Sydney, November 18: Back to the Beginning at the End

The end of the trip was in sight as we returned to Sydney. Only six more pages of notes in my book.

Andrew dropped us off at the Brisbane Airport at 7 am for a 9 am flight. Due to their construction, this is the first time we needed almost every minute of that time. Every other time, we sailed through security and had time at the gate to pull out my laptop and blog.

We checked in to our ninth and final place to sleep. Fortunately we could check in early so we changed into shorts. 

Don's goal for the day was to climb the Harbour Bridge's pylon. I think of this as the poor man's version of the Bridgeclimb. For us, it was the one we were willing to do. Everyone who does the Bridgeclimb swears it is the most amazing experience ever -- even those who do it in the rain. I think they put something in their Kool Aid. We saw people doing it. It did not look like our definition of fun. For about a tenth of the price, we got similar views, were not strapped into a harness, and could bring our own camera.

The Pylon also includes a museum.

I once saw a comparison of the two experiences. If I can find it again, I will link to it here.

This still had over 200 steps. I was surprised it did not have an elevator. There were good views all around. We chose a time when the weather was sunny and clear -- an option not available for the Bridgeclimb because that often has to be booked in advance. 

We then walked across the bridge for the third time on this trip (the first was a round trip at the beginning) and caught a bus to Spit. Yes, Spit. A couple of weeks earlier we talked to a man who recommended the Spit to Manly hike since we enjoyed walking from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. This was before Don hurt his leg, of course.

Because mass transit is no reliable, even in a big city like Sydney, it took a while to catch a bus. Once we found the start of the hike, we had a great time. Unwilling to be on the uneven path in the dark, we walked the first half of the hike. We passed some beaches. Saw the cutest young couple. When the path got wider we paused to let them dash ahead of us, but they didn't. When they eventually caught up, I made a comment and the guy said "we stopped to kiss." The way he said it, and the stars in her eyes as he did, was utterly charming. They dashed past us barefoot wearing the tiniest of bathing suits. We were stumbling wearing our hiking shoes, shorts, and tee shirts. 

Ah...young love.

Don did great, but between the late start and the delay in getting a bus, when we reached the halfway point and couldn't find the continuation of the path we took it as a sign to stop. We asked for directions to the bus stop (for some reason, Google Maps wanted us to take the trail and we were lost). 

By some miracle, we quickly caught a bus to the ferry terminal and the poor man's sunset cruise back to Circular Quay. It amazes how far you can go using Sydney's mass transit. I suppose it is the same could be said about New York City.

We ate at the Australian Hotel -- an historic bar Don eyed up on our first day in Sydney. They have a lovely rooftop bar accessible by an ancient staircase. After a long day of hiking and walking, that was not an option.