Rainy Sydney and The Building Everyone Knows

So, yesterday as I'm getting ready for my bike commute home from work, the fire alarm in the building goes off. Now, mind you, I am in the locker room, with my pants off and my riding tights half-way on, and the blaring siren goes off. For a second, I wondered if the building was burning down in an inferno of flames, or if the yahoo's upstairs burnt the popcorn again. I got my tights on, and went outside (minus shoes), simply because the siren was insanely intense. Apparently no fire. Thanks.

Day two in Sydney. The clear skies we had been having we cloudy and dark. Oh no, rain.

Thursday

This day we didn't mess around (well too much), and we started off early with a tour at the Opera House. The rain was starting to fall as we walked the six or so blocks to get there. It wasn't cold, but it probably was the coldest day we had so far. For the Opera House tour it wasn't a big deal, but later it impeded us a bit.

The Opera House itself is an amazing structure. The history of the building is well worth knowing because it adds so much more to the building than just seeing it alone. Being someone who studied this sort of thing, it was one of the places in life I needed to visit before I died (and I still have plenty more places - thank you very much Mr. Grim Reaper).

The tour itself was good because it gave us access to some of the interior spaces you normally just can't wander into. The interior theaters are pretty standard really, with the largest being impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the building shell which is an artistic use of concrete and steel. The tiles are more of a cream color and unfortunately the overcast sky didn't help for getting good photos while being so close. Oh well, we'll have to do this one again.

After our tour we got a bite to eat. Nothing much, but the large muffin and juice gave us enough substance to keep moving. The rain by this time was picking up a bit and that was a bummer because the next part of our day involved a bus-tour throughout the city. This was the type of bus where you could ride on top and have amazing views. However, when you are cold and wet, the idea of getting colder and wetter is not very inviting.

We were riding on a Hop On, Hop Off bus, so we were able to hop on and off when we wanted. Brilliant. Our first stop was The Queen Victoria Building:

The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen – stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project.

Truly a beautiful building and lots of high-end shops inside. We browsed around a bit and mainly used the time to warm up a bit. By this time the muffin we split wasn't cutting it, so it was time for some real food. The Hard Rock Cafe was within walking distance so we made our way to the building with the car sticking out of the wall.

This is certainly a place where I felt in my comfort zone. Music videos, rock memorabilia and big hamburgers. How could you go wrong? The rain had zapped us of a bit of energy, so we needed some good comfort food. Nachos were up first and then our large burgers arrived. Good, good, good. It wasn't like I needed to feel like I was in America again, it was that I loved the funky atmosphere. A nice treat and of course I had to get a t-shirt.

The rain cleared off and when we got back on the bus we were able to now sit on the upper level. it was a blast to ride around the town and hear about it's history. There certainly is a lot of history than involves houses of ill repute, convicts, and crime in general. I loved it when you went by and area and the description was 'this is a place famous for it's strip clubs and wild night life, but if that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea...'

After riding the bus around for a bit, we got off at the Sydney Aquarium where there was plenty of fish, turtles, sharks, manta rays, and crocodiles too. There was plenty to see. I think the funniest part was all of the Japanese tourists who took pictures of everything. By that, I mean every fish, every turtle, every shark, etc. This was something you noticed it general at every site you went to, every bus your rode on, every ferry you rode on. Lots of cameras and lots of photos. The CEO accused me of trying to be Japanese at times. I was trying my hardest, I have to admit.

After swimming with the fishes (or something like that) we headed over to the IMAX theater. We caught a flick about dinosaurs. This was one of those IMAX movies that was interesting, but not overall that amazing. The 3D effects seem to be trivial after watching a few of these films. However, it had been a long day so far and sitting down and relaxing was a good thing.

By the end of the movie it was getting late-ish and we hadn't had anything for dinner yet. We kept it simple and hit the nearby Subway. I found there to be a few differences (such as no mustard, and a few veggies), but other than that my Spicy Italian, tasted like every other Spicy Italian. We grabbed our bag of subs and walked over to the ferry stop. We ate our food and took in the night lights of the city.

The ferry ride back was beautiful and if the weather had been a bit warmer it would have been wonderful to sit outside, but we were a bit worn out at this point and the idea of getting colder was not appealing. We made it back to the room and smiled. Another wonderful day in Sydney, and even though it rained, we had a blast.