Saturday 2nd March 2013
The showery weather was still with us but we had decided to visit the New South Wales Art gallery today, and weather permitting, the Botanical gardens next door. We set off with another borrowed umbrella to have breakfast in our favourite little restaurant on Queen Victoria mall, it was fairly dry when we walked there from the hotel. By the time we had finished our meal, the heavens had opened and the rain was teeming down again, we took refuge in the mall to plan the rest of our day.
The showery weather was still with us but we had decided to visit the New South Wales Art gallery today, and weather permitting, the Botanical gardens next door. We set off with another borrowed umbrella to have breakfast in our favourite little restaurant on Queen Victoria mall, it was fairly dry when we walked there from the hotel. By the time we had finished our meal, the heavens had opened and the rain was teeming down again, we took refuge in the mall to plan the rest of our day.
Our decision to catch a bus to the art gallery was not without little snags, firstly you are expected to pay for your ticket in advance before you board the bus. The obvious first thought was, where does one buy the tickets? After enquiries from the concierge inside the mall it became clear that bus tickets are purchased from newsagents here in Australia. Having bought our tickets the next question was, which of the numerous bus stops do we need to locate to catch our bus? Enquiries were made from several sources, eventually we managed to locate the correct stop, board our bus, and we soon arrived at the art gallery.
The New South Wales Art gallery is housed in an imposing building. The works of art are very well displayed on several floors, and there is a wonderful selection of works by many artists from all over the world, as well as from here in Australia.
There was absolutely no charge for entrance and we were able to check our bags and umbrella in as we entered. We were allowed to take as many photographs of the works of art on display, as long as we turned the flash on the camera off. We were not permitted to photograph any of the aboriginal artworks on display or any works displayed in private exhibitions held in the gallery.
We slowly wandered around the floors for a couple of hours savouring the beauty on display. There was a magnificent collection of paintings including several works by very famous artists, reflecting life in the early days of the colonies of Australia and many depicting life in Victorian and rural England. These paintings were intermingled with some very impressive sculptures in marble and there were many statues and urns, the whole cultural experience was wonderful. After passing through the gallery containing the Aboriginal paintings and cultural works of art we visited the Chinese and Oriental gallery which is magnificent. There were many Oriental pictures, statues and showcases containing some well preserved and valuable Chinese artifacts. We enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea in the gallery restaurant and continued browsing and photographing the exhibits on display. Sadly we did not have enough time to see everything, and we left the art museum and gallery, vowing to return in the future, when we are visiting Australia again.
We then entered, and began to stroll through the beautiful Sydney Botanic gardens, we were visiting at a different time of the year since our last visit here and we could enjoy a whole different range of plants in flower.
There was a slight sprinkling of rain as we started out and the sky looked quite threatening. It was wonderful to observe the variety of plants in bloom and the wonderful diverse range of bird life, that are happily co-existing in these wonderful gardens. We continued on our way taking many photographs as the gardens run along the seashore to the Sydney Opera House. The views of Sydney Harbour and the many craft moored and sailing in the bay, from pleasure craft, sailing vessels, ferries and some quite large ships, were also spectacular, and it was really quite hard to make our minds up where to point the camera. Then the sky suddenly darkened and it began to rain heavily, Margaret and I sat down on a bench under some large palm leaves and put the umbrella up. It was so romantic just sitting close together and sheltering under an umbrella with heavy rain pouring down all around us. Once again we continued on our way as the rain eased off, and I continued to take many photographs of the wonderful bird life which is so varied and beautiful. I got so carried away, I wandered off with the camera and Margaret lost track of me, when we caught up with each other Margaret said if we lose one another we should meet up on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. I laughed at that romantic thought.
Then, tired and hungry we decide to find somewhere to have a meal before returning to our hotel for a good night's sleep. When we got off the bus on our return to Sydney, we got caught up in the crowds taking part in a Gay Pride march, and there was also a VIP function underway in the Civic centre. The crowds of people were rushing, pushing and jostling everywhere. We searched for ages for a reasonable restaurant without much joy, everywhere we looked we seemed to find fast food takeaways or pizza houses. Eventually, like an oasis in the desert, we came across a small “Coffee Club” restaurant, we have eaten in a branch of this chain in Australia before, and we know they serve reasonable food. We had a very nice, well served and well prepared meal, then returned to our hotel and went to bed.
Another extraordinary experience in a truly wonderful land, generating memories that will stay with us both for many years. Thank you Australia~~~~.
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