I am not a fan of big metropolitan cities. Never was. Skyscrapers. Restaurants. Malls. At the end of the day, a city is, well, just a city. And, Sydney is just that – another city.

My grandmother and I spent the past few days cuddling koalas, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, and exploring the Australian Outback [see posts: Koalas and Reefs: Cairns and The Outback: Majestic Uluru]. But, we could not leave Australia without visiting one of the most recognized structures in the world.

We arrived at Sydney Airport in the early evening on Wednesday, August 23, 2017. I booked a three night stay at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney located in Circular Quay, just steps away from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a short walk to the iconic Sydney Opera House. The center of it all.

Two full days in Sydney is more than enough time to see the city from many different angles. We did not waste any time. After dropping off our backpacks at the hotel, we headed straight for the Sydney Tower where we had dinner reservations at the 360 Bar and Dining restaurant.

As you may have guessed from the name, this revolving restaurant offers spectacular 360-degree views of Sydney. But, be prepared to pay [a lot] for this experience. (I was definitely not prepared). On a more positive note, you do not have to pay for access to the viewing platform on top of the tower since you get the same views from the restaurant.

Day 1
“Must do” attractions – 1. Visit the Sydney Opera House and 2. Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

You cannot leave Sydney without visiting the city’s architectural masterpiece. Overlooking the Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House is one of the 20th century’s most famous and distinctive buildings. We began our morning by walking around the grounds of the Sydney Opera House. It immediately reminded me of the Oslo Opera House – On the water. Massive. Unique. White.

We had an hour to kill before our next activity. A few pictures later, we walked continued our walk along the waterfront and entered the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. I was pleasantly surprised. The garden serves as an excellent escape from city life. I can see why it is such a popular attraction.

I had booked a seafood buffet lunch with Captain Cook Cruises that departed from the Sydney Harbour for later that morning. I figured a harbour cruise would allow us to see Sydney from yet another angle.

With food in the mix, we killed two birds with one stone – sightseeing and lunch. I did not expect much in terms of food. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. The buffet featured Sydney rock oysters, mussels, crab, ocean prawns, fish, plus non-seafood and vegetarian dishes, and desserts.

You best believe that I overindulged. Leaving the vessel, I could barely breathe. This was a problem since I was about to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

I read mixed reviews about this activity – some absolutely loved it, while others thought it was a waste of money. In my opinion, you cannot travel to Sydney without doing the BridgeClimb (if capable) – it was one of the best “thrill-seeking” activities that I have done in my life to date. Most of the negative reviews did have a valid point. Just like everything else in Australia, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge is expensive. I paid approximately $344 AUD (the equivalent of about $275 USD) for the Twilight Bridge Climb. Skydiving in the United States, bungee jumping in Canada, or hang-gliding in Brazil did not even cost that much. Nevertheless, the experience really was worth being robbed. Figuratively speaking, of course.

I chose the Twilight BridgeClimb over the other options because it offered the best of both the day and night climbs. After the safety briefing, my group and I clipped into a safety wire, and followed the guide out of the tunnel that connects the tour company’s building with the bridge itself. Those first few steps were nerve-wracking. Looking down at the ground below me, I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins. With each step, my knees trembled and my hands squeezed the railing harder and harder. The tour departed just before sundown. Approaching the outer archways, we started the climb in daylight. The panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House from the bridge were spectacular.

As we approached the top of the bridge at approximately 134 meters (or about 440 feet), daylight was quickly fading into darkness.

Just as quickly as the sun set, the city lit up from every direction. What an unforgettable experience!

Day 2
With only two full days in Sydney, I had to be selective with the activities that filled our itinerary. Originally, I allocated a day for a trip to the Blue Mountains. However, after conversing with Australian natives while in Bolivia, I decided to cut this idea out of our itinerary and replace it with a trip to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. While looking for discounted entrance tickets, I came across the “Wild Australia Experience” on Viator. The experience promised an insider’s view of Taronga Zoo with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to animals and other amazing experiences that one cannot get with regular admission. The thought of being a “zookeeper” for the day caught my interest.

After making our way across the Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay by ferry, we arrived at the Taronga Wharf.

The Sky Safari gondola was still closed, so we took the complimentary shuttle bus up to the main entrance of the zoo.

The two-hour experience was nothing like I expected. And, I do not mean this in a good way. The tour began with a walk through the kangaroo, wallaby, and koala enclosures. Although we were able to feed some of the kangaroos and wallabies, we were not able to get close to the koalas. Note: Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia are the only states where you can cuddle a koala in Australia.

The tour continued to a restricted area at the Australian Nightlife exhibit to observe nocturnal creatures that are difficult to spot in the wild.

After, we stopped at a zoo kitchen and learned how the staff prepares meals for the various diets.

We had the rest of the day to explore Taronga Zoo at our leisure before returning to the other side of the harbour later that afternoon and leaving for New Zealand the next morning. [see post: The South Island: Arthur’s Pass from Christchurch]