BDU: Sydney Opera House

BDU: Birthday Down Under - Trip Planning
BDU: Flying to Sydney
BDU: Park Hyatt Sydney
BDU: Sydney Activities
BDU: Sydney Opera House
BDU: Flying to Uluru and Back
BDU: Uluru and Kata Tjuta
BDU: Park Hyatt Melbourne
BDU: Melbourne Activities
BDU: Flying to Fiji
BDU: Hilton Fiji
BDU: Snorkeling Trip
BDU: Flying to Los Angeles
BDU: Hyatt Regency DFW

We happened to luck out and our visit to Sydney coincided with the one day each year that the famous Opera House is opened to the public for free behind-the-scenes access.  On my previous visit to Sydney I had taken the paid tour but on this trip we saw far more than we did on my prior visit, albeit without a guide.

I think I took roughly one thousand photos of the exterior of this icon.  I remember when family friends moved to Sydney in the mid-1970s and came back with photos.  Even as a child I just thought it was an amazing sight to behold.

We had to get in line early but it was worth it.  By the time we left, the line was nearly halfway back to our hotel!  The circle on the left is our hotel; the one on the right is the Opera House. The one at the bottom indicates where the line was by the time we'd finished our tour!

That's a loooong way for the line to back up!

One thing you realize when you see those famous sails up close is that the roof is textured and that the tiles that cover it are not all the same.  As you can see, not all the tiles are even white or off-white!

Looks a bit different up close!

From the inside you can how the sails were cast from concrete and have ribbed supports below.

The underside of the roof

The lobby has high ceilings and blonde wood.

Lobby

I'm a sucker for the blonde wood seen in a lot of Danish Modern design and the architect of the SOH was in fact a Dane name Jørn Utzon.  So you can imagine that my favorite room in this building is the Concert Hall.  As we toured the lights constantly changed colors so it looks purple sometimes but the walls were actually blonde.

The stage of the Concert Hall

The giant organ

The seating area in the Concert Hall

There are a number of other theaters inside the building including the Joan Sutherland Theatre, home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet.  On my previous visit to Sydney I saw an opera here though I cannot remember which one it was!

Then there's the smaller Drama Theatre:

Drama Theatre

and the Studio, which can be arranged in a number of configurations.  Here it is set up cabaret-style:

Studio

Down in the bowels of the building we walked through the green rooms and common areas where performers could gather while not on stage.  They had set out some of the costumes from some of the performances.  Just beautifully-made garments that I'm sure look fantastic under the lights.

A few more photos:

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007

The main entrance, as viewed from the Botanic Gardens.
From this angle they look like conquistador helmets!

And one more shot to say good night:

Farewell Sydney!

Next up: our flights to and from Uluru