I am going to see an opera at Sydney Opera House..... WHOOP!!!

I'm not even sure I really like opera but it's definitely something to cross off my bucket list and if you're gonna see an opera anyway it should definitely be here I figure!!! So me, Edo and a girl called Ella who we met yesterday have booked tickets to see 'the Pearlfishers' tonight!!

Until then; myself, Edo and a German guy called Tim went on the coastal walk to the opera house. You walk through really pretty botanical gardens and then along a quay where there's all military ships. There were some really pretty sights but the main sight we kept coming across was joggers... People here are fitness freaks, I swear they don't work, they just run up and down all day and when we got nearer to a really pretty look out, there were loads of people running, doing sit ups, press ups, jumping up and down... I've never felt so unfit in all my life!!!
And then... It was like a scene in a movie... There was a huge staircase and in super slow motion was this goddess of a man with an amazing sweaty body running up and down!! It was a beautiful sight... I mean if it had been a film, I'm sure it would be more exciting than me standing drooling at him but still it definitely distracted me from the opera house!

Back to reality and Tim showed us this really cool rock that has a big cut out section so you can just sit/lay in it for hours while you're staring at the opera house and harbour bridge. So we did just that...

Eventually, we went back to the hostel, met Ella and all got changed into 'smart' (well the best we had) clothes and headed out for pre-food and drinks. We ended up at a restaurant opposite the harbour bridge and ate kangaroo burgers and drank wine... Very Australian!!! After that we went to a Guylian restaurant for pudding, yep you read correctly a whole restaurant of Guylian products... I had an awesome praline mousse.

Then it was time for the Opera!!!!
We said bye to Tim and then walked round to the opera house.
I'd been pretty amazed by the sight of it earlier today and it took forever to sink in that here I was in Australia stood looking at the opera house, but at nighttime all lit up it was EVEN more breathtaking and really is a beautiful sight!!!! It was one of them moments where you could cry from being purely overwhelmed!!
We took pictures and then headed up the stairs to the opera house...
Some people were really smartly dressed but other people were just dressed like us so I didn't feel too scruffy. It was really posh inside and they had a big bar selling cocktails and wine or beer, and then behind that was a huge terrace where you overlook all of sydney and can get really close up pictures of the waves of the opera house and see right inside them.
The construction is amazing and each wave is made up of thousands of tiles and is so beautiful.
Then they called that we could take our seats so we headed into the opera theatre. It's smaller than I thought it would be but still an impressive size and our seats were pretty close to the stage but to one side so not a perfect view of the stage but we had bought cheaper tickets.

The lights dimmed and then the conductor joined the orchestra and everyone started clapping for the conductor...
The sound of the applause echoed around the whole theatre and was such an intense sound and it was at this point that I appreciated the construction of the opera house and how the waves help echo and amplify sounds and that each and every crevice has been designed a certain way so that the sound is crisp and clear.
Then the opera started, and it was sang in French so apart from the leaflet we were given explaining each act, I was completely lost as to what was going on. Then we noticed that above the stage on a screen they were showing subtitles in English of roughly what they were saying: without these I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much and would have had no idea what was going on but then at the same time I felt like I was cheating and not really embracing the opera, although how can you embrace something if you don't understand it...
Anyway, I really enjoyed it and the story is basically that two men are friends, try both love the same girl but decide to forget her so they can keep their friendship but then one starts seeing her secretly etc etc, was just like an American romance film haha. The sound of their voices in the hall was absolutely mind blowing though, especially when the girl sang she made every goosebump stand on end and bring a friend, it sent chills (good ones) down your whole body!!! When the three main people sang together it was such a beautiful sound as they all had different styles of opera so it blended in to one. My favourite part in it all was when the whole cast sang, it genuinely brought tears to your eyes!!!
Awesome night, I feel all cultured and grown up now!