Canberra - Day Two . . .

Becky here: Tuesday morning we started our day with a delicious breakfast in the hotel and then headed out to see Australia's lovely and unique Parliament House. It's a relatively new structure, completed in 1988 and built into a hill with striking modern architecture. We spent a couple of hours looking at the beautiful wood and marble entry and grand hall, exhibits (including one of the rare copies of the Magna Carta), and chambers of the House and Senate.

Leaving the Parliament House, we drove up to the top of Black Mt. and rode the lift to the top of the Telstra Tower. Telstra is an Australian telecommunications company which included a rotating restaurant and indoor and outdoor observation decks about 18 stories up on the tower rising up from the hill on which it sits. We enjoyed the 360 degree view of the city and bowl in which it's situated. Dave walked all the way around the viewing platform taking pictures that he plans to make into a continuous view of the city and surrounding countryside... kind of a poor man's IMAX.

Our final stop of the day was at the National Museum of Australia. This beautiful museum holds permanent and special exhibits and enough interesting information to engage one's senses mind for many hours. Since we only had a couple of hours before we needed to head back to Sydney, Dave and I had to choose just two of the galleries. The first, titled the Old New Land Gallery, examined Australia's diverse and unique species and environments in exhibits highlighting how people have responded and adapted to the land over time.

The second, titled Landmarks, included more than 1500 objects exploring Australian history since European settlement through places across the continent. The stories of these communities and the individuals and their families were fascinating and we were sorry we didn't have more time to read and learn.

It's now Wednesday night and after a day of doing laundry and taking a trip into the Westmead area of Sydney to see Cheryl's clinic, checking out Nathan's high-rise Sydney apartment with it's spectacular view of the Harbor Bridge and eating a delicious Italian dinner in the city, we're winding down and getting ready for our final trip-within-this-trip. We leave tomorrow morning for a couple of nights in and around the Blue Mts. at Mudgee and Blackheath. It's hard to believe that our time here is drawing to a close. We've got a few more sites to see before we hop on the plane next Monday, however.

The fourth floor view of the hotel lobby with its several informal meeting spaces for business people (to the right) and the stairs leading down to the restaurant (to the left and underneath the visible structure) which served a sumptuous buffet breakfast which we enjoyed on our last morning here.  There was a chef who cooks your eggs to order, even our omelettes!

One of the two large lawns leading up to the roof viewing area of the central spaces of the Parliament House. 
Note the massive flagpole rising above it all.

The entrance to the lobby and main public spaces of the Parliament House.  For perspective, can you see the woman in red?

The Australian crest at the top of the building façade, also located in each of the two houses of Parliament.

These massive grey marble columns in the lobby evoke the massive grey gum trees so prevalent throughout the land.
There are a great many such visual symbols, some obvious and some subtle throughout the building.

The beautiful grand room where formal balls and events are held. 
Again, the massive tapestry evokes many aspects of the land and it's people.
For perspective, see the smaller people-doors along the sides.

The bicycle of Ernie Old, my newest hero, who rode across the Australian continent to each of the state capitols in his 70's.  He was still riding long distances up to age 86!  That was in 1960!  Read the panel below for the amazing story.

Look at the map of his "capitol" rides and imagine that rugged and barren landscape in the 1940's and 50's!

Becky and Dave at windows of the Telstra Tower overlooking the core of the city of Canberra.