Saturday, July 27, 2013

Day 14: A lovely time on the bridge

BRIDGE CLIMB!!

So this one time I started a blog about my adventure to Australia....that time was nearly two years ago now...and I am very ashamed of myself as the purpose of my blog was to document my adventure before I had forgotten the details. I am still committed to finish provided I can remember it all :/ So here goes nothing.

Tuesday, July 19 in the year two thousand and eleven was truly one of the most spectacular days of my life. No exaggeration. Not even the rain could get in the way of the amazingness of this Tuesday in the land down under, for this was the day that I climbed the Harbour Bridge.

Tanya and I began the day at the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in downtown Sydney. I had scheduled the afternoon to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb at 3:30, so we decided to stay in the city to make it easier on ourselves.

The QVB was built in the late 1800s, and was named, of course after Queen Victoria. It's now home to a massive shopping center, home to some 100+ shops. It takes up an entire block in downtown Sydney. The architecture inside is just beautiful, and each shop is so unique that window shopping through that place was thoroughly entertaining.


After we got a taste for the QVB, we just kind of strolled around the city shopping for souvenirs that I could bring back for the family. I want to say we also got some licorice from Darrell Lea in the basement of the QVB, but that may have come later.

After a lovely afternoon of wandering around the city, we made our way to the bridge climb. All day long it had been threatening to rain, and I was worried they might cancel our trip up the bridge, but the lady at the desk assured me that would only happen in extreme cases.

After perusing the gift shop for a bit, it was time for my group to prepare to climb the bridge. Tanya had already gone in celebration of her 30th birthday, so I left her with my things and went on my merry way.

They took our group into a small room where they asked us for some personal information, and then proceeded to give us all a breathalyzer test. Probably the only time in my life I will be asked to do that, but I suppose they don't appreciate drunks on the bridge. They give you a brief safety lesson, and then it's off to train.

Now, when I say training...I mean training. They don't mess around at the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. After the first instruction, our group spent the next 30-45 minutes being trained on how to climb the bridge.

First, we had to get our gear. The guide informed us that is was quite chilly up on the bridge so in addition to our fashionable blue jump suits, we would also be wearing snow pants, a fleece jacket, beanies, and gloves. I was 6 feet around by the time I had all my gear on.

But before putting all that gear on, we practiced on the bridge climb obstacle course making sure we understood how to travel up and down the stairs we would be climbing and how to move our harness across the bridge.

After we finished our training it was time to get on the bridge. At this point, I'm freaking out a little...but just a little. You see...I am dreadfully afraid of heights and although there was no way I was turning back, I couldn't help but feel a little bit anxious as we walked towards the bridge. I was able to see Tanya briefly before we went on the bridge. I'd given her my camera to document the moment just before we embarked.


You think that's an attractive outfit? Just wait until it's all complete. So we got all geared up and started up the bridge. There's quite a long ways you have to walk that is inside the stone ends of the bridge. Mostly stairs...lots of stairs. The anxiety at this point was gradually building, but nothing could have prepared me for the next part.

We weren't allowed to take cameras on the bridge (mostly because they'd probably fall off) otherwise I would show you what I saw at the next point in our journey. There is a walkway just as you exit the base of the bridge that is metal mesh all the way across. This means, that for the stretch of 200 yards, you can see straight down to the cement below.

I think our guide understood that this would be the biggest hurdle for those of us with height issues. So, of course, she took this time to stop and give us a history lesson which, at first, I was like. Seriously?? You're going to stop NOW? But after a few minutes standing there...and not dying...I realized that I was going to be just fine. Like, stop being such a sissy.

After "the catwalk" as they called it, we had to climb a series of stairs which was a little unnerving as you weren't really harnessed in at that point, but more often than not, there were nice Australian men helping you up those stairs and keeping you at ease which worked just fine for me.


Once we were on the bridge, the height thing became a non-issue. I was afraid the wimpy harness would make me nervous, but with the 3 feet between me and the edge of the bridge I figured I'd really have to be trying to fall off.

These lovely people are my group. I didn't get to know them extremely well, but we spent a lovely 3 hours together on the bridge. There were two sisters from Victoria, a Chinese couple and their college-aged daughter who was attending school in Sydney, a couple from Florida with two girls, and a couple from Massachusetts. They were all great fun.


You guys, if you ever get the chance to visit Sydney, you MUST do the bridge climb. It is very expensive. Don't get me wrong. It set me back about $300, but is was so worth it. (I also picked the most expensive time, though.) The sites as you go along the bridge are priceless. It's just beautiful up there, and you will always be able to tell people you climbed the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. I simply cannot describe the euphoria I felt up there. It was unreal.



Here's that super hot outfit I was telling you about. I can't even remember what that thing is around my neck...they gave us a lot of stuff that we didn't really need. I was, however quite grateful for the winter gear as it was pretty dang cold. It never rained while I was on the bridge, though. That would come almost the second I stepped off.

As you walk up the bridge, all you can see is open water and the Opera House off to your right. When we started up the bridge, the sun was just setting. Coming back down, you get a view of the beautiful city of Sydney. By the time we started back, the it was getting dark and the lights of the city were just coming on. They were in full splendor by the time we reached the base. We got the best of both worlds. I was able to see the city from the best vantage point at day and night...but all my best pictures were before it got to dark. This is way my time was the most expensive. I kind of felt like...if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it the right way.

I made my way back to land where Tanya was waiting for me. We had made to plans to eat dinner at the revolving restaurant at Sydney Tower. The only problem at this point was that it had begun to rain...and it was coming down hard. We had walked from the parking garage and were now forced to hoof it the 1.7 miles to the restaurant. Normally this would be no problem, but I'm not kidding it was raining HARD, and I had souvenirs I'd bought earlier in the day that needed to stay dry.

This is me after a 25 minute walk in the rain about to eat at a restaurant that charges $65 a plate.


Needless to say, we were very wet and very cold, and my jeans were so wet, they kept threatening to slide off because they were so heavy. But still, we pressed on and paid our $65 to enter the Sydney Tower Buffet which supposedly has the best views of the city at night. 

Here's another little travel tip for you, if you ever make your way to Sydney. While the views at the top of Sydney Tower are quite nice, DO NOT waste your money on the restaurant. I have never paid so much for a meal in my life, and while a large part of it, I'm sure is the atmosphere, I would not have paid $5 for the meal I received. 

Tanya and I went through and got our first round of food...neither of us finished everything on our plate...both thinking we had just chosen poorly and surely the second time around would be better. We were wrong. It was just as bad as the first round. At this point, we both looked at each other and had the realization that we were both thinking the exact thing. Did we really just pay $130 for this?? Really? We started busting up laughing as the entire situation was so sad and so ridiculous. 

We made one final go at the buffet thinking, surely, there's no way they could mess up dessert. Once again...so, so wrong. Tanya picked up a little cup that was labeled "Lavender Pudding". I told her that sounded disgusting, but she was intrigued. I think I got some kind of chocolate equivalent that was the farthest thing from chocolate I think I have ever tasted. 

Tanya took one bite of her lavender pudding, and quite skillfully made me believe she actually enjoyed it and convinced me to take a bite.  If you are like me, you read the words "lavender pudding" and thought, that's just some kind of fancy name for a pudding right? It couldn't actually be lavender flavored. I kid you not, the pudding was exactly what I imagine lavender lotion would taste like. It was waxy and perfumy and disgusting. The second it entered my mouth Tanya was gone, and I nearly choked. We were beyond hope. 

At one point, some poor guy came up and asked if we'd like our picture taken...for only another $15 dollars we could keep it. Having already been in complete hysterics that evening, we couldn't contain our laughter. He surely thought we were laughing at him, but it was just the utterly ridiculous situation we had found ourselves in that you had to laugh at, or else be brought to tears over your poor decision making. 

On the bright side, the view really was amazing up there. The pictures don't really do them justice, but terrible food aside, we had a phenomenal evening at that restaurant...if only because we laughed until our sides ached. 


We continued laughing all the way down the elevator, on the Monorail ride back to Darling Harbour and in the car on the way back to Tanya's apartment. This was probably the most crazy day I had in Sydney. Filled with shopping, adventure and laughter, I couldn't have asked for a better day. 

It was right around this day, however that I started to realize just how little time I had left in Sydney and I remember that night being a little bit meloncholy. I didn't want to leave this beautiful place and the people I had come to know and love. That would all hit me later, though. 

When it all came to a close, Day 14 would always been enshrined in my memory as the day we said..."Ah well, at least I had a lovely time on the bridge." 

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