Canberra

While Heidi has been in town we have been trying to make the most out of our weekends. A couple of weeks ago we headed to Canberra to check out the the Nation's Capital City. We were meant to stay with some family friends, but unfortunately most of their family came down with the flu shortly before our arrival. Nonetheless, we were able to meet up with Brian (the dad) who took us on a bit of a tour around the city and joined us for a very enjoyable Vietnamese dining experience on Friday evening - there's nothing like vegetarian chicken, fish, and beef!

Saturday we started the day early with a beautiful 11-mile run around Lake Burley-Griffin then, after failed attempts at finding a proper vegan breakfast, we hit the supermarket for bagels, peanut butter and bananas, and enjoyed a lovely breakfast on Mt Ainslie overlooking the city. We spent the day in the sun walking around the city and checking out the Australian War Memorial, the Old Parliament House, Parliament House, and the National Gallery of Australia. We made it to the top of Black Mountain for sunset and then met up with Brian and (a somewhat recovered) Helen for a Thai dinner.

Sunday we took advantage of the morning sun to visit Floriade, which is a flower festival in the center of Canberra. Each year they have a theme for the flower beds, and this year the theme was 'Films That Shaped Our Nation' - our favorite was Crocodile Dundee! By the time the sky opened and the rains came, fortunately we were ready for a hot drink and a dry seat in the cafe. Then we learned about the history of Canberra at the National Capital Exhibition and took a tour of the Australian Institute of Sport where we got to see the training grounds for development of many of Australia's elite athletes.

The day wasn't long enough as we were only able to take a quick peek at Canberra Glassworks before heading to the airport. If we ever make it back to Canberra, it will be a must do on our list. Although everyone says there's nothing to see or do in Canberra, we had a wonderful weekend and are proud to say we have now visited all states and territories in Australia!