Day 7: (Circular) Quay Day!
Friends,
We were up bright and early and at the gym by 8:00am. James, our Sydney host, directed us to the nearest Anytime Fitness. Tony was relieved to be able to squat, squat, squat the morning away. I took advantage of the fully equip, non-hotel gym to also squat, then Romanian deadlift, then weighted hip thrust, and then pull through, with all the accompaniments of a full body workout.
This information will be important later on.
Here’s a pic of Tony and I after our workout:
Then we went looking for brekkie. I think we’ve been spoiled by the warrior-worthy brekkies, because the standard brekkie at all the local bakeries and cafes seemed like brekkie appetizers. So we had a few eggs, went back to the hotel to get ready, and then off to the Sydney Harbor Bridge!
We did the Bridge Climb. A 3-hour endeavor, this tourist to-do was serious biz-nass!
It was pricey, but worth it. The biz-nass began with signing a serious waiver – not the first time I’ve done that (sky diving, trapeezing, ect), it’s essentially a written promise that you won’t sue anyone if you die.
Here, you can see:
Then you change out of your clothes and into this impossibly unflattering onesie, with elastic ankles and wrists. Then you get straps for sunglasses (“sunnies”), a handkerchief (“hanky”), a hat, and a key so that you can put all of your possessions in a locker. Then you get headphones with a radio so you can hear your guide.
Our guide was Darren, and he was fabulous!
I wish I had lots of pictures to show you, because the Bridge Climb was amazing. It took an hour to suit up and get out, but then we were out for almost two hours. We were clipped in to the bridge with a carabineer type deal, and up, up, up we went! We stopped here and there to hear about the bridge, it’s history, and the city.
Here we are at the top!
Remember my workout from this morning? Well, after walking and climbing up the stairs and ladders, we then walked all the way down the stairs and ladders. Plus we started before lunch and ended right around 2:30pm! So I was shaky and hungry, but so pumped!
Tony and I walked around the Quay from the base of the bridge to the Opera House, taking some photos along the way:
I was feeling a little bit funny, but I assumed it was because of all the sun and climbing. At the Opera Kitchen, I ordered a seafood mixed platter with salmon a few different ways and tuna. As soon as it was put down in front of me, and after I took a picture:
A very aggressive seagull jumped up and grabbed some salmon!
The restaurant brought me out a new lunch, and we spent the rest of lunch shoo-ing away seagulls. After lunch I felt even weirder, but we continued on, exploring the opera house and walking through the royal botanical gardens.
When we got back to the room it felt like I had been hit by a bus! Tony was tired too, but I was feeling something more than that… I was chilly and had Goosebumps, even though it was warm. My tummy hurt and I felt super tired. So I’m going to bed around 8:30, and hoping I’m feeling back up to snuff tomorrow!
Love, Lisa and Tony
