Here we are on day two

Here we are on day 2.  The agenda is to head back to the waterfront (circular quay), Opera House and so on.  This post will have more photos in it since we got up, showered and tried to a reasonable job of representing America.  On the way, we saw the Police and Justice Museum with these banners outside.  I laughed out loud at the slogans.  Not sure that everyone else will get it. 

All kids in school wear uniforms and here is a bunch on a field trip to the Quay: 

Our breakfast location was on the waterfront overlooking the Harbour Bridge.  Our selections?  Baked eggs with choruzo, banana bread with heavy cream, and muffins with vegemite.  A reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore, breakfast for four, on the water on circular quay was A$80.  Hope its filling! 

Here are some of the requisite pictures near the bridge.  It really is much bigger than you think it is.  I’m not sure that I can give any sort of sense of scale in the description… 

Same goes for the Opera House.  Designed in the 1950’s and built in the 1960’s the building, priced in today’s dollars, would cost in the billions to build.  The original submission to the Australian government consisted of a sketch of the side of the building by a Danish architect, Jorn Utizon.  During construction, he was fired because of cost overruns and sluggish building times so the interior was completed by three Australian architects. It wasn’t until the renovation, during which the original architect was rehired, that any of the interior was done by an non-Australian.  The building is absolutely huge! 

Everyone is interested in the roof design of the buildings.  The architect said (he died just 2 years ago) that it was to inspire people to think about the sea.  Shells, Sails and other things from the sea and leading into man and the sea was what Utizon hoped to inspire.  Here are bronze casts of the original spheres that helped the construction company figure out how to build the roof panels.  The design for the roof was so advanced, no one knew how to build it.  Utizon had the realization that the shells were part of a sphere and, knowing that, the construction company could make the forms for the stressed concrete on site and then assemble the roof.  The arcs are a constantly changing curve from base to top and each rib is unique. 

 

The rib contains a steel cable in it that is mounted to concrete piers sunk into the bedrock.  Almost like a suspension bridge in reverse. 

Walking back through Hyde Park and we were treated to some classical and Spanish guitar by this gentleman.  He was really quite good. 

And some big bubble fun by the girls. 

After touring around the circular quay, we headed out to the suburbs by train to visit with some of Jacq’s family.  We met her grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncles along with cousins.  Dinner was a typical Australian “Barbie” in the backyard.  Snags and steaks along with some veggies followed by custard tart and wine trifle.  Needless to say, no one left the house hungry.  As a matter of fact, during the train ride back to the hotel, I was the only one to stay awake.  All were fast asleep within 5 minutes of hitting the bed.

A quick note, the numbers refer to pictures that I will upload when we get to Bribie and it is not costing me for interweb access.