Iconic Sydney Opera House

No visit to Sydney would be complete without at least a walk by the iconic Sydney Opera House. The fact it is there at all makes for an amazing story.

The view from the water is impressive.

The view of the water, from the interior, is impressive as well.

After a design competition an architect was selected and the project begun in 1959. It was finally completed in 1973 with a new architect and a final cost of over $100 million...over ten times the original budget. The extreme design was loved by some and reviled by others but it's success cannot be doubted.

There is lot of activity surrounding the Opera House on a warm summer night.

It hosts over 1500 events and over 1.2 million guests annually. It's called an opera house but is much more than that. It is home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Theater Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It contains a concert hall (2700 seats), a theater (1500 seats) and four other smaller venues. The night we attended a show only one small stage was unused but an outdoor rock concert on the front steps made up for that.

It is truly the cultural gem of Sydney.