Sydney Walkabout

I spent all day Thursday exploring Sydney. The city is absolutely gorgeous and I can see how it is consistently rated one of the top 5 cities to visit in the world. I just wish it wasn’t half-way around the world or I would definitely consider moving there for a short time.
The first 1½ hours I aimlessly wandered around downtown … going in and out of buildings just checking things out. My first touristy thing I did that morning was to head to the observation deck of the Sydney Tower – 250 meters above the ground. Let’s just say that being over 800 feet above the ground provides an amazing view of the city.
After looking at Sydney from a bird’s eye view, I checked out the city using my feet. I walked through Martin Place towards the Royal Botanical Gardens. The Royal Gardens are breathtakingly beautiful and provide some amazing views of the Harbour, the Opera House and the city. I know that there’s a ton of different species of trees and plants in Australia compared to what we have in the U.S., but I was surprised how cool some of the trees looked.
After the Gardens I headed over to the Opera House for a look and a lunch. I had a little time after lunch and before my bridge climb started, so I took in a street performer. Let’s just say he juggled a torch, a sword & an apple standing on a bicycle 25 feet up in the air … not to shabby. I'm going to try and post the video I took of him once I figure it out.
My appointment for the Harbour Bridge climb was at 2pm. After filling out some documents, taking a breathalyzer test and making sure the equipment worked, we headed up to the bridge to climb it. There were 12 of us on the climb plus the two climb leaders – Jeff & Olivia. From check-in to check-out the climb took 3 hours and we covered approximately 1500 steps. We started by walking up the east side of the bridge, crossed over at the summit, and walked down the west side of the bridge. When we were heading down the bridge, the sun was starting to set which cast a lovely light over the bay.
The remainder of the night was spent having a 10oz steak at a bar – surprisingly tasty – and catching the latest Harry Potter movie at the cinema (beat you too it Jess!). I thought it cost an arm & a leg to see a movie in Chicago, but in Sydney it costs an arm, two legs, a kidney and a gall bladder … A$15.5 for a single ticket. Overall it was one the best days I can remember in a long time … the cancelled flight, the 14.5 hour flight, the lost luggage … the wait was definitely worth it.
I know my words can’t do the city justice, so check out the photos I took throughout the day.