The most surprising things to me were that the sails are (1) not pure white, as many photos depict them, and (2) are made up of more than one million ceramic tiles from Sweden. This detail shot shows the cream and off-white tiles, which our tour guide said Utzon chose to create an iridescent look. The tiles are each about three or four inches wide.  Photo 5 of 14 in Sydney's Surprising Opera House  by Miyoko Ohtake

Sydney's Surprising Opera House

5 of 14

The most surprising things to me were that the sails are (1) not pure white, as many photos depict them, and (2) are made up of more than one million ceramic tiles from Sweden. This detail shot shows the cream and off-white tiles, which our tour guide said Utzon chose to create an iridescent look. The tiles are each about three or four inches wide.