Sydney March 2024 – Ramses II
It’s taken nearly 3 months to sit and write this blog. Why? No reason in particular, life simply seems to have gotten in the way. Anyways….in March 2024 we ventured to Sydney for a long weekend, specifically to see the Ramses II exhibition at the Australian Museum, secondarily it meant catching up with some family and dear friends.
We embarked upon our 753km journey on a fabulous Friday morning, soaring high, looking at the mountains below, jetting through the cloud in our insulated, pressurised steel tube, catered and watered. Arriving in Sydney meant navigating the train to the location nearest our accommodation, where we dropped off our bags and started our adventure, heading to the absolutely beautiful Queen Victoria Building. It is a stunning building, very much olde worlde, covering a number of levels and linked via tunnels to surrounding areas. Lunch was at Cellini’s then on to the Museum. We arrived early and could not change the entry time for our ticket so we went to the Members lounge for a bit then wandered around the Museum.
Wow! The Egyptians sure knew how to work with gold and associated items in their day. The intricacies that we probably cannot replicate today are amazing and gobsmacking. The carved stone is amazing in its own right – the detail and intricacies, the smoothness of the work. The gold items range from earrings to shoes, bangles to earrings, leaf and more. The beads in some of the work are carnelian, turquoise, lapis lazuli and other stones. The stone jars and urns, some translucent defy today’s achievements. The mummification rituals associated with creatures was also intriguing considering that today’s society is supposed to be so much more “enlightened”. It is phenomenal work and amazing that it was saved from the traditional concept of tomb robbers. I was blown away by the inlay work on the various items which formed this collection – the workmanship, craft and skill, the fact that it has survived as long as it has. It was time well spent and worth the trip to Sydney to see this amazing collection of artifacts.
Next stop was a freshen up and a quick explore around Darling Harbour which has changed so much in the 4 or so years since we were last here. We navigate to the Champagne Bar for drinks with dear friends. What a fabulous establishment. Enjoying delightful cocktails and champagne, paired with delightful tapas type foods was a lovely way to spend a few hours with good people. Ice cream followed, having observed the changing light of the afternoon to evening, the lights being turned on, the reflections in the bay, the myriad of movement. The end of day 1 saw us sated and content.
Saturday started with a soak in the bath (we don’t have one at home) and then on to Chinatown and The Rocks Markets, Pylon Museum, Australian hotel, Pitt Street Mall then the QT for high tea.
Chinatown does not seem to have the vibrancy it once did. It sems sad and dejected, lost to the ravages of time although the vending machines were entertaining – fresh orange juice or fairy floss. Paddys Markets were a source of entertainment, almost like the markets of Asia but not quite. The Peace Gardens appear lovely from the outside – we didn’t explore inside. Wandering on we found some art works before heading to The Rocks and skipping through the markets – there were cruise ships in and the cacophony of foreign accents and language was alive and well.
The Pylon Museum is worth your time. It is a testament to the creatures of this iconic structure and will definitely work your calves with all the steps. The views are pretty impressive, looking back over the business district of Sydney and across the bay, watching the ferries scurry to and from their destinations as planes fly overhead and the occasional helicopter buzzes about. We stopped at the Australian Hotel for a little refreshment – it was a warm day and all that climbing required hydration before was explored the nearby streets and heritage, the archaeological dig that exists under the nearby youth hostel and the tributes to the past.
Mooching back through the streets, we found our way to Pitt Street Mall – Lego Shop, Chrysler café and Genesis Cars. The imagination that goes behind the creations in the Lego Shop is really cool. The patience to construct those creations is something else. It was an interesting study of people not only in this shop but as we walked through the Mall, the pan handlers who were encamped in one section, the thugs who wander through, those with more resources and everyone else in between and around.
We moved on to the bar downstairs at the QT and had a lovely beverage, rewarding the walking we had done, before heading upstairs to the High Tea experience which was inspired by Zumbo. What a treat! From presentation to tea selection to flavours this was an amazing experience. There was so much to tantalise the senses, the location itself was classy and the crockery was simply gorgeous. It would have been a bit obvious had the cup and saucer become a souvenir of our visit. The staff were lovely and very helpful with suggestions, however, there’s always those guests who you just want to shove food into their mouth and say “stop talking”. I don’t know whether the lady’s friend got a word in edgeways the whole time we were there. We heard about all sorts of topics and her travel experiences and looked at each other, sharing that knowing glance of “is she for real?”. It was the side “entertainment”.
A little recovery was then in order before we navigated more steps and found our way to the Observatory for a little look at the heavens through some magnificent old telescopes. I suspect a lot of people don’t know this tour exists. It is well worth an hour or so to be guided through the past, introduced to the technology of over a century ago, hearing the sounds of the copper dome as it creaked open, the telescope being manually adjusted to view through to the night sky. By 5.30pm we had walked about 18,000 steps. I am not certain what we had walked by the time we got “home” from this part of the day.
Sunday was a leisurely day, although we were accompanied by screaming calves. The hot soaking bath before the day started was helpful before we headed off to meet with our respective friends. It was so lovely to see my former workmate, her little one and husband while Julian caught up with an old mate of his. A leisurely morning was spent swapping stories, watching a little girl play in the water fountains and breathing although it was a really interesting sensation to feel the heat being radiated off the glass walls of the buildings down onto the pedestrian area.
The afternoon was family time, enjoying a feed, partaking of a beverage after which we headed to the Lord Nelson pub. Unfortunately, for the tired foot-weary travellers we were, by this stage, it was a bit crowded and very hot. We wandered back along the street, admiring the old buildings, looking in the real estate window and deciding that we didn’t really need to look any more as the prices were so much more than we had any concept of. We watched the sunset over the Bay, sneaking between the buildings and watching the cruise ship leave port.
Monday morning was a slower but not slow start as we were meeting a friend who was taking us on one of the ferries – in the hot seat where the steering happens. Before that though, the morning was unceremoniously interrupted with a fire alarm when a guest burnt their toast. Thankfully, we were almost ready for the day and to head out. First though, we saw the firies, in their gear, come hurtling to the hotel, check the board, give the all clear and leave. Returning to the room, we tidied up out gear, put it in store and headed to Circular Quay for a tour across the Harbour and back, sitting in the hot seat. What a view! It’s a pretty amazing city and if you get the chance to cross the Harbour by ferry, even if it is not in the steering seat, do so.
Back on dry ground, it was time for brunch and a quick look at the State Library and listen to a pipe band, before collecting our gear and returning to the airport for our flight home. Walking around Circular Quay, if you look down, you will see a couple of lines which indicate where land was reclaimed over the years. Considering the technology available at the time, it was pretty amazing work. Navigating the access to the trains is easy these days – use your eftpos card (or your phone) to tap on and tap off – it’s so easy. Arriving at the airport, we found a spot, watched the activity of the airport staff as they moved about ferrying equipment from here to there, moving planes. Wandering around the terminal is fun, looking through a bookshop is always entertaining and boarding a plane home is either disappointing for the end of the adventure or exciting for the return home to the familiar and your bed. The best food is plane food as it means you are going somewhere. The dainty little bottles of wine are cute and a good way to sample Australian produce.
Having walked so many steps and exercised like we haven’t done for ages, we were tired yet also delighted with a weekend well had. The last time we were in Sydney, Covid was about to strike and had just that day arrived on the cruise ships. We met a grommet on the Manly ferry who told us about it. Today, the city is alive, the cruise ships are back and there is plenty of building noise to add to the busy hustle of a lively city. We enjoyed some good food, great company and fabulous experiences. May your cup runneth over with whatever you are doing.
