Circular Quay, in my opinion, is the soul of Sydney.  This is where you can take a ferry to places like Manly Beach, Cockatoo Island, or Taronga Zoo.  It is also where you will find an entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  If you want a bite to eat or drink there are many cafes you can choose from.

The most important reason to go….the Sydney Opera House.

Seeing the Sydney Opera House had been number one on my bucket list for over 30 years, so a daily visit to Circular Quay to see it was a must.

Another requirement:  a tour of the Opera House.  There are various Opera House tours you can take:  standard tour, backstage, and food. The “regular” standard tour involves around 200 stairs (50 being the max at one time).

Luckily, they have a handicapped-accessible standard tour.  Instead of the stairs, there are  elevators.  This was perfect for me since I have a slight handicap which makes some stairs (especially with no handrails) difficult.  They limit the barrier-free tour to about 35 people.  The only thing we had to skip was the northern foyer of the Concert Hall.

First we watched a video of the history of the construction and political involvement.  Next was the actual tour.  The architecture was beautiful.  The interior beams were amazing and I was very surprised that, while they do need to be maintained, the tiles on the sails are self cleaning. Not only that but, pictures of it haven’t been touched-up.  The roof really is that white.

I was also surprised that there are multiple theaters and the vast array of shows they have.  Yes, there are operas and ballets, but we saw a variety show the following night and we saw posters advertising Evita and an AC/DC concert.

It was everything I had dreamed about and more.