Day 3: Arrival in Sydney

We arrived in Sydney before 7am, so our hotel room wasn't ready to move into yet. So, we dumped our bags at reception and hit the streets.

We headed to the wharf, also known as Circular Quay (pronounced "key"). The best sights are on display there, like...

...Harbour Bridge

This bridge was completed in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression (yes, Australia had it, too). It is nicknamed the "coat hanger" because of its single arch. It was quite an engineering feat in its day. It's never totally finished though: they've been painting it basically since it was completed. Once they finish one coat, it needs another one!

It was built from both ends. The foundations were built first, then the arch, then the road. You can climb the arch all the way to the top and back down the other side, but we opted to admire it from afar.

Here's the other iconic Sydney landmark: the Opera House. I took so many pictures of this thing!

It's surprisingly different up close. First of all, those "white shells" are covered in over a million ceramic tiles.

There are four main auditoriums and several rehearsal spaces.

We didn't tour the inside, but I did stop in to see the bathrooms.

Umm, that's no illusion. There's no drain in those sinks. The counters slope back towards the wall where the water enters a trough. Pretty cool!