Morning Walk: On Friday I awoke early and, while Peep was still asleep in bed, I headed out for a short walk around the city. I quickly came upon Hyde Park. I took a moment to gaze upon the Anzac War Memorial located within the park and even snapped a picture of the beautiful Anzac War Memorial Fountain, also located within Hyde Park. I continued my walk and happened upon St. Mary's Cathedral, just across the street from Hyde Park. St. Mary's is an English-style gothic cathedral constructed from local yellow sandstone. I then headed back to meet up with Peep.
Governor's House: We then set out together on a hike through a couple of the city parks before ending up at the Governor's House for a free tour. Until recently, the Governor's House was used as the main residence for the Governor of New South Wales. Now, it is used for government functions and is open for tours. Our tour guide told us the history of the office of the governor and how the governor house came to be. We saw all the main rooms downstairs except the main ballroom, which was closed for a function.
The Bridge Climb: We then made our way over the to The Bridge Climb offices. I signed up for a bridge climb and, after passing the breathalizer test, I was given the bridge climb suit and all the necessary equipment for the climb. My group was instructed on the use of the safety strap and made a practice climb on a mock-up version of the catwalk inside. Even special hats and hair scrunchies that attach to rings on the suit are used, in an effort to ensure nothing falls into traffic on the bridge.
I was fortunate that there were only four climbers in my group, giving the guide more time to talk since he had less pictures to take. We walked up one side of the bridge, over the lanes of traffic, and then back down the other side. The climb took about two hours, with another hour inside.
Peep waited inside and met us when we came out before our climb, when the guide arranged a free ticket for her to climb one of the pylons to take pictures and enjoy the views of the bay.
Sydney Aquarium: After the climb, we made our way to Darling Harbor and grabbed lunch before going to the Sydney Aquarium. There we saw a large variety of sea life, including a platypus and penguins, in the many tanks and pens they had. We marveled at the variety of creatures from their underwater viewing tunnels.
Upon exiting from the aquarium, we headed to the Maritime Museum, which was closed. We also missed the last aboriginal show. So, we stopped for dinner and saw another movie, "Perfect Stranger", at the cinema before calling it a night.