Spectacular Sydney Sights and Heights

We arrived at 8:30am on Delta from LAX and breezed through customs and baggage. Dropped off luggage at the hotel and headed out. Off to the Sydney Opera House, where we had lunch at the Opera Canteen after a stroll through the adjacent Royal Botanic Gardens.

I had booked a tour at the Sydney Opera House and also a show in The Studio, one of the many performance venues. Amazing experiences at such an iconic structure. Dinner at Endeavour Tap Room located in The Rocks, the oldest neighborhood in Sydney and just blocks from where we were staying.

Up early for coffee and an amazing lemon tart at The Baker's Oven Cafe before we walked a few blocks to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. BridgeClimb Sydney is a minimum three-hour experience (there are multiple options to choose from,) with safety as the priority. You will be given a jumpsuit to change into (in warmer weather you will just want you under garments on, it can get warm in the suit. Then harness training and a practice run. Then you get out onto the bridge. Truly an amazing experience and not nearly as scary as we thought. Scary comes later after the cruise when we travel to Auckland.

We also purchased the add-on to visit the Pylon Museum. This is where we realized we aren't in as good of shape as we thought. There are lot of stairs, but we did it! And we were reward with some amazing views of the bridge and the city.

What do you do after you climb a bridge? You aim higher by visiting the second tallest observation in the Southern hemisphere, Sydney Tower. It is located in the Westfield Sydney shopping center. The shopping center has multiple bars and restaurants. We walked up from The Rocks, 20 minute walk, so a refreshing beverage was needed and we made a stop at Babylon Rooftop Garden & Bar.

Then a trip up to Bar 83 in Sydney Tower for some amazing views. The lounge has a cool retro 70's vibe with floor to ceiling windows. There may be a wait if you don't have reservations. We did not dine, but there is a revolving restaurant, Infinity, on the 81st level.

It's cruise embarkation day and one last stop at The Baker's Oven Cafe. Returned back to the hotel, finished packing and headed to cruise terminal upon checkout at 11:00am (three blocks away.) Embarkation was a breeze. Onwards to an amazing journey to Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart.