Tourist's Paradise
As it is required that you must, no matter the circumstances, include no less than 5 Sydney landmarks/tourist attractions in your first travels Down Under or else you may be hurriedly escorted outside the city's borders to make room for other adventurers ... me being a straight-off-the-plane Yank, found myself walking, walking, and walking some more (bring your walking shoes - no flip flops!). I cound never be mistaken for a green thumb, and manage to kill every form of flora that enters my immediate vicinity, thus I was hypnotized and mesmerized by the giant prehistoric looking ferns and the unique and native plants like the waratahs ... and mostly at the fact that this is a vast expanse of lush and gorgeous greenery, the likes of which I have never seen, in the middle of a 5 million plus modern crowded industrial businessy city. The Royal Botanical Gardens was our first stop of the day, a thankfully relaxing introduction to this amazing destination.
What is Sydney really know for? What does every travel book and picture postcard and hour-long TV special thrust in your face first and foremost? Well, the Opera House of course. There is nothing quite like seeing something for real, being there, touching it, reveling in its majesty and impressive "that-is-so-cool" effect on you. In the wonder that is Sydney, the Opera House is the epitome of this, instilling a soothing awe and calmness within, despite the hordes of camera-toting tourists descending upon it. And regardless of its name, one can attend an opera or a symphony, a play or a comedy show, and many other visually and musically stunning forms of entertainment. Aussies and visitors alike should be up in arms, lobbying to include this as one of the (Seven? Seventeen?) wonders of the modern world, an icon of our times.
Immediately across from the Opera House is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is the second most revered creation, from what I have discovered, of the city of Sydney. Upon first viewing this with eyes already in overdrive, you may see what appear to be tiny ants slowly dredging their way to the top. Make no mistake, these are humans, participating in the 3.5 hour Harbour Bridge Climb. I would suggest that those suffering from acrophobia leave this off their list of "things to do", as it is suggested in the name, within this activity one climbs to the apex of the big black bridge. Leaving nothing to chance, they drown potential climbers in a sea of safety precautions, from alcohol breath tests to special BridgeGear to tethering you to a static line with an infinitesimal chance of fall or escape.
Having almost certainly been on a recent exceedingly long plane flight, try a different form of transportation, one much shorter at that. Jump on a ferry in Darling Harbour an
d take a brief jaunt to the Taronga Zoo. A mini gondola ride will take you to the top, from which you may descend in a zig-zag manner back to the bottom (or any way you see fit!), along the way encountering hundreds of native and transported, exotic, hungry, playful or sleepy creatures, enclosed within something as close to "home" as the zoo can provide. For the most part. A cage does not quite emulate the feel and smell of the rainforest or the African savannah; yet the koalas seem to have found contentment! A eucalyptus tree, and a nap, and another eucalyptus tree, and a nap ...
Finally, in my overly biased and severely limited list is the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour. It has been quite some time since I have been to a large aquarium, and I must admit that they are not usually at the top of my "I-have-to-do-this-before-I-die" activity list ... and yet after wandering through with glassy glazed eyes like my nephews watching "Robots", my preconceived notions about catching a glimpse of a day in the life of a giant fish were completely and totally shattered. Because it was totally amazing. From the giant cuttlefish to the (supposedly) non-stinging jellyfish to the living and moving Great Barrier Reef Oceanarium, it was fascinating. But the coolest thing, and something I was not expecting, was the Open Ocean Oceanarium ... walking under a gazillion gallon aquatic tank, peering through a thick glass arch, at sharks. Sizeable sharks. Okay, that wasn't the only swimming shiny gilled marine animal there, but wow. Guaranteed.
What is Sydney really know for? What does every travel book and picture postcard and hour-long TV special thrust in your face first and foremost? Well, the Opera House of course. There is nothing quite like seeing something for real, being there, touching it, reveling in its majesty and impressive "that-is-so-cool" effect on you. In the wonder that is Sydney, the Opera House is the epitome of this, instilling a soothing awe and calmness within, despite the hordes of camera-toting tourists descending upon it. And regardless of its name, one can attend an opera or a symphony, a play or a comedy show, and many other visually and musically stunning forms of entertainment. Aussies and visitors alike should be up in arms, lobbying to include this as one of the (Seven? Seventeen?) wonders of the modern world, an icon of our times.
Immediately across from the Opera House is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is the second most revered creation, from what I have discovered, of the city of Sydney. Upon first viewing this with eyes already in overdrive, you may see what appear to be tiny ants slowly dredging their way to the top. Make no mistake, these are humans, participating in the 3.5 hour Harbour Bridge Climb. I would suggest that those suffering from acrophobia leave this off their list of "things to do", as it is suggested in the name, within this activity one climbs to the apex of the big black bridge. Leaving nothing to chance, they drown potential climbers in a sea of safety precautions, from alcohol breath tests to special BridgeGear to tethering you to a static line with an infinitesimal chance of fall or escape.
Having almost certainly been on a recent exceedingly long plane flight, try a different form of transportation, one much shorter at that. Jump on a ferry in Darling Harbour an
d take a brief jaunt to the Taronga Zoo. A mini gondola ride will take you to the top, from which you may descend in a zig-zag manner back to the bottom (or any way you see fit!), along the way encountering hundreds of native and transported, exotic, hungry, playful or sleepy creatures, enclosed within something as close to "home" as the zoo can provide. For the most part. A cage does not quite emulate the feel and smell of the rainforest or the African savannah; yet the koalas seem to have found contentment! A eucalyptus tree, and a nap, and another eucalyptus tree, and a nap ...Finally, in my overly biased and severely limited list is the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour. It has been quite some time since I have been to a large aquarium, and I must admit that they are not usually at the top of my "I-have-to-do-this-before-I-die" activity list ... and yet after wandering through with glassy glazed eyes like my nephews watching "Robots", my preconceived notions about catching a glimpse of a day in the life of a giant fish were completely and totally shattered. Because it was totally amazing. From the giant cuttlefish to the (supposedly) non-stinging jellyfish to the living and moving Great Barrier Reef Oceanarium, it was fascinating. But the coolest thing, and something I was not expecting, was the Open Ocean Oceanarium ... walking under a gazillion gallon aquatic tank, peering through a thick glass arch, at sharks. Sizeable sharks. Okay, that wasn't the only swimming shiny gilled marine animal there, but wow. Guaranteed.
posted by Jill at
4:09 AM
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