A Weekend in Canberra

My weekend in Canberra came and went in a flash! I did have a really great time while I was there, so of course, I'll take you through step by step. After about 4 hours of sleep on Thursday night, I woke up at 6 to catch my 6:45 train from Central Station to Canberra. It was a 4.5 hour ride, so I arrived there at almost 11:30. The ride went by fast, and was very scenic, although a lot of it was outback like areas, with a whole lot of nothing in them. Once I got there, I decided to walk into the city, since I love to walk, and I figured I might as well save money on taking a cab or waste time waiting for the bus. Well...this might have been much easier had I taken a map with me. But I did not, so I walked around, asking various people how to get into the "city" but many were tourists like myself, and had no idea where they were going. After walking around Kingston, a suberb, for almost an hour, I finally caught a glimpse of the top of the Parliament Building, so I made that my North star and began to walk towards it. I soon came to find out that it is actually the opposite direction of the city. To make a long story short, three hours after arriving, I found myself in the city. This is the time in which I realized I did not have the address of my hostel. Mistake number 2. But I happened upon it, which was a relief, so I checked in, and then set out to see the sights. I bought a bus pass and took it into the "Parliamentary Zone" which has all the places that people visiting Canberra want to see.
I first went on a tour of the High Courts, which is basically the highest court in Australia. There were three court rooms, each with a specific function. It was a very cool, recently designed building. I then went to the Australian Portrait Gallery, and then on to the National Gallery of Australia. I enjoyed both places, since I really love art. I then went back into town in hopes to find a great restaurant to eat at. Let me tell you--I had the best meal since I've been in Aus. It was just like being in the North End. I started off with wine and garlic bread, before my main course "fettucini al pesto". It was beyond delicous. It was also really liberating to feel okay about sitting at a restaurant, outside, surrounded by people at other tables, by myself. I then went back to the hostel, as the wine basically put me to sleep.
Saturday morning I went off to the Australian War Memorial, which I must say was one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. It's main purpose is as the Memorial, for all the Australians who have died in any wars, and that section was very powerful. But inside, was the museum showcasing basically every war you can think of. And the exhibits were outstanding. I walked into the Vietnam War room, and was immersed in a place with surround screens, surround sound, wind blowing, and a life size plane. It was so cool, I can't even describe it! I felt like I was on the battle field. After spending the morning there I went off to the National Museum of Australia, which was also awesome. I really did learn a lot, but it was fun as well, with exhibits ranging from the constitutional laws, to tribal masks of the Torres Straight, to vegemite. I then went back into town, and somehow ended up at the same restaurant again (I couldn't resisit!) I enjoyed the same meal, just picked a different wine to switch it up a bit.
Sunday morning was day light savings, so I was up and ready to go at 8, which I soon found out was actually 7. I first went to the Parliament House, and went on a great tour there, and then it was on to the Old Parliament House and the National Archives of Australia. Once I finished, and had had lunch and did a little shopping, I still had a few hours before my 5pm train, so I relaxed and did some reading. On the train ride back, was one of my most exciting moments so far--I saw a heard of wild kangaroos! There were probably 20 of them, and I noticed because a few kids in front of me started freaking out. But then it became sad, as a wild dingo chased them off into the woods, and I knew what was inevitable. But it was still cool!
Overall, I had a truly jam packed weekend, but it was really nice to get away. Canberra though, is not the most "user-friendly" city. I felt quite lost most of the time, and it was very difficult to get around, but I really think that helped me learn about myself, and how I can still be fine in any situation, so it was okay! Pictures are uploading right now, so check them out!