Day 3 in Sydney

Rene left this morning to head home, Daren left early for work, and Katie and I "slept in" for the first morning. As usual, I woke up in the middle of the night and checked email for a bit, but then I went back to bed and Katie and I got a late breakfast and took our time getting ready. It was *pouring* down rain, so we decided to take an easy day and skip visiting The Rocks in favor of allowing our bodies some downtime. Shortly after 11 we headed to Coles once again to stock up on $.50 water and bananas that are $2 a pop. On our way back to the hostel, we stumbled upon the *best* souvenir shop. Most of the ones so far have been very trinkity and cheap, but this had some nice stuff at good prices. We're keeping this place in mind, because I can always come back when I return to Syndey instead of lugging things with me to Brissie and back.

Saturday and Sunday we passed a place called Sumo Salad, but it was closed. Yesterday we were so excited to see that it was open, because they have an amazing (sorry to drop the "A" word, dad...) variety of salads for very reasonable prices. For example, my salad with field greens, pumpkin, pinenuts, feta, walnuts, and maybe something else yummy I'm forgetting was less expensive than the iceburg salad I got at Subway the night before :-) If you ever come to Sydney, I *highly* recommend this place if you're in the mood for a very healthy and delicious salad.

After returning to the hostel, we dressed warmly for the Bridge Climb and hoped the rain would subside before we left. It didn't. So with 30 minutes to walk there and 15 or so to spare in case we got lost, we headed off...and got soaked quite quickly, even with our umbrellas. Sydneysiders have been *very* friendly thus far, but walking down George Street with umbrellas yesterday was brutal ;-) Nobody moves to make way for anyone, so Katie and I constantly had to move and dodge about to avoid inflicting serious injury on anyone with our umbrellas. A number of people huddled under the roofs of cafes and shops, either because they didn't have an umbrella or because they did but didn't care to step out in the wet weather.

For the first time since we've been here, we got lost. The map *clearly* showed where to go, but when we got down to The Rocks, I couldn't find how to get up on Cumberland Street from Argyle. I was afraid Katie and I would be late for our climb and miss it -- your ticket is good for one time only, and I did not want to waste that money and miss the experience!! After a few wrong turns and nobody to ask for help, I got really upset and Katie's encouragement saved me from crying -- I didn't want to let her down and not get us there in time! Finally we ran into a gentleman who pointed us in the right direction, and then when we got turned around again, a super friendly Bridge Climb employee leaving work got us there with no troubles.

After checking in and waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, we signed our waivers and took the mandatory breathalizer. Five other people were in our group -- 3 friends from Liverpool and a dating couple. We introduced ourselves and then got suited up in the *very* trendy climb suit ;-) Since it was very cold, windy, and still raining, they also gave us a pair of rain pants to go over the suit, as well as a fleece and rain jacket. In addition to that, we had utility belt with a radio, our hook with the, hmm, the thing that clips into the line we all clip into (real technical terminology, I know), a beanie, headsets, a light to wear around our neck or head, gloves, and a hankie. I think that covers it -- Katie, let me know if I forgot anything :-) Once we were suited up, our guide told us all the rules of climbing and we took a practice trip across a simulator. At this point, we hadn't put on our fleeces yet, which were in bags clipped onto our belts. One of the other girls asked what it was, and our guide said, "Oh it's your parachute." We all looked at one another. "You know, in case you fall off. You just unzip the pouch, pull out the chute, grab the two tabs, and hang on." He said they (guides) all had to practice jumping off and using it and that a coworker passing by had a near miss the week before. Only later did it hit us that they were really the bags for our fleeces, and I sadly admit it took me a while to catch on that he was just playing with us. That's one of my biggest "problems" here -- I can't always tell when someone is teasing, and if our leader is telling us about a piece of equipment, I believe him O:-)

We headed outside and towards the bridge, and after clipping in, we walked on a very narrow path underneath the traffic part of the bridge, and up many steps to get to the arches. So a good portion of the climb is actually climbing up to the arches, and I had read that this was the scariest part -- very true!! When we got to the arches, we walked about 20 steps at a time, then stopped to enjoy the views. It was after 5 by this point and completely dark, save for the moon peeking out every once in a while. The best part about the climb, other than the entire experience itself, was the view of the Opera House. From ground level at Circular Quay and from several feet of the House itself, it didn't look as big as I thought it would! Not that I wasn't in awe of its beauty, but I wasn't completely overwhelmed by its size -- until last night. It looked so beautiful lit up at night, and for the first time, it really resembled the icon I've come to love.

At this point, two of the climbers opted to return to base since they were feeling quite sick. The rest of us kept going and eventually got our group photos taken. You get one of the entire climbing group for free (it turned out very dark unfortunately) and Katie and I each bought one of the two of us. I'll definitely scan it when I get home and post it!

After reaching the top, we crossed over to the other arch and walked back down and back to change clothes. On the way, one of the Liverpool friends asked about a landmark that was brightly lit up. The guide said it was just a car park but that it was the brightest spot in Sydney (and you could tell, because we could see the entire city from up there) and that it was visible from space. I let out a *very* audible "Wow!!" Now, I know you can see the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, and other landmarks from space, but this thing? The Liverpool friends chuckled, and I realized that once again I'd been way too gullible. The guide laughed and said, "I always get someone with that one!"

A few other tidbits: Katie and I had a choice to do this during the day or at night (dawn and twilight are about double the price). We're *so* glad we chose to do it at night. Beautiful views of the city, and even watcing the heavy traffic cross the bridge directly underneath us was neat. Our guide said that yesterday morning was the first time he had ever led a tour when it rained the entire time. So while we were wet and cold, it was definitely a unique experience!

Since we had walked so much that day (to the bridge and then the bridge itself has around 1500 steps) and it was dark, we walked to a nearby hotel and got a taxi back to the hostel. We head the sweetest driver :-)

Daren returned shortly after we did, and the three of us had a *great* time last night, asking questions, swapping stories, and laughing til our sides hurt. At first I was disappointed that it would get dark early since it's winter, but I kind of like it now -- it gives us time to relax in the evening at the hostel after a day of seeing a different part of the city, and we really feel like we're getting a small taste of "living" here and traveling, not simply being a tourist. There are so many little things we're learning and are going to miss. We're so used to the sounds of the signs at the crosswalks now, that if we're not paying attention, we almost step off of our sidewalk and into the road, but the "walk now" sound is actually for the crosswalk heading the other direction O:-)

Okay, that's probably my longest post yet! Time to post this and then I still have today to blog about!

Cheers!