Friday was the hottest day in Oz so far... about 30 degrees. I decided to walk to the harbour and get a good view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. There were some good busking bands playing, including some didgeridoo music. Unfortunately the cafes near the Opera House were overrun by cranky children, so I didn't stop for lunch there.
I tried to locate the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which I knew was a few blocks south, but since I didn't bring a map with me I didn't find it at first. I was feeling the heat at this point, so a few hours in the air conditioned gallery would have been perfect. By the time I walked to Hyde Park, and couldn't find the turn off to the gallery, I chose to eat lunch instead. There was a nice Italian cafe in the park, where I had a risotto with prosciutto and mushrooms and a glass of wine.
I figured out where I was in relation to the gallery (food helps the brain) and walked through the park to get there. I got to pass by some beautiful stone buildings en route, a parliament building and St Mary's Cathedral. The gallery was free admission again, so I stayed for 2 hours and saw some Cezanne, Pissarro, Picasso, Braque, Bronzino, de Kooning, Rodin, Giacometti, an Asian art collection and an Aboriginal art exhibit.
I wandered back to Hyde Park, and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the lawns under jacaranda trees. It was lovely.
Later that night we joined another 2 coworkers of Kevin's, plus their wives/girlfriends, and walked to Darling Harbour for dinner & drinks. Kev had the kangaroo... very lean red meat with a gamey flavour.
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