Quite an architectural wonder of a building. But also frustrating for photographers as we were told NO photography. So I had my camera put away. All of a sudden, we were told we could quickly snap one photo -- so with no time to stand up (we were seated), no time to compose, I grabbed this shot. Crooked, but you get the idea. Mesmerizing architecture.
@pamknowler -- well, I was in Australia in early July for about 10 days. Then I went back to Chicago, then to Orlando, then to Buenos Aires, and now I am in Munich. But I had an accident in Buenos Aires and have not been doing much since then and am just now trying to catch up a bit. So to answer your question, I am no longer in Australia! Sorry for the belated posting!
Crikey Junko, I can't keep up with you either. So sad we couldn't have a meet-up while you were in Oz. Love this shot, so interesting with the fisheye effect. I really don't know why so many places have hangups about photos. A sign of the times?
@golftragic -- they said it was because their architecture was copyrighted. But what didn't make sense is that before the tour started you had your photo taken against a blank screen, and then when the tour ended they tried to sell you that photo of you superimposed on the interior! So clearly it was about wanting to make money. It really turned me sour because I thought they could be like the Frank Lloyd Wright house where you have to pay a photographer's fee, which I happily paid. By charging a fee, it limited the number of people who were being slowish on the tour. Also these days, museums and other places find that social media of photos helps their attendance and interest spike! (Yes, I was annoyed . . .)
@pamknowler -- I fell into a hole in the sidewalk in Buenos Aires and got to see first hand the emergency room and hospital system :) I'm out of the boot now and walking in hiking shoes with ankle support. I'll be fine. That blind eye I have means only 50% of peripheral vision so I have to stop trying to read signs and walk at the same time. I was hungry -- no food since breakfast, so the search for empanadas was a very serious one. Ha!
@golftragic -- I do wish I could have met up with you while in Oz, but you never know when I'll be back again. One of my very close friends lives in Fremantle so I'd like to visit her again.
@pamknowler@golftragic@jgpittenger@redy4et@jamibann -- thanks for your comments! I noticed it looked a little blah this morning so I decided to take it into picmonkey and up the contrast a little, and now you can see all the people sitting to my right -- where I regrettably chose a seat at the far edge rather than being centered.
@jyokota OMG Junko! You are a disaster waiting to happen! It was your arm last year and now your ankle! I hope you make a very quick full recovery! Take care of yourself! Big hug xx
@jyokota I'm so sorry about your accident in Buenos Aires, what a shame for your time there. My undercarriage is so wonky that I have to spend far too much time watching where my feet are going, or risk a close inspection of the ground. And I'm so sorry you had such a negative experience in what must be Australia's best-known, truly iconic, building. You're probably right about wanting to make money out of tourists, but as you pointed out that's the wrong way to go about it these days. My greatest disappointment on our European trip last year was the 'no photos, no photos' refrain in all the grand houses and palaces. I didn't buy any postcards on principle and was so teed-off about no photos, and the lurking security people that if I ever go back to Europe I shan't be going anywhere near those sorts of 'attractions'.
@jyokota A meet-up would be wonderful though Fremantle is a heck of a long way from Melbourne as you'd well know. We keep promising ourselves we'll go to Perth though, so your presence might provide the necessary stimulus to get off our launching pads.
The jazzed-up version looks even better and, to my mind, the pull of the stage and the perspective leading to it is so strong that the people are just a minor nuisance.
