Sydney, Ten Days in
Taking a few moments over breakfast to post about life in Sydney. This morning is cooler than it has been for a while and it’s all a bit rainy. It was very warm (by my standards) earlier in the week (up to 31°C) and very humid, culminating in thunderstorms but those were some way off in the distance so didn’t affect us greatly. Since then it’s been in the mid-20s with a mixture of clouds, light rain, and sunshine. You have to be careful here, though, as it is perfectly possible to get sunburn when it’s cloudy. I’m definitely glad I brought my hat.
Other than the weather, the main thing at the University is that it’s Orientation Week, when the new students arrive. Campus has been much busier this week than it was last week, as you can see from the pictures above; I wanted to stand in the same spot for the second picture but there were too many people. Lectures start next week, for both new and returning students, so it should get even busier.
I’ve managed to book tickets for two different performances at the Opera, The Magic Flute and La Traviata. These weren’t cheap but I couldn’t resist seeing the Sydney Opera House from the inside. I’m also planning a trip to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, were there is a special exhibition of art by Wassily Kandinsky which I must see. I’m also going to travel around a bit to give a few talks in the Sydney area.
My diary is filling up, so the second half of this visit will be rather busier than the first, but it should all be interesting!
In the Dark 
February 14, 2024 at 10:03 pm
Have a great time at the Sydney Opera House and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Both are interesting on the inside.
I’ve never been to the University of Sydney myself. It looks impressive from a distance.
February 15, 2024 at 9:29 am
Yes, Sydney is closer to the equator than anywhere in Europe – roughly the same latitude (albeit south) as Casablanca.
I remember the Opera House throwing a crocodile into the animals scenes in a disappointing (not fascinating) performance of Aida, but seeing a superb Peter Grimes there long ago. A good trick is to grab (pre-book?) a glass of wine and a bar of chocolate and stand on the outside balcony looking over the harbour at the interval.
Utzon, the architect, is said to have sketched his vision for the ‘sails’ of the opera house roof on the back of a cigarette packet – even more parsimonious than the physicist’s back of an envelope – and it proved enough to convince the politicians. But the cost over-run factor was even more spectacular, and the opera hall and concert hall got swapped round to save money, the latter becoming the larger. Consequently they can’t put on Wagner with the size of orchestra he intended.
February 15, 2024 at 10:23 am
The season opening of the Symphony this week is Mahler 5, but it was sold out weeks ago despite the concert hall being huge.