I figured I’d taken enough photos of the outside, it was about time I got a look at the inside. Woke up and headed to the Opera House to sign up for a tour. It was a little pricey, but I was keen to see how it looked. The majority of the people on the tour were seniors, so they asked questions I wouldn’t think to ask like: “How often do they wash the windows?” (twice a year), “How many steps do we have to climb?” (150 or so), and one woman who asked several times what wood was used to make whichever wooden finish she spotted (Brushbox for everything, it seems). Also, the notion that listening to a headset could mean you’ll talk louder was lost on them. All in all it was good fun, but I’m not sure I’d recommend the tour. The halls are nice enough, but the outside is where the building really excels.
I planned on grabbing a ferry to Watson’s Bay following the tour, but the next one wasn’t for nearly an hour, so I checked out the Contemporary Art Gallery, available for viewing at the low low cost of zero dollars and no cents (Speaking of cents, I should mention that Australia has done away with the penny. Everything is rounded!). The gallery was small, so it didn’t take much time to walk through, so I had plenty of time to sit quietly and wait for the ferry at the wharf.
Watson’s Bay wasn’t much more than restaurants and a big park. However, on the other side of the park lay Inner South Head and Gap’s Bluff. The area was originally inhabited by the Australian Artillery, to help defend Sydney, as it’s located where the southern harbour meets the ocean. The view on the ocean side of Watson’s Bay was quite nice. There were also some great views of the Sydney CBD and the surrounding area. Apparently Gap’s Bluff is a popular place to off yourself (certainly one of the prettier places to do it) – which explains the makeshift memorial I saw. I walked around there for a bit before grabbing some fish and chips. I ate in the shadow of a giant tree near the water, and was immediately hounded by birds hungry for a taste of my lunch.
Grabbed the last ferry out of town and returned to Circular Quay, then grabbed a train and a bus to Louvelle’s. She got home a little later and we hemmed and hawed over going to see “American Gangster” at the theatre. It was opening night (they’re a little behind on acquiring films down here, it seems), so the 8:20 show was too full, but we got seats for the 9:10. Had dinner (ordered the danish salami sandwich, got the Double Decker Club sandwich – I don’t think people understand my accent here), and checked out the movie.  Not too shabby, maybe a touch too long.  Doc managed to get me a discount on a ticket to the Blue Mountains for tomorrow morning, so I’m off to bed.