A Show at the Opera House & A Day at Bondi by Ethan (Nov. 3-4)

So, I never thought I would have the opportunity to actually see a show in the famed Sydney Opera House, but that is exactly what I was able to do with my family this past weekend.   On Saturday night we had the good fortune of seeing the Sydney Symphony performing selected works from various Pixar films along with short film clips including, Toy Story 1,2 and 3, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Brave, UP and Cars 1 & 2.  What an enchanted evening.   I am not sure that my children were as impressed as I was, however, I know that in years to come they will remember the evening with fondness and maybe a bit of pride.   Having played the Cello for 9 years of my life, I was thoroughly impressed with the entire event (Lisa J., you would have loved it).    The picture below is our family with the Sydney Harbour bridge in the background just before the show and the next one is the family to the side of the Opera House at twilight.

Here we are in the Opera House at our seats just before the start of the show and just before I was chastised for using my camera inside the Opera House (oops - didn't know that was prohibited).    We had amazing seats just above the orchestra stage with a wonderful view of the musicians and the movie screen.   Luke did manage to catch a few ZZZZZs during the performance (shocking!).    All in all it was lovely evening at a beautiful venue and one that I know I will never forget.  

Sunday was just beautiful and we decided to spend it taking in the sights at Bondi Beach and viewing the exhibitions at Sculptures by the Sea.    Apparently this has been an annual event for the past 16 years and various sculpture exhibits line the Bondi and Tamarama coastal beach walk for everyone to view.   Sunday was crazy crowded and until you reached Mark's Park about halfway between Bondi and Tamarama Bay it was shoulder to shoulder.    Despite the crowd, I did manage to get a few pics of the wonderful exhibits which Brady previously commented about in his blog.   I personally enjoyed the bamboo windmill field entitled Mengenang (Memory).   This picture below is a glimpse of the beautiful array of windmills -- there are 222 of them and each was tuned to a pitch of D-minor and were created as a reflection and memorial for the 222 lives lost in the Bali bombings which occurred almost ten years ago to the day.  

I loved the exhibit below -- a simple red chili pepper in contrast with the rocks and the sea.    This one was aptly entitled - The Chilly.   Not sure if there is a deeper meaning but not necessary for me.

The kids had fun posing in this strange yet beautiful exhibit.    Apparently this one - Whale Hide 2 - is supposed to be a viewing platform with slotted windows to allow an unobstructed opportunity to view whales migrating off the coast.   Interestingly enough, a few blue whales put on a show for us off in the distance for roughly 5 minutes jumping in and out of the water in what appeared to be a frenzy.    We got a better show from the coast than we saw on our paid whale watching tour (go figure)!

This one below called Upside Down Again was just cool.   My kids found the view quite entertaining as well.

I think this one below was one of the exhibits that Brady found "disturbing".    Called, No Return, this one drew my attention from many different angles and I rather enjoyed its simplicity.   I could have gone on all day and walked the coast looking at and taking pictures of these cool sculptures, but honestly Bondi Beach was calling and all my kids wanted to do was play in the surf and have Dad join them in a few games of tag.    I gave in, quit being a geek, and joined my children's call for more fun.   The rest of the day was spent frolicking on the beach enjoying the expansive and beautiful Bondi Beach.

Luke transforms into another person at the beach.   He enjoys everything about the ocean and could stay at the beach for hours.   The face says it all.    I love his smile and his zest for excitement and adventure.  

 

Brady, Suz and Elise walking through the windmill field.   Beautiful!

Elise gets surprised by a rogue wave -- well it was rogue to her as you see by the next picture below!

What a great weekend full of more experiences that simply continue to amaze.    We only have 6 more weeks and so much more to do before the adventure ends.   As much as I miss everyone at home, the time has gone by so very quickly and I want to soak in the next few weeks with my family in this beautiful country.    I hope all are well back in the States and we pray for anyone who may have family and/or friends affected by Hurricane Sandy.   Our thoughts are with all of you.    God Bless!