THE MUSIC NEVER STOPS IN SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

The sound of high heels clicking away in the hallway.... Laughter, voices and whispers in the candlelit bars. Hundreds and hundreds of smiley, curious, serious, excited faces. There were people from all walks of life, young and old, in all shades, shapes and sizes walking towards the theatres, playhouse and concert hall.

We made our way to the concert hall as well. Apex Shed Astley and Tyldesley On our left, we could see The Sydney Harbour. Lights glittering in the water and parts of the beautiful infamous Opera House shell roof can be seen from the hallway.

Outside it was raining and cold Wednesday night in July, 3 degrees Celsius (about 38 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sydney's mid winter. There are lots of night activities going on every night in this beautiful city in the Southern Hemisphere.

Our tickets were checked and we found our seats at one of the boxes. From the seats, we saw musicians dressed black and white stringing their violins, violas, double bass and cellos. The blowing of trumpets, trombones, piccolos and flutes. All in unison, but not yet beautiful, just warming up.

In a moment, there was complete silence...the musicians took their positions. We can hear our own breathing and movement.

The silence...

the acoustic effect...

of the concert hall.

Out came the conductor greeted by the first violinist. Applause, non stop applause.

BAM... suddenly the music comes alive with Doctor Atomic Symphony by John Adams. Such unison and mechanical pulling of the bows on the violins, violas and cellos. Than the trumpets, trombones, French horns, flutes, piccolos, the cymbals and the gongs.

This was followed by a master performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor and finally the moment we were waiting for, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor.

The experience was exhilarating and the Sydney Symphony was flawless. This was six months ago at the Sydney Opera House. My children and husband were there to experience with me. It was only a 15 minutes walk from the Sydney Marriott Circular Quay to the Opera House and Sydney Harbor.

Twenty years ago, I was there with a bunch of youth hostel girls dancing to the music of Rick Astley. We were traveling cheap and stayed at the YHA youth hostel for Australian $15 a night for a bed.

The music never stops.

Sydney Opera House stays majestically in place and still feels the same after twenty years. The seats were familiar but the music was different this time. There is always a classical concert, pop concert, an opera or a play going on in the Opera House.

Elsewhere in the world, you might be turned away if you show up in a pair of jeans and sneakers for a classical concert. Not in Sydney Opera House. Jeans and sneakers are welcome.

There is no other building in the world that resembles this majestic building. The roof itself is a masterpiece. You can run your fingers through the shell looking roof with its diagonal patterns and marvel on the creativity of man.

Travel experience has enriched our lives together as a family and it is part of our education program for the children. Instead of sending them to summer school and summer camp, we bring them overseas. It is prelude to their study abroad, gap year and volunteer experience. Stay tuned for more of Australia next week...

Claudia is a mother of 2, wife and stay at home and work from home mom for 16 years. She desires to see parents stepping up to be their best and raising up a generation of uncompromising, relevant and purposed driven adults. She believes traveling, volunteering and learning another language in addition to English are important tools for educating children.