Reismee English.

The last part of our holiday, with the four of us.

After spending New Year’s Eve together under the bridge we did a lot more. So here is a short story till the sixth of January.

The first of January, we took a relaxed day for our self’s with a bit of shopping and relaxing. Rowie wanted to eat a T-bone so we all ate one of about 300 till 400 grams with some veggies and salad à la Ben sr. and a bit of pudding afterwards, just like at home.

2 of January, up early to drive to Narwee again where we jumped on the train to Sydney centre. Enjoyed our iced/coffee there and walked to the pylon of the bridge to report us to climb the bridge today. Even dough two of us have a little trouble with a fear of heights seemed this is good to do this icon and to start our new year completely different for ones.

We got there much earlier than our scheduled time so we ate something before we got collected as group to the inside of the bridge. We got instructed and had to strip except for our underwear to put on something like a pilot overalls. They told us about how the walk goes and how we get secured to the bridge for our safety.

Changing clothes went like a jiffy, putting on the safety belts goes bit by bit and they checked every stage of it. Then they hooked you up and you can’t disconnect without help of the tour guides.

The first part you walk over very narrow planks high above the roads who go underneath the bridge along the Harbour till you reached the small and narrow ladders which take you up to the bows. By doing this part you past the concrete pylons which are covered by sandstone blocks and if you look down you can see the traffic passing by beneath you, this is the hard part for the ones with the fear of height.

When we get to the bows it becomes easier because you can’t look down anymore only to the left and the right at the nice science view. Our trip starts at the right side of the bridge, at the side of the Opera house and we walk/climb all the way to the top where the centre is and take the cross member to the left to walk back again. Along the climb there are stops to collect everyone again and to take pictures from, single, pairs and as a group. On the cross member is a short stop to make a video with you message to world. We made our new year’s wish here. Besides that they let us in on how the bridge was build and how they had to work at night when the two parts meet up after years of building and there was a height different of 8 inches. They solved that by unleashing the tension on one side and building up the tension at the other side and joined the bridge together before the sun started to heat up the metal again. Another story is that the builders had to throw the hot rivets at each other to place in the metal parts to join them and of course not all got cached so they estimated that there must be about six million rivets at the bottom of the Harbour.

The way back is easy and after about two and a half hours we are back in the pylon, through the insides we walk back to the dressing rooms, the hats we can keep the rest goes into bags. Via the photo area, where we can pick up our pre booked photos and additional posters, we end up in the souvenirs shop where we bought a lot of stuff to commemorate this accelerated experience.

After a drink back to town to eat and make some more photos from the harbor, the bridge, the opera house and more. Just before diner we meet up with a Expo off Aboriginal art and decided to buy two big painting, cause buying two gives discount and we are still Dutch and the Dutch love discount.

In the dusk we leave Sydney with a good feeling.

3th of January, a very exciting day for the young ones. We drive from Camden to Picton because our two heroes are doing a skydive today. During the drive you see the tension growing on their faces as we get closer to the destination. We are way to early there but they get booked in straight away an before we know it they are dressed up and get a personal trainer who they get hooked up on during the dive. They get the instructions and before we know it they are on the way to the plane to take of. We have to run to make some photos of the boarding and take of. After a while the speaker announces that they are floating in the air and we some small dots in the air. It is magnificent to see them float and fall down out of the air as they come closer. When they finally landed they yell out and run with big smiles on their face towards each other and jump again, now in their arm.

After tis the long wait begins for the photos and videos the crew made of them and slowly the tension edges away and they become tired. As soon as we started to drive away they fall asleep like a couple of small kids, with a special experience and feeling richer in their lives.

4^th of January, the ending of their holiday is getting pretty close. So up we go to Narwee again, in the rain this time, for our last visit to Sydney. Thanks to our Bridgeclimb we got freebees for the pylon walk and the expo there. From the top of the pylon we have a 360 degree look around Sydney and take a lot of photos. The weather started rainy but it clears during the day so it becomes a nice afternoon in town, around the harbor, opera house and we also bumped into the guys from the paintings again. So the kids buy some more souvenirs.

After diner we decided to head back to Narwee to pick up the car but when we get there it won’t start. I left the lights on and the battery is completely flat. With help from someone in the neighborhood we get it going again and drive back to Camden where the young couple has a cabin to get prepared for the trip back tomorrow.

After we reached the camping the car starts without a problem.

5^th of January, when I woke up at 6 30 and try to start the car, no dice. So I connect the charger and try again at 8.30, still flat. The owner of the camping called someone and at 10 o’clock the small matter is solved. Just imagine, on the day they have to leave you have no transport.

During the morning we drive to the airport without any problems but we did get some when we checked in. the tubes were we put the paintings in, where not accepted as hand luggage. Sending it with freight became to expensive, sending it by post became impossible (the post office tubes where to long???). We ended up by paying extra so it went with them as airfreight and they could pick it up when they checked out at Amsterdam.

All in all, a very busy, lovely, nice, exciting and good holiday period together with the four of us of which we enjoyed every minute of the day and night.

And I, Ben sr., am very happy and proud to have had a change show a small part of this lovely country and my relations here to one of my boys and let him experience the relaxed lifestyle. Thanks to all who made this possible for them and us.

Ps. Aunty Toos, In Holland, thanks for buying us extra photo space on reismee, very kind.