiful places; on the hill sides, ending at the high cliffs that are suddenly rising out of the ocean.  The view is spectacular with only the sound of birds and the ocean.   Just a few people reach this part of the walk from Bondi, only the families in the neighborhood, the sweated joggers and the persistent tourists.

Because it was All Saints` Day  - and we could not visit the cemeteries like we are used to at home - we made a small detour from the prescribed road and we walked around a little bit on this cemetery. Most of the graves are over 100-150 years old, they look very similar in their appearance, shape or colour, and the fact that most of them have not been visited for a long while. You don’t find there colourful flowers or candles that you can see at home around this time. Either there are no flowers at all or there are tiny little yellow daisies - spread by nature - as in a `still life`.  Here, or at least on this cemetery, it is no habit to bring a visit. The sight however is beautiful, and if you have been here a few times, you will also get used to the running people.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Last Monday I got a ticket for a concert in the Sydney Opera House. It was the third concert I have visited here in Sydney. The weather was nice and warm, the sun was brightly shining and we had a very good time with friends. The way from Circular Quay to the Opera House is always very nice and uplifting, but now -because it was really warm, or just the time of the year - you could find a lot of flies or at least they found you, and did not want to let you go. The OZ-flies stick to your clothes, to your face, and you are not able to chase them away.

Like everybody else who lives here, we could tell you a lot about the Opera House. On one hand it almost feels as a kind of kitsch, but on the other hand you only can love it. You know, I can not imagine Sydney without this building. We like it in the sunshine or in the evening in the floodlights. Either nearby or from far away, so from everywhere it is very eye-catching. The only time when it was a little bit disappointing to us, was when we had such a close look, that we could touch it. Then we realised that it is a large monument, built in the sixties and made of concrete and covered with bathroom-tiles.
Arriving at a concert for the first time also makes you a bit disappointed, when you see that the entrance is under the big stairs. It is dark there, and you can find more concrete inside too. But if you reach the lookout point and the windows, you will have a spectacular view over the city. That is the Sydney we love very very much.
So about the concert…This is my personal experience, and I really do not want to say any bad things about the Opera House. But there is a high risk that you will meet a lot of tourists wearing jeans and T-shirts, sometimes you can see a cyclist as well. It is one of the most famous opera houses in the world, so maybe a lot of people - who generally do not use to go to concerts - go to have a nice experience. Especially, if the program contains a famous work like Vivaldi`s Four Seasons.
The ensemble Europa Galante`s performance was passionate and enjoyable. I do not know why, but every time I was here, I felt that no matter how old and sad the music was, it always seemed very modern and happy in the Sydney Opera House.
The musicians played very well, and maybe it could have been a very nice concert too, but unfortunately it was not. And it happened just because of the public and the Opera House `policy`.
People who do not use to go to concerts clapped their hands when they were not supposed to, and the ensemble had to wait for them, more than what was convenient. But the thing that I really can not understand is why the Opera House ushers let people in when there is a short pause between two pieces. It is evident that they will not find their places in the dark, especially if it is so easy to sit on the wrong seat. This is what happened on Monday too. People coming late started to explain to others that they were sitting on their seats, and it was so annoying and disturbing during the concert.
But of course difficulties continued after the interval. People sitting behind us were chatting too much, too loud sometimes, but I did not believe when they started to sing or lilt the Four Seasons. That was the moment I could not be astonished any more. It was like a real parody and I almost had to laugh about the whole situation.

I think this was only an accident-concert, where also the finale was a bit weird, but hopefully it is not the trend here.  Maybe it happened because the ensemble and the public were not enough in harmony.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When you look at postcards of Sydney, the first two icons you will see are the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, but the third one is probably the Sydney Tower. Even if you spend just a few days in Sydney, the Tower is certainly worth a visit.
The Tower has two restaurants, a café and a lookout platform on four different levels. Probably the lookout platform is the most popular, and the sight can be really stunning. You can walk around and spend two minutes upstairs, but you can also take your time and spend two hours, that is what we did.
Because we live in Sydney, we could pick the right time to visit the Tower. You should go when the weather is nice and the sky is bright. We made sure to be in the Tower about half an hour before sunset started. It is a very popular attraction, so especially in the weekend – when it is possibly very crowded  - you have to wait some time to get into the lift that brings you up, which actually takes two minutes.
During daylight you have a perfect view on the harbour and all the bays, all the way to the Ocean. Unfortunately the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are half hidden behind the skyscrapers, but with some patience you can find many well known places like Town Hall, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour or even the famous Coca-Cola sign on Kings Cross…

The sunset from the Tower is really stunning and very special as the Sun disappears behind the mountains, while the sky colours red and orange. During the twilight all the city lights are turning on, and you start wondering how long the people in the skyscrapers keep working, as all the office lights are on as well. You can use free binoculars as well –there are many of them –   they can zoom in so much that you can possibly see your friends walking on Watsons Bay, close to the ocean.
Sunset goes very fast, so about half an hour later it is completely dark which gives another completely different sight. Sydney by night is a very different Sydney. The harbour and ocean disappear in the dark, but the large buildings and roads become much more obvious because of the large amount of traffic.
In case you want to make pictures, be sure to bring a tripod as you will need long exposure times, but the results can be truly rewarding.

If all this is not enough, you can pop-up your ticket and experience the sky-walk. You get a special suite and a guide will bring you to a different platform. Here you can really feel the wind, hear the sounds of the city and enjoy the view directly, not only from behind a window.

Finally, don’t forget: there is the OzTrek included in your ticket! It is an active audio-visual show that shows you some typical parts of Australia. The highlight is a very `energetic` film, with huge screens around you and moving chairs.  We recommend you not to eat just before going inside, it is a quite rough bumpy ride and you will be shaken around a bit.

• http://www.sydneytower.com.au/
• 305 m high
• 2^nd highest lookout platform in the Southern Hemisphere
• Opened to the public in August 1981
• Opening hours: Sunday to Friday: 9:00am to 10:30pm, Saturday: 9:00am to 11:30pm
• Single tickets from 15 to 25 AUD (combination tickets including Tower/Aquarium/Wildlife World have discount)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!