Sydney Bridge Climb

Last Night


Last night, after dinner on the ship, we went for a walk in downtown Sydney to get some night pictures. It was sad because it was our last night there. I love Sydney! The sites are amazing. We had a great time except for the fact we were really tired (remember that we had been up since 3am).

We got back on the ship around midnight to get a few hours of sleep. We had to get up at 5am. Our reservations for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb was at 7:45am (we needed to be there by 7:30am). Our ship had to move into the Harbour in the mid of the night due to other ships needing the port. That meant we had to tender. It took about 20 minutes to tender ashore. Tenders were only running every hour until 7am. We did not want to be late for the climb so we took the 6am tender over to be safe.

Morning Bridge Climb

http://bridgeclimb.com.au/


Since we were up so early, they did not even have breakfast open on the ship. We walked to McDonald’s in downtown and ordered some hotcakes. Climbing the bridge on an empty stomach would not have been good.

We got the bridge climb around 7:15am. We waited until our scheduled time was called and proceeded through the check in process. First you sign paperwork about your health conditions (ensuring you are healthy enough to climb and so they know of any diseases/disorders prior to climbing). Then you take a breathalyzer test. You must wear a special climbing suit. So we got changed and put everything in our lockers. Once our suits were on, we got all kinds of gear (handkerchief, hat, sunglass holder, headset to her the guide). It was all pretty cool. Everything had a place to be hooked to ensure you would not lose it.

They attached you via cable line that is continuously connected for the entire climb. We took the discovery climb which is a little more adventurous going through some parts of the inside of the bridge instead of just climbing the outside of the bridge. It was awesome. Chris was our tour leader and he was great. We learned about he history of the bridge while climbing. This was a significant added benefit that we had not fully appreciated. The headsets were extremely nice since they ensured you could always hear him. Of course the view was spectacular. The entire trip took about 3 ½ hours.


We were impressed how many photos they took of us on the bridge. We ended up with several to chose from. Going into it we weren’t expecting such a selection. You get a complimentary group photo of everyone on your climb (we had 13 people) and can purchase additional personal photos if desired. The photo we got is shown to the right.

I highly recommend the bridge climb for anyone visiting Sydney. It was a great adventure and the views were amazing. If you are going to do it make sure you make reservations early online since we met a few people who wanted to do it but they were already booked up and missed out. The narration helped us better appreciate the bridge and the city. Brian was impressed to learn that the AXA Australia building was featured in the movie the Matrix. I even remember that scene with the helicopter rescue.


I learned something interesting about myself. I used to be somewhat afraid of heights (not terribly afraid, but I did not really like them either – I had troubles last week looking down at the blue mountains). After skydiving, I am no longer afraid of them. During the bridge climb, I was not scared at all and even looked straight down several times. So I have discovered a cure for a fear of heights: skydiving.

Afternoon and Evening

Again it was hot today especially in the bright sun. Even with sunscreen, Brian and I are getting a little red. Today my ears got a little sunburned. Brian’s face is getting a little tan. I am jealous since all I get is red.


After the bridge climb we went souvenir shopping in downtown. There are many stores in the part of Sydney called “The Rocks”. We got a few neat things. Then went back to the ship for lunch.

After lunch, we took our computer with us downtown to upload some blog pictures. I did not have time to write this post at that time, but we pre-uploaded our pictures on blooger. Unfortunately now we must us cruise ship internet at $0.65 a minute. Hopefully we will find free internet at some the ports but I am unsure how much time we will have to work on that.

The last thing we did in Sydney was climb up to Python Point at the start of the Sydney Bridge. If you bridge climb, you get a free ticket into the tower to climb to the top. It was nice to be able to take pictures up there because during the bridge climb you are not allowed to bring a camera.

We got back onto the ship and we were extremely tired. (Actually during the tender ride back to the ship, we took a few minute nap). There was a mandatory muster drill then we took a nap before dinner. We are looking forward to our first sea day on Tuesday to get some sleep.



American Tourists

On a side note, today we met our first American tourist. He was from Seattle and on the bridge climb. His fiancée was too nervous about heights to join him. We have been in Australia for over a week and this was the first person we met from the states (we met some that permanently relocated here from the states, but no one just visiting like us). We did not expect to meet many Americans, but are surprised how very few we have seen (only one so far!). He reported a similar experience. He met a couple of retired American tourists in Port Douglas, but that was basically all he has encountered during his week or so here. Apparently not many Americans make it out here.

We have met people from many other places though including England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Iran, Canada, Italy, China, Japan, and Singapore to name a few. Until today, America did not even make that list. We would expect to find more Americans on the cruise, but those that we have met so far have been Australian or European.