Sydney

Sydney is an amazing city. We have seen pretty much all that you can in three days - our feet hurt and legs ache from all the walking, although we have walked more than we should have mainly due to the amount of times we keep getting lost. Sydney seems a very difficult city to navigate, on the first day we were trying to head to Darling Harbour which was on the left hand side of the map - we walked off the page in every other direction! We did walk through the Botanical Gardens from which you get awesome view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It was a beautiful warm sunny Sunday morning so the walk was perfect. It felt strange that the weather was warm and of a similar temp to that of home yet it is their winter and all the trees have lost their leaves and people are walking around in black wool winter coats.

On Monday we visited the Aquarium at Darling Harbour (we didn't get lost this time!) which was good. There are so many ugly fish in the world's oceans.The highlight was seeing sharks and being able to walk through a tunnel under the big tank where the several species swam effortlessly above. Sometimes it looked as though they would come through the glass. There was also a big sting ray - about 6ft wide which glided through the water - we got to see it's smiling face when it landed on the top of the glass; they look so funny from underneath.
After the calming experience of the aquarium, we headed across town to the Sydney Harbour Bridge for our climb. We were both a little nervous and were concerned about the level of fitness needed to climb 130m above sea level. We had to get changed into suits which looked like a babygrow - not flattering! and then over the top we had to wear wet weather trousers - extremely unflattering! We were then 'loaded' up with gear for our climb. You are not allowed to take anything up the bridge so anything you need is provided and has to be clipped to your suit, this included: a hanky, fleece, waterproof jacket, walki talkie, headphones, head lamps, beanie hat, hair scrunchie and chords to hang your glasses / sunglasses. We also had a ball type devise that connected to the wires to stop us falling. I felt like a donkey. We had a safety chat and a test run of ladders and then we were off. I got put at the front (I think my nervousness showed) which wasn't such a bad thing as we got to rest more whilst waiting for the others to catch up. We had to climb ladders which went between the road and railway which took us above the road where we then started the climb over the arch of the bridge. The views were amazing - the whole of Sydney lay before us. I was brave and looked down when we crossed the mesh bridges over the road - the cars got smaller and smaller. As we got to the summit, the sum was starting to set and the sky was coming alive, candyfloss clouds edged the horizon. The couple at the back had an announcement - Chris had proposed! he had carried a ring on an ERD - Engagement Ring Device which was strapped to his wrist, all very romantic.

As we began our descent down the bridge the city was coming alive in the twlight; lights on skyscrapers across the city flicked on like a pulse showing how active the city was. The highway behind us was awash with head and brake lights creating a stream of light in and out of the heart of Sydney. As the sky got darker, we put our headlamps on and headed down the bridge in silence; all in a line and all in unison like a millipeed. Our climb was rewarded with a beer and pizza (I had Emu pizza) in the Australian Hotel in The Rocks which is the old part of Sydney.

On Tuesday, we left Sydney's city centre and headed out to Bondi Beach to see the surf. The sun was in and out and there was a chill in the air. Bondi wasn't as I had imagined - I expected more, an expansive beach with funky shops and eateries, but it the beach was quite small and there weren't many shops - it wasn't too different to a uk seaside town. We sat on the beach, the sand reminded me of cake mixture - very yellow, and absorbed the sun and the fresh air. We paddled for a while, Emma thought the sea was freezing- I said it was far warmer than the sea at home, if the sun had been out for longer spurts I would have been in!

For our last evening in Sydney we went for drinks and dinner at The Ivy (don't think it is the same as the London Ivy!) which oozed pretentiousness; lots of business people in suits. Following a few glasses of very nice red wine, we headd out to a bar called Establishment where everyone was salsa dancing. We sat like judges commenting on the different couples - who were 'spinning' the best, who looked like they were enjoying it and who had the best moves - our vote went to the girl in the red top and the little italian looking man in the white shirt. We were tempted to show our moves and secretly hoped that we might be mistaken as part of the dancing crowd and asked to dance.