I woke up pretty early this morning to a VERY foggy harbour! The picture I took from the window did not work out so here is a different one that shows just how foggy it got compared to the bridge which the hotel was under. Apparently the ferries have issues running in the fog. By about 9 am it had lifted though and Andrew and I were able to go down for breakfast and we even snagged a table outside on the deck! Here is the picture of the fog along with some other pictures of this beautiful hotel –
We then relaxed for the rest of the day – I did some travel scouting for our future travels along with found out how to store luggage while we go north for 2 weeks and Andrew followed the Whitecaps, his favourite soccer team, while they played the LA FC soccer team and WON! At that point in time, and on a high, we departed for our Captain Cook Sunset Dinner Cruise that was leaving from Wharf 6 at Circular Quay!
Then we departed on the Captain Cook ship – which was 3 levels high – however with no elevator! So while we had purchased a more expensive dinner that was being served on the upper decks, we were given a window table on the main deck instead to watch the world go by and eat our dinner! Lets get sightseeing!
Our Dinner cruise is now over and the sun is starting to set and it is a beautiful WARM night for a walk so we decided as we were half way there, to walk over to the Opera House and take a peek at what we could see! The last time I went to the Opera House with Karen all we could do was walk around the bottom level as there was no way of getting upstairs – they had not build the elevator yet – they had escalators but her manual wheelchair would not fit on the escalator and also if I remember correctly they did not want us to try! So I was interested in seeing what was available now 27 years later!
Well, that was quite an evening! The Sydney Harbour is immense with so many little bays and then the islands in it too! It was awesome to sit and watch the world go by as we ate dinner. However for me the highlight of the evening was our impromptu walk to the Sydney Opera House – I had not planned on walking that far as I was still having some issues with pain, however after sitting for a couple of hours on the boat I was motivated to walk! As I said above, my goals were no that high, no pun intended – I was pretty aware that when the Opera House was built, which started in 1959 and opened in 1973, they were NOT thinking about wheelchair access! I was also aware that it was renovated in the mid-90’s as Karen and I were there in 1998 and at that time we were unable to get upstairs.
I was quite surprised when approaching the Opera House and its grand bank of stairs, that there was a sign for wheelchair access under the stairs, so we went and explored it of course! Well, sure enough, they have now put in what I would call a “fancy” service elevator which takes you up to the main floor of the Opera House. Yes the escalators are still there and I saw the sign still that no wheelchairs are allowed. I wish I had taken a picture of the elevator though as it did not have a ceiling which was kind of interesting! It was basically a nice elevator that was a platform with buttons on the side to go up and down a floor. Also on the ground floor where we entered were the appropriate washrooms that the Australian government now requires for accessibility.
So we went up the elevator and it was obvious that a concert was going on at the Opera House. The lobby was like the QE theatre with a coat check and employees in various positions guarding entrances – where I wanted to go was to the outside plaza that was at the top of the steps that I could not climb! But NO. There is a sign on the door and a rope across saying that during performances these doors are locked. Now, that did not make sense to me – I just took the elevator up and was in the lobby – other could do that – I guess they just do not want the general public coming through these doors and having to manage that volume. Fair enough. However the elevator is so I can get OUT so I can see from the Plaza as I cannot climb the 50 or so steps! I politely explained this to one of the ushers who was a bit confused, but got his manager and then a security guard and they let Andrew and me out onto the plaza and stood at the door until we returned.
It was SO NICE to be up that high! Beautiful view just as the sun was going down! As we were out there I saw people go up to the doors and try and get in despite the signs and get turned around, so I tried to time our return to the doors where they were waiting for us without being detected however someone did follow us and they were turned away – they tried to say they were with us but the guard knew better than that! I felt bad, however there really should be a better way to manage accessibility to such a popular tourist attraction than what we ran into. I suspect if there had not been any events going on in the building, that access to the elevator would not have been available.
Andrew and I then walked all the way back to the hotel around Circular Quay and the base of the bridge to the other side. It was very nice with the warm breezes of the evening. The sky was also pretty clear and I got a good shot of the moon! When we passed by the old buildings next to the Overseas Terminal, we noticed that what we thought was just seating prior, were actually 3 fairly high end restaurants that had their seating on the dock – very European like! Reminded me of being in Rome but the view was MUCH better in Sydney!
Back at our hotel we had a nightcap on the pier as we had 2 free drink coupons that the hotel had given us prior to retiring for the evening. Tomorrow we are going to the airport and flying to Cairns! Looking forward to returning to the north east part of Australia!