Lust for Life (and Adventure): Climbing Bridges Down Under

I'm home and finally caught up on both work and sleep. The last week in Sydney was packed! Tuesday night we had dinner with the entire Australian Finance and HR teams which ended up being a late night of eating and drinking. We went to a place called China Doll, a modern Asian food restaurant on a beautiful pier where Russell Crowe lives. It was really good and the wine was free flowing. Every time they came around, they'd ask Tara if she wanted more, but would just pour my glass full. They decided I had that look, apparently. And apparently I didn't mind.

Wednesday night was a big night for our team. After much debating and deliberation, all three of us decided to do the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. I was on the fence because of the cost, Tara because of the height, and Mary (my boss) had already done it on a previous trip. But once Mary decided she would do it again, I was fully on board. Tara took a bit of coaxing, but finally agreed. It was so worth it! You spend about an hour getting prepped and taught how to climb the ladders, and then you're off onto the bridge, walking out over the water with amazing views of the entire city. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to bring your own camera, but they take a lot of pictures for you. We did the twilight climb, so had amazing views of the sunset along the way. They also tell you some fun stories about the building of the bridge and the founding of the city, and how the bridge really prevented the city from collapsing completely during the Great Depression. It was so much fun and so beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Sydney.

Thursday night we had our Internal Audit team dinner at Waterfront in the Rocks, overlooking the Opera House. It was so beautiful, and such a nice way to end our trip. After dinner, I rushed over to Oxford St to meet up with Aarron one last time, and even see her brother who had just got in to town that day! We stayed until close at Casoni's, drinking and saying our last goodbyes. It was so much fun hanging out with her. Friday morning I finished the last of my packing and headed to the airport to come home. I would have loved to stay longer, but I missed my puppies and it was time to come home. I'm definitely hoping to go back! There's so much more to see and do!