Episode 830 – Fancy Schmancy… and not. – Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

When I planned this 5 month round-the-world trip,part of my rationale was comparing doing it “on our own” versus taking a 5 month Viking cruise.

To that end, while trying not to be ridiculous, once in a while we need a “fancy” day that really does compare to the way Viking treats us.

Sydney has been the place to do that, from the point of view of our accommodation and “excursions”, but we certainly haven’t been eating the way we do on a ship.

Today was an exception, beginning with an exploration of the absolutely fanciest shopping mall I’ve ever been in: the Queen Victoria Building.

Kitty-corner from the QVB, Her Majesty sits and watches shoppers going in and out.

The statue was a gift from Ireland, and used to sit in front of the parliament in Dublin,

There’s also a talking fountain featuring one of Victoria’s dogs; a blarney stone is set into the wishing well portion. As people pass the fountain, a speaker activates and the terrier explains that it once belonged to Queen Victoria and was given the gift of speech in return for good deeds to deaf and blind children, and it will bark a thank you if coins are dropped into the well.

The interior of the QVB is absolutely stunning: tessellated tile floors, gilded cornice mouldings, jewel-toned walls, huge stained glass windows, glass and steel ceilings, a stained glass central dome, and two impressive clocks.

The Romanesque building first opened as a market in 1898, and was named to honour Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. It faced near demolition between 1959 and 1971, but a restoration project begun in 1982 allowed it to reopen in 1986. A $48M AUD 2009 refurbishment added new escalators and elevators, allowed for re-painting throughout, and restored balustrades, carpet, signage, and bathrooms.

Honestly, it is glorious, but until we got inside those arched entrances, we didn’t realize that the interior outshines the exterior.

The floor is the first hint.

But then we looked up into the south gallery:

Heading into the centre of the QVB, we were wowed in all directions: huge stained glass windows on both sides, and a glass dome above.

From the inside, the west window was partially obscured by staircases.

The east windows, on the escalator side, were easier to photograph.

The north gallery:

Unfortunately, this mechanical clock (made right here in Sydney) was not working, although we could see by the exposed mechanisms and bells that there would be a lot going on if it was.

Appropriately for a building named after Queen Victoria, there was a Victoria Cross memorial on the second level.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Victoria Cross criteria before.

We stopped on the third level for our afternoon coffee.

There were numerous wonderful looking cafés in the QVB, but this one with its Gustav Klimt prints and decadent desserts drew me in with its Viennese vibe.

Top: apple strudel. Bottom: cheese strudel with cherries (“Topfenstrudel” in Vienna)

I had to check out what the ladies’ bathroom looked like. It matched the building’s aesthetic perfectly.

My romantic lovable Ted had the wonderful idea to top off our day with a fancy steak dinner at Firegrill Sydney, known for their Wagyu steaks.

The place was lovely. Unfortunately the food and service, for a high-end restaurant, were disappointing. It wasn’t comparable to Viking’s Chefs Table, for sure.