We sailed into Sydney in the darkness of the wee hours of the morning two days ago, so I doubt if many people were out on the decks admiring the harbor. However, we left Sydney shortly after 6:00 p.m. last night (sunset around 8:10 p.m.), and the decks were filled with passengers and crew, cameras in hand. Sydney has the largest and deepest natural harbor in the world, and it’s also one of the most beautiful. Because our ship is small, it fits under the Harbour Bridge, so we docked closer to the city and sailed out under the bridge and past the Sydney Opera House. Leaving the city (or entering it) is a scenic trip in itself. I’m not surprised there are so many harbour cruises available from the city docks.

If you look carefully at the pictures below, you can see people standing on the upper levels of the bridge towers and on the bridge girders. They are doing the Bridge Climb. It costs $174 AUD to climb the bridge. If you do it, you get a blue baseball cap that says “Sydney Bridge Climb” in discreet small letters on the back. The topmost part of the bridge is 440 feet above the water. I’m not sure how high you have to climb to get the cap. Did I say that the harbor winds (the harbor is a wind tunnel) were blowing at 50+ mph as we sailed beneath the bridge? Note that the wind is holding the flag straight out. Another thing to mention: no backpacks, purses, cameras, or cell phones are allowed on the Bridge Climb. You can’t even take a picture from the top!

We have some beautiful pictures of the Sydney Opera House from the harbor side and some views of the city skyline. You can see the reflection of the red wildfire sunset on the water.

Yes, we were here too. We were at the stern of the ship, so this area had some protection from the wind. Walking forward into the wind along the side of the ship was a challenge.

It’s easy to see where the edge of the wildfire smoke is.

Ted and I both liked Sydney and we’re glad we’ll be back here in two weeks.