Sydney is an incredible city that seems to offer endless places to see and things to do. Prior to coming to Sydney, I had known of the Sydney Opera House but nothing other than that it was a beautiful building in the Sydney Harbour. I learned that it is a world class performing arts venue that many international stars dream of performing at. It was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and took 15 years to complete and opened in 1973 after the approval of Queen Elizabeth II. It is an extremely unique building structured with a white and creamy colored ceramic exterior. I learned from our guide that it is shaped to evoke the sails of a yacht which I found quite fascinating. Another interesting but odd fact that she shared with us was that Jorn Utzon, the famous designer, never visited his masterpiece during his life prior to his death in 2008. I enjoyed the tour far more than I anticipated and was intrigued by the fact that each theater is strategically designed based on the type of productions that take place there, whether it is for vocals or instruments.
I enjoyed the city tour as well but felt I would’ve enjoyed it that much more if I had seen the matrix films before. Each of the locations that our guides pointed out didn’t mean too much to me at the time but it gives be motivation to watch the films as soon as I get the chance. I have always heard about the matrix movies but have never been super interested in them until now. Aside from the film locations used in the matrix, they discussed how the city has been an aboriginal settlement for thousands of years, and how people have been settled there ever since the first people left Africa. I found this the most interesting part of the tour when Richard told us these stories by the fountain. I think it is incredible that the aboriginal culture has come so far especially since their traditions continue through each generation from word of mouth, song, and dance back then. This resonated with my learning of The Maori culture that we learned so much about while in New Zealand. Relating all this back to our class this fall, many of the films like Australia, Rabbit Proof Fence, and Mabo all covered the history of the Aboriginals and how they had to fight so hard to keep their culture alive during English settlement of Australia.
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