Sydney

We stirred to the sound of a persistent rain rattling against our bedroom window as the dawn light barely made its way in through the gap in the curtains. The streets were awash as we breakfasted and we contemplated how to spend our day without getting drenched.

Taking our chances we skirted under dripping facades and around gathering puddles to get to the New South Wales Art Gallery. Leaving our dripping jackets in the cloakroom we wandered through galleries of classical portraits, colourful modern art, political statements and exhibits from Asia. Most of what we saw was interesting and informative but at times, particularly with the most contemporary art, it felt self-important. Perhaps we are not the ‘right’ audience for this? It made us smile when in one exhibit room, where balloons meant to symbolise the passage of time were scattered on the floor. The exhibit's one audience member was a young girl whose only interest was to play with the balloons. To us this symbolised, 'up yours pretentious art, I want to play with balloons!'

Through the windows we saw the rain cease and the clouds crack open to let through patches of blue sky. We eagerly left the gallery to walk through the ordered flora of the Royal Botanical Gardens. The arched roofs of the iconic Sydney Opera House were instantly recognisable through the garden's trees as we meandered along the pathways. Once the opera house was before us, we felt as if we stood before a cathedral with its tall arches and faces of glass that lit up when the sun briefly dared to show its face. Across the bay, another icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, stood in steel and stone, to watch the many ferries pass before its broad body.

We walked along the quay and through the traffic of people around the ferry terminals before entering the historic ‘Rocks’ where early Sydney was forged. Small 19th century buildings lined the streets, retained and in contrast to the modern face of a city now towering above it. The cold and the rain deterred us from lingering but will we seek to return again to explore this part of the city further.Weiterlesen