We decided to stay awake so we could adjust better to the jet lag. (There is a 14 hour difference in time between US Eastern and Australian Eastern.) We explored the Sydney underground subway system for a short time before we found the correct Platforms and trains. (Believe it or not, To get from Kings Crossing to Circular Quay [pronounced Key] you take the train from Platform 1 and after two stops you change to the train on Platform 6--but to return to our hotel you don't take 6 and then 1 you take 1 and 6 again. I still don't know how that worked, but it did--except the last time we went that route and then we took trains 1 and 5 coming back.
We took a tour of the Opera House and the architecture is stunning. Unfortunately, there was a performance going on in the main hall (there are several in the building) so we didn't get to see it. The person who won the design competition basically scribbled his entry on a piece of scrap paper which the original committee discarded but a later judge pulled out of the scrap heap and got it declared the winner. (Imagine one of the most distinctive buildings in the world not being constructed.) Originally, the building was to take 4 years to build and cost $7 million dollars. It really took 14 years and cost $105 million dollars. It was finished in 1973.
The roof is made of concrete sections which are covered by tile. (I'll try to remember to post a photo on Facebook later so you can see what it looks like.) Parts of the building are undergoing an upgrade which were designed by the original architect. (He died in 2009 so he didn't get to see his improvements finished. He actually never returned to Australia after the building was completed.)
We also visited the Botanical Gardens which is mostly a large park next to the Sydney Opera House.
This pretty much ended our first day in Australia.
(End of Sydney, part 2)
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