1/15/23 – Sydney Bridge Climb

Today was the big day! We awoke to a beautiful, blue sky, not a cloud in the sky type day with a slight breeze. Our climb reservation was for 9:45 am😊👍. The preparations for the climb took 45 minutes.. it was a bit like a boot camp as we followed our leader’s instructions; watched videos in preparation; donned a special suit, harnesses, headset, special souvenir hat, and straps for glasses; and practiced climbing both up and down ladders with all of our gear. The views from atop the bridge were magnificent!! What a fabulous experience (no pictures to post as no cell phones were permitted on the climb😕). The climb lasted approximately 2 hours with many pauses for pictures, history, and just taking in the scenery. My favorite quote of the day: “The people of Sydney like to say that the Harbor Bridge is 2x’s more riveting than the Eiffel Tower” ( Why? The Harbor Bridge required 6 million rivets to construct and the Eiffel Tower required only 3 million rivets!). After the climb we went to The Rocks to grab a bite to eat before heading to the ferry and a trip to Watsons Bay. Watsons Bay was a bit crowded by the beach but not on the walking trails above the beach… there is a trail which we did not follow today that takes you to or from Bondi Beach (one of the most well known of beaches in Sydney) to Manley Cove. After a lazy afternoon in the park at Watsons Bay we headed back to the Quay and a walk in the Sydney Botanic Gardens… I love these gardens & could spend many hours here. We spotted about 12 new birds to add to our ever growing list for these novices😜. Time for dinner along the Quay where we watched a huge cruise ship depart and watched lots of people enjoying summer on the Quay. Time to return to our nice accommodations on Hunter Street.