Oh, oh, oh.      How to describe our last night in Sydney…and the last of this journey.    A night where music, art and magic exploded together in the most fantastic exclamation mark of experience I can remember.      A date night, yes.      Splurging on a special restaurant, check.    Wearing mascara and lip colour for the first time this trip, yip.   And then the crescendo broke wide open with walking into the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House (in the largest of the building's sails), sitting in the most fantastic seats where we could see expressions move across the faces of the orchestra members with the music and soaking in the Symphony’s Romantic Visions with music from Wagner, Bartok and Brahms.   The crowd was enrapt and clapping went on for ever as it concluded – which somehow stood out more in the absence of a standing ovation.       

 And as the last spiritual hug of the night, we walk out of the Opera House to see the Sydney harbour bridge, the Opera House, and the gates and Ferris wheel of Luna Park across the water all alit as though their beauty can’t possibly be dimmed by night skies .   Our senses were on overload.     My heart full to overflowing and tears in my eyes.   The only feeling I can remotely equate is those rare Christmas Eve’s when big snowflakes drop, love and joy and music fills you up.     My entire being was elevated.  

Sydney has been the sweetest note to end our trip on.     We started with our traditional hop on/hop off tour – both the two land versions and here the ferry system is just as critical, so availed ourselves of the ferry version of hopping too.     From there, we used the local transit, bus and ferry, to get everywhere we wanted to go.       We took in Bondi Beach, the Taronga Zoo (across the Harbour and on a hill with views of the bridge and Opera House at every turn), the Maritime Museum (particularly to see the replica of James Cook’s Endeavour, as our route covered a lot of the ground he did, albeit more gently than in those exploration years), and spent time exploring the Manly, Darling and The Rocks areas.        The Rocks was that first settlement made up of penal colony residents – seems the Irish were particularly notable .     Also seems that forgers were prominent on the shipped-out list too.     Soon after their arrival, one forger started the first newspaper.       We figure murderers were dealt with in kind back on home turf and the lesser crimes were sent abroad.      The area is charming with all its creamy mustard-coloured brick buildings and nicely maintained.

Loved the day-time tour of the Sydney Opera House and the glimpse at the visionary mind of its Danish architect, Jørn Utzon.      His scribbled drawing won the international call for proposals for a performing center, despite not having plans or specs for building the thing.      The first four years were spent trying different techniques to no avail.    The Opera House original budget of $5m ballooned to $102m, and Utzon resigned after only the outer of the building was done never to return and never to see it completed.     Other architects were hired to design the innards - the five theatres inside do not touch the outer concrete shells and can hold concerts at the same time with no sound interruptions from each other .     The best part is that the building is beloved and used.     Any given night has multiple offerings on to choose from of the best of performers.   

The outside is likely the biggest surprise.      It isn’t white.     And it is made of over a million small self-cleaning tiles, a single one perhaps smaller than the palm of my hand.     Over one million of them cover the many iconic sails.  

The climate in Sydney is as close to ideal as I can imagine – it is low 20s/high teens now and this is winter weather to the locals.     Summer is high 20s with no humidity – AC only needed a handful of days a year, they say.       Our first day though, coming from the tropical climes up north, we just about froze our knees off as we sat on the upper open seats of the double decker bus in our sandals and shorts.       A small adjustment in our morning dress routine to include socks and long pants had us all fixed up .      

While we were here the Mad Max Fury Road premiered and an otherworldy vehicle with guys on top wielding weapons zinged by the pier at top speed.       And Johnny Depp got notice that the undeclared pups he brought into the country had to be shipped out within 48 hours or they’d be put down.     I believe the quote from the federal Agriculture Minister on the news was "It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States."

Besides the dreamy weather, some indescribable combination of things makes Sydney feel really good to us.      Its pace is energetic but not frenetic.    Its people are warm without effusion.      They are no-nonsense people - I am reminded of the waiter in a swish restaurant, when a lull in conversation seemed to fall at once….she bellowed in a good-natured voice “Talk!     You didn’t come to a library!”.      Another moment was the ticket taker on the ferry – we were backing away from getting on because it would head farther away before coming back .    She quipped, not looking at us “Some people would rather sit in shadow on a dock than go for a gorgeous ferry ride.   Go figure!”     We sheepishly boarded the boat.     

Locals call Sydney an “Exhibitionist City”, with oodles of events coming up on the calendar.     The Vivid Festival starts in a couple days – where the entire downtown puts on light shows, free to all.   The combo of performance art, restos, edgy new architecture abutting some great historical buildings, seedy areas, buskers, tourist floggers, exec suit types, the most beautiful harbour ever makes this a city we could see ourselves returning to for a winter.     During the week we spent here we only heard one reference to the Olympics they hosted – aligns with their general interest in what’s next, not resting on glories of the past.

As we head home thankfulness is likely our biggest emotion.  So very thankful we were able to travel this year.    Appreciation for the amazing lands, peoples and moments we have experienced .     So thankful for our friends, fam and the roots of home.     And for me, to have this best travel bud who has encouraged, grounded and funned with me these three months.   Life is so very good!