Sydney Bridge Climb & the Jewish Museum

Our second day in Sydney was a busy one. In the late morning we walked to the Sydney Jewish museum for a tour. The first floor of the museum is dedicated to Jewish history and information about the Sydney and broader Australian Jewish communities, which was very interesting to learn. The other three floors are primarily dedicated to the Holocaust. We learned that many people came to Australia after the war because it was the furthest they could get from Europe. We were very moved by the exhibits in the museum and spent hours there learning as much as we could and taking it all in. I'm very happy we visited the museum and won't ever forget it. We even picked out something to remember our visit. Where else can you find a little kangaroo wearing a yarmulke? :-)

After our visit to the museum we walked over to the Sydney Harbour Bridge for a very unique experience. We signed up to actually climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was very exciting!! The entire climb experience is about three and a half hours. However, one hour of this time is used for preparation. You meet with your climbing group in the "Sydney Bridge Climb" building and put on a TON of equipment. We wore special suits, gloves, radios to listen to the leader's instructions, and a harness that kept us connected to the bridge at all times. We had bags hanging off our belts with emergency supplies such as raincoats. There was even a ladder climbing simulation in the building before we got on the bridge. They truly covered everything to make sure we were safe.

Once we were suited up and practiced all the necessary Bridge climbing skills we were off to the Bridge!

The beginning of the climb had us walking along a beam on the side of the bridge and climbing a set of ladders to get toward the center of the bridge where the arches are located. This was really the only scary part. The bridge is made of steel but these beams were wood and I guess I was nervous they would snap in two or something. Once we climbed the stairs and reached the bridge arches, I started feeling relaxed and had an amazing time. I loved climbing the arches and checking out the view as we climbed higher and higher. The view was incredible - of the Opera House, the Harbour, and pretty much all of Sydney.

This is a picture we took later from our cruise ship. You can see climbers at all hours of the day on the arches of the bridge. We kept pointing to them and saying "that was us!"

Once we reached the summit we had time to take in the view and just enjoy the experience of being at the top of Sydney Harbour. Look at us reach the top!