SYDNEY INSIDE OR BY NIGHT

A BEAUTIFUL CITY ANYWAY- SEPTEMBER 1992

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POWERHOUSE MUSEUM






"MUSEUMS - Sydney has several interesting museums. Probably one of the most surprising and amazing is the Museum of Justice and Police. However, the Powerhouse Museum, which had the honours of the photos, is also a very interesting one. It was built inside an old power station, which was supplier of electricity to the city from the end of the nineteenth century through 1963. It is a science and technology museum that provides for interactive experiences and is a children's paradise"

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DARLING HARBOUR MALL




"MALLS - Sydney has some important shopping malls. The one at Darling Harbour, next to the Conference Centre, was also a natural destination for anyone working around and for the visitors to the Harbour"

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SYDNEY BY NIGHT


"FERRY - A nice way to see the town, day or night, is by ferry; however, the night tour is not so enchanting as the day cruise. Anyhow, the best buy to see the city is the twin-ticket of the Sydney Explorer and the Bondi Explorer which drives you by bus to virtually all the interesting points in town"


"DARLING HARBOUR - Nice and quiet this evening"

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DINING OUT



"SYDNEY TOWER - The view from the Observation Deck at the Tower is magnificent. The food at the revolving restaurant is far from impressive; but the restaurant is revolving - «eppure si muove»"


"ROCKS - The Rocks is the site of many good restaurants, including for Italian cuisine. The Italian Village, with outdoor dining al fresco and a fantastic view to the Opera House, is one of the best, in particular when they come to the conclusion that "lei non è italiano, ma lei è dottore..."



"BIRTHDAY DINNER AT THE ROCKS - September, 9,1992!

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SYDNEY VIEW


"SUPERB!"

SYDNEY - DAYTIME

RTW TRIP - MAIN STOP - SEPTEMBER 1992

For me, Sydney - the Harbour City - is, I've said it many times before, one of the two most beautiful cities in the world. Here, at the end of the winter time, some photos still show its beauty. However, the best was recorded on video...


"FERRY TOUR - With all the water surrounding the city, the best way to see it is from the water. The Harbour Bridge (nicknamed the «Coat Hanger», took eight years to build, including the railroad line, and opened March 1932) is one of Australia's most photographed places, and it is seen on TV every New Year day, because of the famous fireworks. It is the world's largest (though not the longest) steel arch bridge with its top standing 134 metres above the water"


"FERRY TOUR - A long journey around the Harbour City"


"THE ROCKS - The Rocks is the foundation place of Sydney and Australia, and is often described as «Sydney's outdoors museum». The Rocks has recently been transformed into a tourist paradise, in particular for eating out. Nearby, however, it keeps its historic spots"



"OPERA AND CIRCULAR QUAY - View from the Rocks. The Opera is well known all over the world. The Circular Quay is the hub of Sydney Harbour, situated at an inlet called Sydney Cove. The Rocks are one of the oldest, most attractive and most interesting parts of Sydney"


"OPERA - Designed by Jørn Utzon and constructed under some controversy, it was opened in October 1973, and is considered to be one of the wonders of the modern world"



"DARLING HARBOUR - A former dockside area, the harbour has been transformed into a major tourist site and a convention and exhibition centre. A monorail service runs from the Central Business District to Darling Harbour"


"DARLING HARBOUR - No bird flu by that time"


"THE CHINESE GARDEN OF FRIENDSHIP designed in China to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary, was a gift to Sydney from its Chinese sister city of Guangdong. It is one of the largest of its type outside Asia"


"THE CHINESE GARDEN - The garden was designed according to principles dating back to the 5th century, and includes elements from ancient Chinese architecture"


"THE CHINESE GARDEN is nestled at the south end of Darling Harbour, and from there you have a view of Sydney skyline. Anyhow, it is organized in such a way that it is possible to insulate yourself from the stress of the city outside its walls"


"ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS - The gardens, with more than one million specimens, fill an area of land between the Circular Quay and the eastern part of the business district. There are fabulous harbour views from the top of the hill where they stand"


"TARONGA ZOO - Australia's most important Zoo. Its location, on a hill along the waterfront, with fabulous views of the Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, makes it very special"


"KOALAS (and Kangaroos) - typical Australian"


"ST. ANDREW'S CATHEDRAL, located in Sydney Square, was founded in 1819 and consecrated in 1868. It is the oldest cathedral in Australia"


"THE OPERA HOUSE - An Australian Cathedral for Music, Ballet, and Theatre"

FIRST RTW TRIP - PART II

AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 1992

The pictures are not a great deal, as most of the investment was made on the video recordings. It's particularly a pity that there are no photos of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as from Cairns. The Great Barrier Reef is undisputed as one of the world's most important natural assets. It is the largest natural feature on earth stretching more than 2,300km along the northeast coast of Australia from the northern tip of Queensland to just north of Bundaberg. An unsurpassed beauty.


"PORT DOUGLAS - Depart for the Great Barrier Reef"


"WINDY - The catamaran runs very very fast..."


"BACK FROM A DAY AT THE REEF - It was the first time we were snorkelling. After what we have seen there, no other snorkelling area we've been to is comparable"



"THE OLGAS - The Olgas (36 individual domes, the tallest - Mt. Olga - being 200m higher than Uluru - that is - 546m) are located 48 km from Ayres Rock, and 30 Km from Uluru. Their Aboriginal language name is Kata Tjuta which means the place of many heads. There are two walks that you can take around the Olgas. The Valley of the Winds Walk - photos - is a 7km track that circles several of the Olgas"


"REST - The eat and the walk justifies the pause"


"THE OLGAS - The other walk is the Olga Gorge"


ULURU - Uluru is set within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and holds deep Aboriginal significance to the Anangu people. Many stories are told as you wander around the base, where you can find numerous Aboriginal paintings, along with descriptive boards explaining the paintings. Some areas of the rock are sacred. Read Chatwin's «The Songlines»"



"ULURU SUNSET - The rock changes colours, an amazing experience"


"SHERATON AYERS ROCK - Built in the early 80's by Sheraton (it seems it was sold later to the company that now owns all the hotels), was renamed Sails in the Desert. It had (and keeps) a large outdoor swimming pool; when we stayed, there were eleven people at the pool; nine were Portuguese... No wonder, people of navigators, travellers!"

FIRST RTW TRIP - PART I

FIRST TRIP AROUND THE WORLD - SEPTEMBER 1992

FIRST STOP - SINGAPORE

In September 1992 I had a meeting in Sydney. That was a nice oportunity to make a trip around, rather than a return! So this was the final itinerary, after a forced change caused by the lack of visa for the Fiji Islands:
LISBON-ZURICH-SINGAPORE-DARWIN-CAIRNS-ALICE SPRINGS-AYERS ROCK-ALICE-SYDNEY-TAHITI-HAWAII-LOS ANGELES (Disneyland)-ZURICH-LISBON! (bold means city actually visited)
There are 13 hours of video recording from this trip. However, the photos are only one hundred, and most of them not particularly impressive. Anyhow, it would be a shame not to celebrate this first round the world tour, so here they are...


"TRIO with the Merlion (the lion head with a fish body resting on a crest of waves) at its original location"


"SENTOSA - Entering the Isle of Tranquility to visit a surprising Oceanarium. Now, with the Lisbon Oceanarium around the corner, surprises are not that big. Anyhow, the visit to the the ocean depths via the moving travellator that ferries you through an 83-metre-long acrylic tunnel is always a must!"


"PIONEERS, - History of Singapore"


"CLIMATE - Singapore, very regretably, has a very difficult climate to stand: hot and humid throughout the year, with daily temperatures around 28/30 degrees Celsius. So, even if you carry the light clothing everybody recommends, the result is always a disaster. See the faces!"


"MUSICAL FOUNTAIN - There is a sound, light and laser extravaganza, provided you're not melting"


"CHANGI - A fabulous airport, and a magnificent air-conditioning system..."