The Sydney Opera House and more

Today I took a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the beautiful Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Opera House

It took 15 years to build (1958 to 1973) and went over-budget ($102 million vs $18.4 million budget), but the results were worth it. After a dispute between the original architect Jorn Utzon and the government, Utzon went home to Denmark, never to return. Regardless, his shell design -- some say sails --gave Sydney one of the world's most recognizable buildings and worldwide acclaim. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge from my hotel room

Other items of note from the last few days:

- Had a spectacular view of the full moon from my hotel room. My hotel is immediately beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge and within sight of the Opera House. How cool is that?

- Took tours of Sydney, one via bus and the other a walking tour. I have now seen the Royal Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquarie's Chair carved from stone, Bondi Beach, lots of bays, gardens and bridges, and purple jacaranda trees that are in bloom all over the city.

- Have been learning about the history of Australia and specifically Sydney. For instance, the convicts who were brought over to settle Australia were sometimes only guilty of stealing food to eat. They were sentenced to 7 or 14 years of hard labor, after which many stayed in Australia for the opportunities.

Bats in the trees in Cairns waiting for sundown

- Back in Cairns, I went to dinner with Cheryl and Gary from the Rainforest excursion. On the way to the restaurant we saw trees full of bats heading out for their nightly foraging. They were the Flying Fox variety of megabats (i.e. they don't use echolocation to navigate), and they filled the skies. An amazing sight.