Iconic Sites Part 2 - Sydney Opera House

Tuesday Afternoon, May 27, 2014

A game we often play while traveling is "What's your Opinion?".   The intent is to formulate an opinion on some given topic, explain the rationale (feeling, experience, fact), and recognize that most opinions are like a@#-holes - everybody has one.  Today it was "list the top most iconic buildings and structures in the world, associated with a city, since the industrial revolution".  (We really know how to party, eh?)  Here's our top dozen in no particular order.  What are yours?

Tour Eiffel - Paris

Tower Bridge - London

Golden Gate - San Francisco

US Capital - Washington D.C.

Brooklyn Bridge - New York

Empire State Building - New York

Statue of Liberty - New York

Bank of China (I.M.Pei) - Hong Kong

Patronas Tower - Kuala Lumpur

Capital of India - Dehli

Harbor Bridge - Sydney

Opera House - Sydney

So, this oft forgotten country down under has one city with two on our list.  And that one is recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site (WHS).  It is arguably one of THE most iconic buildings in the world.  The Sydney Opera House (SOH)

The SOH was the winning selection in a 1956 competition, designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon.    It was originally budgeted at $7m and scheduled to take three years to build.  Fourteen years after constuction started, at a cost of $140m, it was finally finished in 1973.  I initially thought this was the case of an obsessive genius refusing to compromise his vision, and the government ultimately stepping in to protect the taxpayer.  

However, this is far from events.  Utzon is given universal praise not only as a creative architect (winning 7 out of 18 global competitions) but also excellent at managing the process.  As architects, we know that politics, commitment, and understanding the process by the clients often dictate the results - good and bad.  In this case a change in government during construction, and single corrupt political hack, wanted to have it finished by an Australian firm.  The government's manager also tried to accellerate the process not understanding the technical innovation necessary to build the unique forms.  Finally, instead of having the architect manage the consultants and contractors (we've since lost that responsibility), the appointee wanted to control all information through himself.  Due to the constant conflict, and stress on his family, Jorn resigned in 1966. At that time Stage 1 and 2 (Podium and shells) were complete and "only" over budget by 50%.  But Utzon had warned them at the start that the design they wanted was not the budget they had.  The new government retained Ove Arup to complete the project and tried to get Jorn on as a consultant because the new firm understood the complexity.  But Jorn refused unless he had design authority, which the government wouldn't allow.  The project cost and schedule spiraled out of control.  

Despite some lost vision on the interiors the project is dazzeling.  Like the Taj Mahal, you need to watch it through changing light.  From silhouetted by the sunrise, dazzled by the bright antipodal sun, to bathed in the warm glow of evening, it constantly changes.  

 

                                               

Today the building forms are commonly referred to as "Sails" thinking the inspiration was from all the sailboat around the harbor, or jokingly as a "Scrum of Nuns" referencing Aussie's favorite sport.  But the architect's inspiration was the aboriginal use of the site as a midden.  Layer upon layer, century upon century, sea-shells covered the site.  

The unique quality of light on the roof is created by white not being just white.  The roof is covered with over one million tiles in eight different shapes, colors, and finishes.  These create a small scale texture, subtle large scale pattern, and a luminous oyster white color that refects the light differently during the day. 

"The sun didn't know how beautiful its light was until it was reflected off this building"  

Louis Kahn, architect.

Next Post:  Geology, Geography, and Genealogy

Iconic Sites Part 1 - Sydney Harbor Bridge

Tuesday Morning, May 27, 2014

For our first full day downunder, I reserved a 10:00 am Bridge Climb on the Iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge.  In typical market positioning, it's the "largest single span steel bridge in the world".  Well, it was, but is no longer the longest, or the widest, but it does carry the most traffic so they continue the pitch.  Eight lanes of traffic, a pedestrian and cycle way, and two train tracks.  It's width definitely gives monumentality to it.  When it was designed nobody could understand why it needed to be so wide since Sydney only had 600,000 people.  Now, at over 4.5 million, there are several bridges, a tunnel, and a plan to build another crossing.

Regardless of it's ranking it is a beautiful engineering and architectural structure.  Like many of the infrastructure projects started just before or during the depression this has a wonderful Art Deco detail and scale about it.  This is the same era as the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam.  Back then many engineers were architects, or visa versa.  Unlike the Golden Gate where the abutments are the anchors for the suspension cables, the four pylons at each end corner are not structural.  These pylons are purley aesthetic as the span is a simple one.  The engineer fought for them as needing to anchor the ends visually, if not structurally.  It would not be as beautiful without them.  They are clad in 40,000 hand carved local sandstone blocks, another costly feature he insisted on over the less expensive raw concrete.  Not one had to be adjusted on site to fit.  Likewise when the two cantelivered arches met in the middle they aligned perfectly.  In contrast their most recent bridge was off by 4'. 

Our Bridge climb group was 13.  It began by undressing - privately thank god. Some people you just don't want to see that way. We then went through an orchestrated process of doning jumpsuits, attaching a harness, managing our teather by practicing on steep stairs, and finally begin wired for sound.  It reminded me our my climbing days.  "Belay On!"  Once the group was assembled we slid our teather onto to a continuous SS cable that ran from our secure start inside, across the approach span to the pylons, up four flights of steep stairs to the top of the span, across the arch of the bridge, crossed over at mid-span, and down the other side.  Once hooked up you could not unhook, change position, or take the call of nature.  It was very well controled because, as we know, some idiot would surely unhook "just to get a better photo".  At the top we were 134 meters (440 feet) above the water.  

Geared for the lowest common demoninator the whole process took two and a half hours.  I found out later that they had a Fast Tour that is done in about an hour and a half.  

View of Central Quay and the central business district from the top of Harbor Bridge.  Opera house just off to left and our hotel to the right.  

On return we had a pleasant lunch in The Rocks and then headed to the Opera House for our prescheduled tour.

Next Post:  Iconic Site Number 2 - Sydney Opera House

Vivid Experience

Monday, 26 May 2014

After finally getting a shower and putting on fresh clothes, we took a walk along the Quay (Key) to stay awake.  

When I booked our hotel in December last year, I had no idea that the week we were to be here was Vivid, a Festival of Lights, Music and Ideas.  Started in 2009 with an initial 200,000 visitors, and a lazer light show on the Opera House roof it is now attended by millions and the light show is across multiple building facades with technology that is hard to imagine.  When we first heard of it we were skeptical that this would be another cheezy 70s acid trip on a classic builidng.  But it is truely a new art form.  And we are at ground zero.

An Art Deco building with constantly changing forms, shapes and images of fantasy creatures.  

After dinner in the Historic Rocks area, we returned to our hotel, popped another ambien, and drifted off with the view of the Opera House our last vision.  

The Iconic Opera House transformed into a canvas.  Changing from colored graphics, to a Jackson Pollock painting, to images of the roof being blown away with the sea filling up the auditorium with fishes swimming through it.  The light is so well controled that it defines the roof shape down to the tile patterns on the roof so it can be deconstructed. 

Next Post:  Iconic Sites - our first full day.

Expect the Unexpected: Our First Day

Monday, 26 May 2014

As the attendents recited their arrival mantra, seat backs forward, tray tables up, all electronics off, I hear my name called among half a dozen others to please contact a Qantas representative after the deplane ramp.  What's this about?  After a quick list of options, I concluded my bag didn't make it on.

Sure enough at the end of the ramp a representative gives me a greeting card with "Mr. Gartz, We're here to help" written on it, and directions to another representative at Baggage Claim.  "How", I ask, trying not to blame this nice australian woman for something that happened 7000 miles away, "could my bag not make it on this plane when we had almost three hours between landing and departing".  Without looking up she replied "LA".  I laughed and said no more.  I received some soft cotton Logo sleep wear, a bag of toiletries, and a $100 credit card.  Well, they did help after all.  

After a short taxi ride (paid with my new credit card) we arrived at The Holiday Inn, Old Sydney.  This hotel was recommended by our friend Thom as the best location in Sydney.  It is right in The Rocks, the original settlement one street off the Quay with a fabulous view of the Opera House and harbor.  Although we were early, about 9:00 am, we thought our luck changed when the clerck said we could check in early.  However, after checking with housekeeping he said the room had plumbing problems and the next room wouldn't be available for a couple hours.  So we checked our bags, went to the roof deck pool to freshen up and took in the view. 

Opera house from our room

The Quay from our room.

Running some errands, getting lunch and periodically checking the status of our room, we weren't able to check in until 4:00 pm.  Ahh, a shower after 40 hours.  And those skivvies I threw in my carry on at the last minute..... Nice to have.  

Next Post:  A Vivid Experience.

On the way!

Saturday, 24 May 2014

The week before departure was the normal flurry of events prior to a long trip:  Robin verified all potential client activity with her partner Brad, Bill confirmed reservations, booked seats (you now have to PAY to reserve a seat), and both reviewed emergency contacts with the kids, double checked checklists and cleaned the house so we can settle in quickly on return

On the way to the airport Teigan and her roommate Erin took us to Fonda Catrina in Georgetown for farewell Margharitas. Hugs and kisses at the drop off and we were on our way.   

From SEA to LAX we were fortunate to get bumped to first class; a relief knowing we will be in the cattle car for the 15 hour flight to Sydney.  We typically carry on our two pieces. However, this trip covers cool temperate Sydney site-seeing, dry desert hiking in the Red Center, and wallowing through marshes in hot and humid tropical Kakadu and Fiji.  My two additional shoes for this, at size 12, just about filled my roll on, so I took a larger backpack as my carry-onand checked the roll-on.  At the last second I threw a pair of skivvies into my carry-on.

Going through Tom Bradley International airport in LAX, a relatively new airport, reminded us how well most airports have evolved greater efficiency in security with PRE, Global Entry, and better attitudes.....  by their innefficient design and incompentent personnel.  This will have consequenses further later.

Settling in to row 56 on the 747, aft of the wing, I was slightly nostalgic for my international career - certainly the benefit of flying business class.  From that vantage you have no idea as to the enormity of this plane. Looking forward out the window all I could see was sea of aluminium.  Damn, that wing is HUGE!  The root chord length of the wing is probably longer the the entire wingspan of the Cessna I fly.  And its overall length, viewed from the back, is longer than the Wright Brothers entire first take-off, flight and landing.  I know I sound naive (or snob) but from this vantage it was impressive.

After our horrid meal I took an Ambien, and like an anesthesia I was out before knowing it.  The next 8 hours I was blissfully unaware of my knees jammed into the seat in front, my shoulders bent like osteoporosis, and my head lolling on my inflatable pillow.

Next Post:  Expect the Unexpected and our first day.

Welcome to the first post

Sunday, 18 May 2014

Hi All,

As many of you know, we are leaving Saturday May 24th for a five week trip down under.  This will be Robin's longest vacation ever and my last continent (yes, as I'm often asked, I've been to Antarctica).  While we miss the kids there are benefits of being empty nesters and repurposed respectively.  It was precipitated by long time friends and traveling companions Kate and Aaron moving to Brisbane for six months.  Aaron, lecturer at UW on Health Policy, has a sabbatical at the University of Brisbane from January to June this year.  Nice if you can get it.  Being an opportunist it was a good excuse for us to travel to the antipodes with them. 

We will travel separately from K and A the first four weeks in a clockwise loop around Australia.  See map below.  After a week in Sydney we fly to Alice Springs in the Red Center and tour Uluru (Ayers Rock) and other natural features.  Then we travel by train for 24 hours to the Top End for a three day camping trip outside of Darwin in Kakadu WHS (World Heritage Site) in the tropics.  This is where Crocodile Dundee was filmed - if you care, I never saw it.  This will be a test to see how we like train travel in anticipation of the Siberian Express or India.  We fly again to Cairns and drive north to Port Douglas where we meet up with Kate and Aaron.  Aaron and I plan to get our scuba certification refreshed there after over 40 years for me and almost as long for him.  We scheduled a dive, whist the ladies snorkel, on the Great Barrier Reef.  We part for a day as Robin and I visit her cousin and wine afficionado in Cairns before the four of us meet again in Brisbane and fly to several  Fijian islands for the last 10 days.  Hopefully more dives there.

I made the mistake of having Robin read Travels in a Sunburnt Country by Bill Bryson in prep for the trip.  Hilarious book about Australia's exploration, convict history and it's wildlife.  But Robin has great fear of being eaten, stung, bitten, chewed on or otherwise harassed by creatures - and Australia has the lion's share of the worlds deadlist wildlife.  So it'll be interesting.  I have prosac with me.

Below the map is our itinerary.  Historically, I prefer to be a little looser, but Australia is very busy now.  I booked many of our places last december and recently when I had to make some changes it was difficult because they were full.  

If you'd like to get email notification of new posts, (provided it works), please sign up to follow this blog in the upper right corner of the blog site.  I'm new to this all bloggin so you may get duplicate message by email for a while until I figure it all out.  I'll try and post one or two times a week to keep you all updated.  

Cheers Mate

Bill

Black - Trains
Red - Planes

Yellow - Automobiles