We were pretty excited to leave Thredbo in sunshine to begin our trip to the nation's capital, Canberra. We had booked three nights at a YHA in the middle of the city specifically because it had a pool and spa. After our rainy days, we needed that badly! Bill was so excited and in such a hurry in fact that he had the (mis)fortune of meeting one of NSW's finest on the freeway to Canberra. We had heard the fines for speeding were outrageous, but this kind officer reduced Bill's by over $200. Phew! A warning would have been more generous, but we will take kindness wherever we can get it.
We were able to check in early, and waiting in the lobby when I arrived was a familiar face from Albury. (Note to Facebook friends: not THAT one, but the other one. Nevermind, Mom. All is well)
After some walking around town, we met up with an old friend, Sherri Lake, and her partner Paul.
Sherri was my first friend when we moved into the house where my parents still live. We hadn't seen each other since high school, but Sherri generously helped out with our Australia trip planning via Facebook and emails. We had plans to rent a place together for Easter week, but first got acquainted in Canberra where she lives. We went out for some great Mexican food followed by desserts at a local icon, Gus'. Sherri and Paul introduced us to sticky date pudding, another Aussie icon. We thought it was yummy, but Sherri insisted it wasn't authentic, and so she is currently seeking out a better source!
The boys and I spent the next couple of days seeing what Canberra has to offer. We had been told it was a rather dull city, but our two days were quite filled with educational sightseeing and souvenir shopping. The kids loved Questacon. It was a very hands-on science centre. I made them both learn a little about Gallipoli at the National War Memorial and we saw a Last Post service (a regular, if not daily event) honouring a soldier who passed in WW1 (attended by surviving family members and several US Major Generals).
By the way, the YHA pool AND spa were BOTH freezing!!
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