15 October 2012

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The sun was up and about early so the motivation was there to get amongst it as soon as we could. Before long we jumped on a bus into the heart of Canberra. Not long after wandering through a deserted city mall we came across Landspeed Records and this was definitely my sort of music store. My patience in raiding the bargain bins paid dividends and I walked out with a few new albums for the collection.

From there we caught a bus out to Parliament House. The site is immaculate and it was surreal to see this significant part of Australia in the flesh. It was impressive in its enormity and the views from the roof were spectacular. The interior was magnificent and even without a tour guide we made our way around the various public areas of the complex. My favourite parts were the painted portraits of all past Prime Ministers and of course getting to see the House of Representatives and the Senate. The only downer was that neither House was sitting so that will have to wait until next time.

After a bite to eat at a nearby cafe we headed out to the Australian War Memorial. This by far exceeded all of my expectations. Before we knew it we had spent three hours at the Memorial as it was getting set to close for the day. There was still so much we had to see. The displays, information and artefacts on hand are second to none and this tourist destination is a must for all who visit the nation's capital.

Soon we were back in the city and Rachel took us to a traditional brewpub named The Wig & Pen. The range of beers available were awesome and the quality did not disappoint; the stout was my personal favourite. From there we decided to finish the day off grabbing dinner at the Burmese Curry Place and they dished up some delicious curries.

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