It's All Uphill

There's always another photo of the Sydney Opera House ... I can't help it.

Woo hoo.  Our adventure today (Wednesday, March 22) would take us uphill to the top of the Harbour Bridge.  We’d be standing at the top … looking over the whole harbor … and the Sydney Opera House.  But that would happen about noon.  In the meantime we did some walking around, heading in that general direction.

On the walkway we found these, the Writer's Walk, dedicated to all sorts of writers.

 

I've never seen this kind of postal letter box before.

 

We found a number of statues.  This one is dedicated to the Fire Fleet that arrived with 211 Marines whose primary duties were to protect the settlement and preserve order among the convicts.

We arrived, after drinking to be sure we were hydrated, and also having a meal as we were supposed to eat.  In fact, we were asked about that when we arrived and checked in.  We were given a breathalyzer to be sure we weren’t too sloshed and then we were taken to get into our space suits.  Down to our underwear, and into our zip-up suits … I felt like one of the Space Cowboys … old, but ready for my mission to space.  Maybe that would be easier?

I'm joining the ranks with such as actors Ben Stiller, Pierce Brosnan and Cate Blanchett.

There are 1,332 steps that you have to climb to ascend to the top of the Harbour Bridge.  One at a time is how to do it.  There are drinking fountains along the way, there are little niches that you have to crawl through, there are catwalks and the steps you take on those don’t count.  What a thrill to be above traffic that is zipping along above or below you.  What a thrill to hear a train roar by.  And the best thrill is to be on top of the bridge … looking down on the harbor, looking down at the opera house.  The view is 360 degrees, and incomparable.

The bridge may rise or fall up to seven inches as the steel expands and contracts in different weather conditions.  The view is 360 degrees.  I'm proving it.  From this ... a view of the city, to this ...

The little Sydney Opera House.

And, of course, what goes uphill, must come back down.  That seemed harder for some reason.  The leg muscles seemed to be doing strange things but all was well and we descended back to the home base and got out of our one-piece suits.

The bridge opened in 1932, but wasn't paid off until 1988.  That's some kind of loan, but it cost double the original quote.  Maybe that's why.  It's grey in color because that was the only color available in the quantity needed to paint it. 

The bridge is another engineering marvel.  There are 6 million bolts.  Only 10,000 were dropped into the bay.  Just hearing how things were lifted up, men had no safety gear, how they worked with the heat, the welding, makes you wonder sometimes how these things came about.  And the true test was at the very top when you had those last few inches until the pieces should join together … would they, wouldn’t they?  YES!!! 

The bridge climb is one of those things that seem nearly impossible to do, but must do.  The day was perfect, until we got down.  At that point they evacuated the bridge as while rain is okay and tours go up, lightning is not.  We got down just in time.  It poured and we ended up in the rain.  But it’s not snow, and it’s warm, so we’re not complaining.

We wandered around a bit as we were waiting for a friend of a friend to find us so we could meet and have dinner together.  Found … Rhonda. 

We all fit together perfectly ... fun-loving gals.

By being out at night, I even was able to get an evening photo of the Harbour Bridge.  There's a little carnival in the lower-right hand corner with a ferris wheel.

What a kick and the perfect way to end our day with a good meal and a fun visit.  Rhonda had to catch her train back home and we needed to board a bus and get in for the evening. 

And the final photo of the day?  What better than the Sydney Opera House at night.

It was another great day.  How could it not be?  We’re on vacation.