Lecture from Chris Murray on the history and settlement of Australia. I learned a lot!
We boarded our luxury bus and drove to the eastern suburbs, making several scenic stops on the way.
Mrs. Macquarie's chair: Surprisingly comfortable for a rock bench. A nice place to stop and watch the water. Ryan Gosling (swoon) was filming a movie (The Fall Guy) in the area. The film crew had shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier in the day. Sadly, no Ryan sighting for me.
The Gap: A less protected view of the Tasman Sea.
Watson's Bay: On the Sydney Harbour side of the peninsula.
Bondi Beach: The renowned surfing beach. There were a lot of them! We had lunch at the North Bondi RSL (Returned Services League) Club in Bondi. We walked along the beach for a short time. We drove back towards the hotel. The driver dropped me near Circular Quay. I started walking to the bridge. Stopped for ice cream along the way. Because, you know, I needed my strength to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge (a.k.a. "The Coathanger").
I arrived at BridgeClimb a little early. I was able to get into an earlier climb than I scheduled. Very interesting facility, built under the bridge. Very organized; warmed my heart. A worker called us in for instructions. They tested each one of us for alcohol (not a good place to be drunk). Gave us goofy looking jumpsuits, which we changed into. He recommended removing pants and shirts, as it was warm. It turned out to be a good idea; the temperature was perfect. We stored our belongings in lockers. No cell phones, watches, anything. We had to pass through a metal detector to be sure. They can't have anyone drop a personal item on the cars below you. They gave us hankies in case we got emotional (or sweaty), baseball caps (we get to keep), and lanyards for our own sunglasses. We met out guide, Brianna. She helped us get into our harnesses and showed us how to clip onto the safety rail. We practiced on some ladders.
Then we started off. The excitement was building! We went through a flat area, then several ladders, then we were in the open. The weather was perfect; not too hot or cold, a slight breeze, partly cloudy. It was fun looking down on the people in parks right under us. We walked some more and then we were over the cars. A light rail train also passes over the bridge. It was a little unnerving when that went by. We made several stops to view the harbour. Brianna took photos of us. When I reached the summit, I was ELATED. The view was SPECTACULAR. We hung out there for several minutes. Then we went to the other side and started our descent. The whole thing wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Thanks to my friend, Kari, for suggesting that I do this. I'm so glad I did.
I walked to The Lord Nelson Pub, to treat myself to a pint. I sat outside in the sun, which felt really good.
Then I walked to The Fortune of War Pub, the oldest pub in Sydney. I sat outside and was still assaulted by the woman's perfume at the next table. I ordered using their web site. My beer arrived quickly. But my fish & chips took a long time. They didn't have malt vinegar and the food was only OK.
I walked to the light rail and rode it to the hotel. I stopped at The Pumphouse for a final pint. Ron showed up and we chatted for a while. I went to an ATM for some Australian currency.
I picked up my camera from Harry (asked him to hold it for me). I poured myself into my room tired, but grinning from ear to ear.
Photo: Me climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge!
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