Last call, Sydney

All of a sudden our month in Australia has all but passed, and we find ourselves in Sydney, final port of call before flying across the ocean to New Zealand. Like Cape Town, South Africa and maybe Toronto, Canada, Sydney isn't the capital but it sure acts like it is - big, brash, confidently on trend, the kind of place where anything goes and everything happens. At first it's all a bit overwhelming, especially in the heat, which mid-way through out stay tops out at a blistering 38c. But it's a fitting place to end our trip, for sure one of the worlds must-do destinations.

 We don't do the harbour bridge walk, but we do do the opera house, starting with a guided tour and then coming back in the evening to listen to the Sydney Symphony orchestra perform in the concert hall. The radical, breath-taking design of the opera house comes at a price - way, way over budget by the time it was finally completed in 1973, and with narrow performance areas that pose challenges for ballet dancers energetically exiting the stage. But one thing is beyond doubt; the acoustics and sound in the concert hall theatre  are simply amazing. At half time in our concert we step out for an interval drink, the glass fronted bar area looking out across the harbour to the city lights. A highlight of our trip!

We cross the city by train, bus, ferry and on foot, catching the surf (tho not getting in it) at Manley and Bondi, and spending our last morning in cooler weather walking the spectacular cliff top path from Bondi beach to Coogee. Now, time to move on.