Located at Bennelong Point, Sydney, named after one of the first aborigines to befriend the settlers, directly northeast of Sydney's CBD, next to the Royal Botanical Gardens. A quick walk from Circular Quay, which can be reached by any number of buses operating in Sydney. The Sydney Opera House is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century, so unique it was compared to the standard designs of its day.

The idea manifested itself in the 1950's, Sydney was a boring city back then, with no culture or nightlife to speak of. The design was made by a Danish architect named Jorn Utzon, it was originally rejected for its radical style. The roofs were quite top-heavy, and it made construction rather difficult. It was supposed to be finished in four years, but it took 14 instead.

It ran completely overbudget due to its complex design, but when it opened in 1973 it was hailed with critical acclaim and international praise. Its distinctively curved "shell roof vaults" make it a unique piece of work. Quite breathtaking, when one walks along the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Opera House is the first thing you see.

The place isn't just for operas, concerts, dramas, movies and plays are performed there on a regular basis. After some entertainment, one can obtain food of excellent quality at the restaurant, The Bennelong, or you can walk over to Circular Quay for some seafood and Australian wine. All in all, an excellent way to spend a Sunday.

It is also worth noting that while Jørn Utzon's design for the exterior of the building was adhered to, the interior (presumably also 'radically' styled in Utzon's original plans) was redesigned by nameless others.

Having sat on the stage of one of the halls for several hours (in a school choir performance...) I can comfortably say that it is not as interesting to look at from the inside. Unless you count a very strange four metre wide translucent brown doughnut suspended above our heads, intented to improve acoustics.

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