At night at the Opera House

Saturday was a beautiful day, and we took the bus to Watson's Bay. From there, Sydney is visiable across the bay, and we took the ferry across to Circular Quay. There were several boats out on the water, and Walter managed to take a few snaps. After several days of rain, it felt good to be out in the sun again.

We walked up to the Botanical Gardens, and by chance, saw the directions to get to Government House. It's a beautiful old Edwardian building, absolutely grand, with immense gardens and grounds. I can just imagine women in the muslim frocks and hats and parasols, and men in the dress clothes riding up to the front in their horses and carriages. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to have a tour inside the building, and had to content ourselves with peering in windows and walking outside. The building is sandstone, and is being cleaned and restored. Outside, on the side portico, the paint on the ceiling has been stripped away to reveal beautiful mahogany wood. From the windows, we could see the main drawing room, with a raised dais at one end for the monarch, and an orchestra loft behind. I'll admit I'm a bit of a romantic, and I could hear the waltz and see the candlelight when I closed my eyes. The windows are actually French doors that open out onto the side portico, and then the gardens. A perfect setting for a romance novel.

After walking around, we crossed into the main part of the botantical gardens. There were several weddings going on. In the rose garden, there was a mariachi band playing, and Walter and I, realizing that it was a wedding party waiting for the bride to arrive, stayed on the pathway about 15 yards away. The band was playing good music, so we had a quick dance. Just as we ended, the bride came down the path - beautiful knee-length wedding gown, and great ruby red high-heeled shoes. What a treat to see. We continued to walk, and left the gardens to go back down to the quay. Along George Street, we stopped in the jewelry store to see some opals. No, we didn't buy anything, just wanted to look around to see what prices were.

Supper was at a restaurant by the quay. Seafood and a glass of wine for me, and a beer for Walter. The moon was up early, and Walter managed to snap a good picture of moon above the opera house roof.

Now about the opera......... A couple of our kids gave us tickets to see Natalie Cole and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as a Christmas present. Imagine that - travelling half-way around the world, and being able to see a show in the opera house. Who knew?! The show was great. Natalie sang before a packed house for an hour and a half - lots of old standards and a few jazz numbers. When she sang Unforgettable with a video of her dad, Nat King Cole, the house went crazy. At the end of the show, of course, there was an encore. While Natalie started to sing, one of the musicians came out with a birthday cake for her (it was her birthday). She was so surprised, she stopped singing. The conductor took the opportunity to lead the orchestra in Happy Birthday, and the whole audience sang to her. She then finished her number and continued on to another before finally leaving the stage. All in all, almost two hours of solid music. We topped off the night with a glass of champagne before heading back home. What a memory that will always be.