Australia

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This was one of THE days on our trip. Today was the day we were going to see The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Our backstage tour of the opera house began at 7 am, before it got busy with all the staff. This is a complete must. We got to go in all of the theaters, The Green Room, stand on the Concert Hall stage , and we even got to stand on the conductor’s platform while holding the baton. We were also let in on some industry secrets. Sitting in the seats of where the orchestra sits and having their view was unreal. Our tour ended with a custom made breakfast that hit the spot right on the mark. Australian summers hold the opera and winter is the season of the ballet. We were there the day of the ballet opening. After convincing Eric to spend an evening at the ballet, the only day they would be able to attend, was Friday, but the opera house was closed because of Good Friday. Eric was totally bummed out..;-)

After our tour, we walked through the botantical gardens and enjoyed the Australian air. We then walked to the harbor and got on the Manly Beach Ferry. We decided to take a ferry to see the beautiful skyline from a different view. The ferry took us to Manly Beach, where we walked around, refilled our water bottles, and hit the beach for a bit before we had to leave to begin our Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.

Our bridge climb was a 3.5 hr adventure that included a breathalyzer, safety instructions, getting our gear and equipment, and doing a quick simulation. Cameras, bobbypins, bracelets, and rings were amongst the many things that were not allowed on our trip to the harbor.

Our climb took us to the top of the bridge. To get there, we walked along the outer arch of the Bridge on catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit. At the summit we had a 360 degree view of the city during sunset. We decided to climb the bridge at twilight, partially because it’s one of Eric’s favorite books, jk. On the way up we wore sunglasses and on the way down, we had headlights on to guide us down the catwalks and ladders. We enjoyed ourselves very much and our tour guide was both informative and funny. He gave us plenty of information and even some celebrity gossip on those who have climbed the bridge (including Oprah) via the walkie talkie and headset we wore.

Sydney is known for their NYE fireworks and although we weren’t there for them, on our way home, we got to see fireworks shoot into the Sydney sky. Small detail, but something we were so surprised and excited to see.

We were so in love with the Sydney view at night that it was a must to eat outside and admire the view. We headed to a seafood restaurant and enjoyed some fine Australian wine and beet, and of course eachother’s company. There are some days that we feel exceptionally lucky to be together and our relationship strengthens as some of the dreams who have dreamt together for so long, come true; this was definitley one of those days.

Australian Word of the Day: don’t ask for the bar, be sure to ask for the pub

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