More of our recent, short trip to Sydney...

This is the view in one direction, from our motel room. As you can see, it is right in the middle of the city.

I could watch the planes in the distance, fly across that little patch of sky on their way to landing at Sydney Airport...

The next photo is looking in the other direction and looking down at Pitt St.

On our last full day, we rode on the monorail as it will be closed forever on June 30.

A view from the monorail...

The Queen Victoria Building as seen from the monorail....

Another lovely old building that we passed in the monorail...

The maritime Museum as seen from the monorail... Darling Harbour

 After travelling one circuit of the monorail route, we got off at the stop near the Queen Victoria Building and then had a wander through this magnificently restored building...

This is where we stopped for a coffee in the QVB

Then we went for a walk down the street from the QVB and came across some yarn bombing in a beautiful old arcade...

There were lots of trees wearing lovely striped jumpers! lol

 Then DH and I stopped off at Central station and viewed a display/exhibition of photos and memorabilia of the famous 'Southern Aurora' train which was a Melbourne-Sydney train.
From Central we caught the light rail...now this is where something so kind happened. You buy the tickets on the light rail and the conductor asked us whether we had one of the Seniors Concession, $2.50 tickets which you can buy at a number of outlets. We said no as when we have been in Sydney previously, you couldn't use concession tickets on the light rail. Well apparently that is changed now and you can now also use Seniors Business cards whereas before they weren't always accepted if you happened to get someone selling the tickets who went by all the rules. So...because the concession tickets can't be sold on the light rail, this conductor suggested that we get off at the next stop, buy 2 tickets at the '7-Eleven' store near there, and then catch the next tram/light rail. needless to say we did just that! lol

This is at one of the light rail stops...one of the many signs around Sydney which tell of the closure of the monorail service...

 We rode the light rail to the terminus at Lilyfield...you can see the city in the distance...

Back on to the light rail and this time we alighted at the Star Casino stop where we had lunch...

Then it was back to our accommodation for a little rest...because at 5pm we were meeting my nephew and his wife for an early dinner...
My nephew had chosen a very popular restaurant which specialises in dumplings, Din Tai Fung which was in George St. We were amazed by how many people (possibly 20!) were in the kitchen making the signature dumplings. So we  ordered a selection of dumplings as well as a chicken dish and some rice. It was all yummy and it was great to experience something a bit different. The young couple had to make their way another commitment so that was the reason for the early dinner. It was just as well we were early because when we left the restaurant just over an hour later, there was a big long queue of diners waiting for tables!

Chrissie and Gregg...

Next morning we left Sydney...here the plane is going over the northern beaches...

And here we are as our plane touched down in Brisbane!

Last Thursday afternoon and evening...

So after spending a few hours in the Art Gallery of NSW, we headed off to Circular Quay.
From there, we caught the ferry to Manly...

Sailed past that Opera House...

It's a half hour cruise to reach Manly...when the ferry approached the 'Heads' our ride became very bumpy and large waves crashed over the bow of the boat sending people who had been standing outside , to go quickly inside.

Because of the weather we walked straight to our destination in Manly...

 A favourite place to eat when we are visiting Sydney, The Manly Fish Cafe'... We got there rather late for lunch...nearly 3pm, but that was okay by the staff...

The aquarium built into the wall...

the blackboard menu...

And our yummy lunches...that's my grilled fish meal in front...yum!

We decided to catch a bus to Chatswood station instead of going back on the ferry...but we'd just missed a bus...so we had a bit of a wait... I noticed that across the road from the bus stop was the courthouse and I wondered if exterior shots of this building were used in the TV series' Rafferty's Rules' where John Wood played the magistrate Mr Rafferty ! 

The bus had only gone a few stops when the driver left the bus and went to check something at the back. Then he came back and spoke on this 2 way radio. Then he told us that according to a gauge, the engine was overheating. He was told to not continue and we all had to alight and wait for the next bus. This was the bus shelter where we had to wait...note the empty bottle in the brown paper bag... :-/

 Eventually we caught the next bus but got off near St Leonard's station to catch a train back to the Town Hall station and hence to our accommodation. Then at 6pm we headed off to the China Heights Gallery for the opening night of a photographic exhibition there. One of the exhibitors is Chrissie who is married to my nephew. My nephew said it was a mere 5 minute walk to the gallery...yeah and then some!! But we got there and the gallery is a smallish, bare unlined ceilinged room and it was absolutely packed with people.

There were some interesting outfits there that night...and even people with beards wearing women's clothing...bit different eh?

The older couple wearing hats in the centre of the photo are Chrissie's parents...

This is Chrissie and her partner in this exhibition

I am actually in the back right hand corner but because I'm a shorty, I can't be seen. 

Originally DH and I turned down the invitation to go to this exhibition because we were not taking any fancy clothes down to Sydney with us...but we fitted right in with our jeans and shirts! lol And it meant a lot to the young couple that we came along.
(because we had been at the Art Gallery of NSW in the morning, I found myself looking at each photo in the exhibition and trying to work out its meaning. When I asked Chrissie later about her imagery and what did it mean...she said' they don't have any underlying meanings'...ha ha...there you have it...no meanings...just some risque pictures. 

The work next door continues...

While we were away, my neighbour used one of my cameras to take photos of progress on the building work...

The little camera I bought in a Walmart store in Salt Lake City after  the camera I'd taken with me decided to  play up...in my favourite colour too! lol

My neighbour explained that the workers were putting in pipes this day...

 And here's the 'readi mix' being poured in the trenches...

Concrete all poured...

this photo was taken near our back door, looking out over the site...

Then I took some photos on Saturday from inside our house so we're looking down on the site... firstly 2 photos taken from my sewing room at the front...

And finally this photo taken from the 'office', closer to the back of our house...

Today Brad the Builder is back supervising what needs to be done with the dirt piles...some has already been taken away in a dump truck. So while I'm doing some washing, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen type chores, I'll have the camera ready... lol

Some more of the Sydney trip...

I did not take many photos during this trip because of the rainy conditions and this was a good thing as the battery remained charged up the whole time. Because we only took cabin baggage size cases, items like the charger for my camera battery were left at home as we tried to keep below the 7kg limit.

On our second day, we continued to immerse ourselves in some of the culture that Sydney has to offer!
In pouring rain we walked to the station and caught a train to St James station and then walked to the Art Gallery of NSW looking quite waterlogged despite our plastic rain ponchos!
(I took these photos as we were leaving the gallery...as there was a break in the rain...)

The impressive front portico of the gallery

To the right...

View to the left...

DH had purchased tickets for us to view the 2013 Archibald Prize finalists, so in to the gallery building we went and down the stairs to browse through all the wonderful portraits. No photography was allowed in this part of the gallery but I can tell you that some of the paintings just took my breath away.

I loved 2 paintings especially...the People's Choice winner... a portrait of actress Asher Keddie by her partner Vincent Fantauzzo,  and the painting of Dr Hamlin by Sally Ryan. I bought a postcard of the second painting and it is magnificent...especially the way the artist has painted the face and hands of Dr Hamlin, and in the way she has painted the garter stitch of the blanket. A fellow blogger, Kaite, knitted the blanket and she can be very proud of her work. I did scan the postcard but feel that the copyright issues prevent my posting that scan on the blog, so instead I'm again adding the link to the A.G. of NSW page where you can view all the finalists, including the winner!

We could hear the rain 'hammering' on the roof of the gallery so we extended our stay at the gallery to stay warm and dry...consequently we viewed lots of other paintings and sculptures in the art gallery's collection...now that had to be a bonus! 

I didn't know DH was taking a photo! Here I am watching some videos about various artists  on an iPad...

DH loved this portrait of Margaret Olley by Ben Quilty which was the winner of the Archibald Prize in 2011.

Beside it hung a portrait of her painted in her younger years...this also had won the Archibald Prize...for William Dobell I think.

Look at the wonderful view we had out of the large windows near the cafe on one of the upper levels...

Before DH took this photo, the some seagulls had been swimming in that puddle on the right hand side...lol

Another view from the window...a family of sculptured dogs :-)

Then it was time to walk back to St James station...as it wasn't raining then I took some photos on the walk back...

A glimpse of the Centrepoint Tower in the distance...

A beautiful old church

yet another gracious old building

A statue of Lachlan Macquarie

Our next destination was Circular Quay...more about that, next time.