NSW, AUS - The Bridge

Highlights:

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

This was amazing! Over the course of 3 hours, we climbed 134 meters up the south arch onto the peak. We walked right across the top and came down the south arch. Our climb guide served as a wonderful tour guide of the city. We paused briefly for many informational points about the bridge construction itself to general life in Sydney. 

We learned the bridge was constructed over the course of 9 years. The plans were drawn up so construction could begin on both shores, and eventually, the arches would meet in the middle. The south arch would always be slightly ahead of the north so any corrections that were needed would be solved by the time they reached the same point on the north side. There are 6 million bolts holding the bridge together. In order to get hot bolts to the right spot on the bridge, a "cooker" would warm up the bolt on the ground, and literally toss it through the air to the "catcher" standing with a bucket onto of the bridge. These workers were on top of the bridge completely unharnessed! Even crazier, over the nine years of construction, only 16 people died. Further, only two of those people actually died for, working the construction of the bridge itself. 

Olivia pointed out various landmarks like the surrounding bay, the Blue Mountains in the distance and the nearby Navy bases.  Other random places were pointed out as well: the Prime Minester's house on the bay, the hotel celebrities frequent and the oldest residential building. 

We stopped for a few photos on the way up, the most picturesque shot is overlooking the heart of Sydney. It was an absolutely stunning view! 

After the climb, we grabbed some dinner and hung around Sydney to see Vivid Lights. Many of the big buildings were lit up- the Opera House and bridge had lights, too. 

We walked through the Botanical Gardens, which came highly recommended. In my opinion, the installment below was the best of that walk. In general, we weren't very impressed with the show.

NSW, AUS - Opera House

Highlights:

As we were seeking an adapter that actually worked, we stumbled in this very old and fancy mall. We explored, but didn't purchase anything.

After finding the adapter, we went in search of food and found the an adorable little art gallery. 

Our favorite pieces were those that looked like peacock feathers and dot art. 

After breakfast, we headed to the Sydney Opera House. 

The inside was beautiful, and the construction process was very interesting. Turns out it was the American on the judging panel that chose this design from the discard pile. The tour was a bit underwhelming, but it was very cool to get inside and look around this iconic structure. 

Last bit, unfortunately unpictured, was dinner at Daniel San. It was delicious! I give it the true #1 experience of the day. We shared two dishes: Korean Fried Chicken and Tokyo Fried Rice. Both were excellent, and we managed to eat with chopsticks only. 

NSW, AUS - We made it!

After 28 hours of travel, we arrived.

Our journey began out of Detroit, stopped in Dallas briefly, and hopped over to LAX. Then the long flight was upon us. It was scheduled to be about 14 hours in the air, but with a couple delays turned out to be closer to 17 before we landed in Sydney, Australia! 

Finally, we made it to the big city! 

A couple more quick rides - train to Circular Quay, and a ferry over to Manly - our journey finished. 

Oceanside. 

We stopped for delicious drinks (smoothie for me!) at Ground Zero. Then dropped our bags at the apartment before finding some actual food. 

Success! 

Ready. Set..

One week until we're in the air! 

Bags have been tested twice. 

Money is exchanged. 

Visas purchased. 

Everything on our checklist is done! 

Only 5 more days until school is out for summer, and we're on our way to Australia! 

Floyd Friends

Dinner with the Floyds was a great success! They shared their food, home and stories with us (mom and dad, too). I'm significantly more excited than I was prior to meeting with them. 

Ryan kept an ongoing list of the many recommendations that came from their story telling. The highlights being mostly food and attractions. Austin was generous to give us the contact information of a couple of their friends down under. Now, if the need arises with have either a driver or an emergency contact. Pretty cool!

Next move: make an actual itinerary, on a real calendar. 🤗 

34 Days!

We're getting closer! School's wrapping up; we're into testing seasons - which means Australia is just around the corner.

This afternoon we're having an early dinner with Austin in hopes to solidify an itinerary. This has been a long awaited gathering. We had to postpone the initial dinner because of a stomach bug, so the day has finally arrived!

Ryan and I have talked about a few "must-do" or "must-see" attractions, but I'm excited to hear a local's perspective. By the end of the day, we should have more than two activities on the agenda.

The excitement of meeting with Austin motivated me to attempt a trial pack. It was a good call. We want to travel with backpacks only, not that we plan to do much actual backpacking. It just seems the easiest way to travel. However, this is definitely not an art form perfected in a day. I'm saving Attempt #2 until Ryan arrives.

Now, to make cupcakes while I await his return!

Thank you, HomeAway!

Finding a place to stay has been challenging.

Initially, we wanted to stay at a hotel since we're most familiar with that process. The perks of hotels being room service, kitchen option, and having a relatively good idea of what to expect. However, after staying at a hotel for the first time in a while, I was reminded of all the downsides, too. Hotels are loud and busy. These aren't the worst, but I don't want to deal with kids running and screaming down the hallway at 10pm. So, we started exploring other options.

Fortunately, we were "introduced" to Austin! He's long been friends with my dad, and happened to live in Sydney for a few years. He recommended HomeAway to us, along with a few of his favorite locations to check out first. Grateful for the guidance, we began a more directed search.

HomeAway has an abundance of rental properties listed. Our limited hotel search expanded to endless great options. It was refreshing!

Because of the variety of suitable options, it took us nearly 2 weeks to find the perfect place. But, today we finally booked out HomeAway from home!

We'll be enjoying a view of  Sydney harbour from our top floor apartment in Fairlight. It's a 2 minute walk to the beach, and only 10 minutes to the center of Manly. The photos are beautiful, and the contact was incredibly helpful answering our questions. The peace and quiet of the area is unmistakable.

Of course, this place was Austin approved, and he was the first to celebrate with us. It feels significantly more real now that we have somewhere to sleep in Sydney.

Now that flights and lodging are booked, we can start planning our days!
Australia, we're getting closer.