Deedeelynn

The Sydney Opera House from the ship.

Did I mention how Circular Quay is a busy ferry port?

The Sydney Harbour Bridge from the ship.  I see bridge climbers...


Cabins were posted to be ready at 1:30pm but at 1:10pm the announcement was made that cabins were ready. 

Back down to the ship I could see boarding was beginning.   


The cruise terminal has no waiting area inside so appointment times are strictly enforced.  Once the ship is ready to board they’ll open the doors and start looking for early appointment times.

With the new expedited arrival feature boarding is pretty quick and pretty much a non-stop flow through check in, Australian immigration and finally security.
To give you an idea how my timing went this morning, this next picture was at 10:15am as I walked towards the Pylon to start my climb.

This next picture was at 11:41am after I had cleared security and was on the gangway about to walk on the ship.

And with that the cruise can finally begin!

After dropping my luggage around 9:45am I headed back to the bridge!
This time with my backpack full of my camera gear again and I immediately noticed the albatross around my neck on the hike up.   I had a free pass to the Pylon Climb and time to kill before boarding so... 

The Pylon Lookout is found on the first Pylon walking up the bridge from Sydney.  It opens 10am to 5pm and normally costs $19 AUD for adults.

More stairs, a total of 200 to reach the top.  No lift. 

Part of the way up the stairs get wider.






More bridge climbers.

While not as stunning as the sunrise yesterday, this will do.





Security walking the bridge.

My ship has arrived.  Phew.  The cruise can commence.


Distinct haze in the air today that wasn't present yesterday or the day before.


That haze isn't clouds or smog.  It's that smokey.


You can't see it in this picture as well as you can see it live but there is a haze in the air and the distinct smell of bushfires that grew stronger as the morning came to life.

Looking back towards my breakfast venue and hotel in the distance.

Looking down the street towards the cruise terminal in the far distance.

A short walk in the other direction leads to this staircase.  It's early but other than some security here and there it's just me other than that shady character in the bottom left of this picture.

Up the stairs and over to the next staircase where the bridge stairs are found across the road.  Did I mention I exceeded my stair count on this cruise and it's only day 1 of the cruise?  Pro tip:  Bring comfortable walking shoes.

Looking back towards my hotel and the city behind it.

That teenie weenie character through the pylon is security so it seems to be safe even at this early hour.


Well lit walkway across the bridge even at night.

A hint of sunrise starting to appear in the sky.

Looking promising but not quite the same as the morning before.  

That's when I realized that faint scent was becoming stronger.  I couldn't place it before, now it's unmistakably the smell of bushfire in the air.

Soon enough I spotted a ship coming into view.

I was hoping for a repeat of yesterday's sunrise but given the circumstances this will do just fine.

Day 1
IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!
But first, I need a ship... and some breakfast.
I had been watching the weather forecast and it didn't look as promising as my time in Sydney has been up to this point.  The morning looked okay but with increased cloud cover.  Possibly some rain later in the day.
My internal body clock is still mostly on eastern time so I didn't need an alarm to wake up earlier than I needed to.  Might as well head out...



When it's o-dark hundred and you're hungry in The Rocks, there's always Pancakes on the Rocks.  It's open 24 hours.



This is the quick menu, the full menu is much bigger.

Time for an Aussie Sunrise.

Now I can waddle up the hill to the bridge and wait for another Aussie sunrise.

Before bed I wanted to see what the rooftop pool area of my hotel would look like at night.  Not bad.

Near the Circular Quay train station is a street car station.


Some of these street cars are surprisingly long.  

Circular Quay is also the hub of a lot of ferry traffic.


The Rooster:


The venues near the Sydney Opera House were surprisingly busy.

Walking out to the end of the Opera House yields a nearly side on view of the bridge.

With that it was getting late and time to head back towards my hotel.


I wanted to get some sleep so I could be out on the bridge hoping for another brilliant sunrise and the arrival of Ovation early in the morning.

The Lunar Lanterns marking the animal signs of the lunar zodiac located around Circular Quay.

The tongue is animated, moving up and down.





There were also some dragons running around.



 

I always enjoy exploring a city at night and taking a few pictures after dark.










I loved seeing the exposed beams within this old building.  Located right across from the Overseas Passenger Terminal I imagine this used to be an important building in shipping commerce back in the day.

With the HAL ship departed the pier was opened to the public.

I wanted to catch up on some sleep so I could venture out tonight to take some night pictures.  After a few hours of sleep my stomach woke me up asking to be fed.

The area right behind my hotel had some street vendors set up.

This BBQ was appealing.



Emu on the left and Kangaroo on the right.  Very good.


The pizza vendor had some nice options so I opted for a Supreme pizza to take back to my room.  

Grabbing a Victoria Bitter beer at the hotel lobby bar made for a complete dinner experience.

Up early and now facing the heat of the day it was time to head back to my hotel and seek the comfort of air conditioning (and take a nap).

The Year of the Rat.



Something or two to help me sleep.

Over on this side of Circular Quay I was able to see the bridge from another angle.

I saw some little ants climbing the bridge.

By this time it's close to noon and getting hotter.  Amazing views from up there and a glorious day to take it all in but it's gotta be hot, hot, hot in those jumpsuits.

The tour lasted one hour then we were free to explore the open public areas on our own. 
 
 
 
 


This smaller venue is a restaurant.

The outside of the buildings are purposely not white but a creme color to minimize reflection and glare.




It was interesting being able to get up close and touch it.

Our next stop was the main opera theater.  On our way we were able to see the inside of the iconic shapes we have all seen on the outside.
Our first glimpse up the stairs.

Originally called simply the Opera Theater in 2012 it was renamed after a famous Australian opera singer and is now called the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

Looking up...







The stage was being prepared for an event so no photography of the stage area.

After stopping at my hotel to retrieve my good camera from the safe I walked over to the Sydney Opera House for my 10am tour.

With such an iconic landmark within walking distance I had to check it out even though I am not an opera person.  
I booked the tour on their website and chose an earlier time thinking it might not be as hot at 10am.   It was pretty hot at 10am.
Next to the water and down one level are some bars and restaurants available to the public.

After picking up my ticket at the welcome center we met our guide who gave out wireless headphones so we could listen to his commentary.  

Everything about the Opera House is striking in its form.  These long concrete beams are massive and supported internally by a cable system that wraps around underground and back up to form a loop.  The use of lighting creates an artistic effect that is more than just concrete holding stuff up.

The Opera House contains a number of venues that can be utilized depending on the nature of the performance and size of the audience.  We were led into one of the theaters where photography is not permitted so no pictures.  There a video was played that explained the history and construction of Opera House.  Our guide answered some questions and we moved on.
There is a story involving the architect Jørn Utzon from Denmark.  That's best explored on your own but they had a room dedicated to his memory.  

Despite the hard concrete surfaces this room is acoustically tuned to minimize reverb and is ideal for small live performances where sound quality is important.

The views aren't bad either.


While this looks like a painting it is a woolen wall hanging that is very heavy and one of the primary features that deadens the reverb so it's highly functional as well as decorative.  

Day -1
Early start but with my body split between time zones it wasn't a problem.  This morning would be the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.  
I chose a 4:35am reservation in hopes of clear weather and a nice sunrise.  I also wanted to avoid the heat of the day so getting this done early checked that box as well.
It takes about an hour to go through orientation, suiting up and a test climb on a small rig within the event facility.  They supply everything and everything gets clipped onto the jump suit they supply so nothing can fall off and land on the cars driving below. 
No cameras allowed.  No anything allowed really.  Just eyewear if you need them including sunglasses and they use special straps to secure them in place.
Emerging onto the bridge lower structure around 5:15am I could see a faint hint of building red sky.  By the time we reached the upper arch of the bridge to begin the climb up the steepest part the sunrise was in full effect. 
In this picture you can see a ship coming around a point in the distance.  Based on the folks across the aisle from me on the plane I guessed that was the HAL ship they were embarking today.

We climbed and stopped for individual pictures that I'm not including here.  With each passing moment the sunrise was getting better and better.


By the time we reached the summit and did another round of photos including a group photo the Noordam was getting ready to dock.  At this point we were right under the flags at the top of the bridge.

It was a pretty incredible experience and the perfect weather day.  The sunrise was pretty spectacular and we took a lot of breaks to take it all in.  
We crossed over to the west side of the bridge at the summit and began our descent, down more ladders and across the lower span back to our starting point.  
We were provided headsets and our guide would occasionally provide commentary about the area and the bridge itself.
We were also given tickets for the Pylon climb that we could later or on another day by ourselves.  It's a little pricey but I am very glad I did it and will forever remember seeing the bridge up close everytime I see Sydney NYE fireworks year after year.

Have so much fun climbing tomorrow at 4:45!  I can't wait to hear all about it.  Your pictures are even more breath-taking than your last cruises!  You really have the gift with the camera!
 
Michelle

Friendly reminder, please don't quote photos and repeat them.  Thank you!
With just my camera around my neck it felt great walking around.  With a fresh batch of sunscreen on I wandered back down to the cruise terminal to see how it was going.
2:18pm:

A few guests still arriving but it appears the majority are already on board.



Photographers note - the sun has come around from this morning.  Earlier the sun was on the Opera House side of Circular Quay but in the afternoon it is on the bridge side of the Quay.

I had visions of watching Voyager sail away from the bridge but I could feel the time zones starting to weigh on me so I decided this park would suffice.

I spotted some bridge climbers beginning their ascent.  Good lord people, could you pick a hotter time of the day to climb the bridge?

My stomach knew what time it was so I went back to James Squires right beside the ship.

Fish and Chips:

From my air conditioned and beer laden bar seat I noted the group had made it to the summit. 

Voyager was supposed to sail at 4:30pm so I went back to the park near the base of the bridge and waited.  And waited.  Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a minute.  Maybe falling asleep in a public park with my camera wasn't a great idea.  Half hour overdue I gave up and wandered back to my hotel.  
The Rocks area was decorated for the Lunar Festival.

Street vendors along the back side of my hotel.




From my hotel Campbells Cove is just down that road to the right about 100m.

The hotel has a rooftop pool so I thought I'd check it out while I was sticky and hot from walking around.


With that a long cold shower was in order and time for a nap.  I later learned that Voyager didn't leave until after 7pm.  She's on a cruise to nowhere I think.  Absent of the PVSA they can do those cruises down under.  I suspect that's why she took her time departing.   I'm glad I didn't hang around the park for her departure.

Just as I was coming off the bridge the hotel called to let me know my room was ready.  The Rydges is an older hotel but that's understandable being that I am in Old Sydney.   The hotel has worked out fine and it has blessed air conditioning.   It's been well used on these 1,000° days with 10,000% humidity.  And to think I thought Cuba in July was hot.  
King deluxe room:







What a relief getting my albatross (camera equipment and backpack ) off my neck.  

Some more pictures as I walked around with my backpack loaded with camera stuff and my valuables while I waited for my hotel room to be ready.
Did I mention it's hot here and with the sun rising higher in the sky it was getting hotter before noon when many of these pictures were taken.

I had a 4:35am bridge climb booked so I wanted to find the meeting place in the daylight today.

I had also learned you can walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge so I then set off to find that path.




Looking back and down to the Campbells Cove area I walked around before.



Great views of the Sydney Opera House from here.


If you look through the mesh of the fence you will some bridge climbers getting ready for their ascent.   I'm not sure I'd want to do the bridge climb in the heat of the day so make sure you plan your booking times carefully if you are thinking about doing this in the summer.





Constant ferry traffic into and out of Circular Quay.

Campbells Cove and the Circular Quay area has some historical interest.

This is where the first colonist arrived in Australia. The area has recently been transformed and is very pleasant to walk around.


The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a dominant landmark in the area.  I'll be climbing it in the morning.

Day -2 continued...
My hotel for this stay in the Holiday Inn.

At least I booked the Holiday Inn.  My confirmation email says the Holiday Inn.  However at 55 George Street one will find the Rydges hotel.  Fortunately they had a reservation for me.  My room wasn't ready at 9am which I already knew it most likely would not be but they offered to store my luggage.  
The Rydges is very convenient to the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the entire Circular Quay area.  Located in "The Rocks" area it's very convenient to a lot.
With a cruise ship in port I took the opportunity to look around so I could plan my luggage drop off and arrival for my cruise. Around 9am there were debarking guests still coming out of the terminal.


The Overseas Passenger Terminal entrance.



The other end of the terminal has a restaurant/bar.

Day -4 (or is it -2?)
I booked my flights on Delta using Skymiles.  Then as we got closer and with the thought of 14 hours in one airplane seat on my mind I upgraded to Premium Select.  This gets you more legroom, more space between seats, a larger TV and an upgraded meal service.

The menu:



Somewhere around the equator the pilot couldn't line up with the equatorial gate so we had to run along near the equator until he found it.

We crossed a few time zones along the way.

With 90 minutes left it was time for our breakfast so last map photo, I promise.
While boarding I spotted some Royal luggage tags on some carry on bags.  The couple across the isle where boarding HAL on Saturday and the lady next to me was taking a sampler cruise on Voyager next. 
Coming off the plane... smack.  There's that summer heat and humidity that Australia if famous for. 
Walking through the duty shops towards immigration I spotted a passport kiosk just after the shops on the right that was empty so I did the passport scan thing and got my ticket.  That got me through to luggage where 10 minutes later our luggage started flowing.  
I queued up to leave and handed my ticket and passenger record I filled out in flight and that was it.  My passport already had the eTA so it was all very easy.  
This morning I would take the train to downtown.  The train was packed with morning commuters but I managed with my suitcase and backpack.  No opportunity to take pictures when you are a sardine in a sardine can.
Coming off the train at the Circular Quay station and low and behold... Voyager of the Seas!

I walked towards my hotel in the direction of the ship spotting a very good doggie.