Sunday in Sydney

Today we woke up to RAIN. So we rethought our plans for the day (ferry to Manly Beach--the surfing beach in Sydney) and decided to go to the Sydney Opera House for their one-hour guided tour instead. We walked over to it in the RAIN, and found out that the tours were not going to be given today because today is Sydney Opera House's Open Day, and it's FREE! Open Day is the opportunity for the people of Sydney to see the backstage areas, the theaters, and enjoy some great live performances. A giant Open House for everyone in Sydney. We arrived about 9:15 or so and were directed to find "the line" that was forming outside the Opera House. By the time we wound our way through the people barricades zigzagging back and forth we were in a line that had about 75 people ahead of us. At this point we waited until 10 am when they opened the doors and we could take a self-guided tour through the opera theatre, the concert halls, the orchestra assembly room, the green room (where the stars wait before their performance), the opera theatre dressing rooms, the main rehearsal room, the drama theatres, etc. We wandered around for over an hour enjoying the sites and some guest performers and learning a little about each of the different areas. As we left, the line for admission stretched well around the harbor area. There must have been thousands of people in line....in the RAIN!

On stage in the Concert Hall.  That's the organ in the background

This free day in the Opera House saved us $70 AUD. We like that! Now that we're off the ship, we're paying out $$ for every meal, and things aren't cheap here downunder.
By afternoon, the rain stopped and Terry went for another run across the Harbor Bridge. I plugged the computer in for charging and blew the fuse in the hotel room. I think my Belkin surge protector is now fried. Plugging the computer directly into the electrical adapter (Australia has slanted holes for the electrical prongs) and then into the outlet works just fine. Whew!

Time for the Harbor Bridge Climb. We had tickets for the Sunset Tour of the Bridge and were to meet at 5:15 pm. Just as we were about to go up to the meeting area, in walk our England friends from the ship, Phil and Pauline! We knew they were staying in Sydney for a few days but didn't expect to see them since they were to stay with a niece in the Manly Beach area. They were in Sydney to go the the Opera House today and then wanted to stop by the Bridge Climb office to buy tickets for another day. (They didn't think climbing the bridge in the rain was going to be much fun!) Oh, yes, it had started to rain again. We met up with our bridge climb group and started the process of getting ready for the climb. First they give you a breathalizer test to be sure you have no alcohol in your system. Then you sign a health condition statement and waiver and are given a jumpsuit to put on over your clothes. We then go to a changing room where we can lock up everything. Nothing can be taken up on the climb--no watches, no earrings or hair clips, and of course, no cameras. We are given rain gear to put on over the waist harness that attaches to the bridge railings and also headphones so we can hear the instructions and dialog from our bridge climb guide. This all takes just about an hour to get dressed and go through a sample of the steps we will be climbing.

Once the guide has us all checked out, the climb can begin. It was raining but visibility in the harbor was still good. About halfway up the rain slowed up to just a mist. At the top the guide took several pictures of the group and then we had several shots of individuals/couples. We were in a group of 10. At the top the rain had stopped and the skies were starting to break up in the west and we did see a nice sunset. By the time we worked our way down, we were enjoying the lights of the city.
Then we had to take off everything that we had put on. Every item is clipped to you in some fashion and we had to take things off in an organized manner and drop them in chutes. What a process that is very efficient. They have to be. During the summer 'high season' they can take 2,000 people a day up the bridge. It was a most fun experience and the wet weather didn't hinder us at all...just didn't make for very good photos as we all had wet hair/raingear/etc. We were given a certificate and a print of the group photo at the end. We didn't opt to buy the individual photos as they were too scarey looking to dish out another $20 per photo. LOL

In spite of the rainy weather, it was a very good day!