scenes from a harbour cruise in Sydney

Opera House under the Sydney Harbour Bridge (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Today, I officially fell in love with Sydney, a photogenic city like few others on earth. My day began by climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It's an easy climb, though a bit windy up there. Operated by a private company, BridgeClimb Sydney, it's a very fun (though somewhat pricey) way to spend a few hours. You'll need to purchase tickets in advance, as all groups climb under the supervision of a guide. It was a pleasant experience — I felt no fear whatsoever — and the safety precautions are significant. You take no objects onto the bridge, including cameras and even wristwatches, and you're strapped onto a tether that ensures your safety.

But the best views came afterwards when our group enjoyed a private four hour lunch cruise of the harbour. We headed back towards the bridge around 3:30 p.m. when the sun was getting low in the sky to the west. Passing under the bridge afforded the view seen above.

Sydney Opera House at sunset (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Sunset brought the most memorable moment of all. I had finished my site inspection of the Park Hyatt Sydney (in a word, WOW!) and was walking back to the Four Seasons Sydney and captured the image above with the pink glow of the sunset.

Not a bad day when I can remember moments like those in the two photographs I took!

copyright  (c)  2016 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.