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 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 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.
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