Gone Down Under

Stewart in front of the Sydney Opera House (photo taken by friendly tourists from Hong Kong).
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Day 1: Arrived early and sped through immigration and customs with the Express Access pass given by JAL. Purchased a weekly travel pass, including airport return for $58 AUD. Checked in early to the Swissotel Sydney where a very nice desk clerk Loraine upgraded me to the top floor. THANK YOU. Quick note...amazingly huge bathroom with tub and shower. Following advice of Lonely Planet, went to brekky at a local coffee bar, where a nice couple joined me at my table: Nat and Justin. They gave me the scoop on how to organize my week best and pointed me to some helpful city papers: Spectrum and Time Out Sydney. They even bought me another espresso that fueled the rest of my day. I got moving and started the walkabout of the Bienale Sydney (more on that later) which took me to the Sydney Opera House. Late lunch on the water of some delicious fish n chips from Quays Seafood stand. I ended the day attending a great Australian short film "The List" and feature length British film "Somer's Town" at the Sydney Film Festival.