A Day in Canberra

Government Buildings - here we come!
Yesterday we had a very full, very busy day travelling from one government building in Canberra to another. But we learned a lot and it was totally worth it.
We started at Parliament where we saw the House of Representatives (a lovely gray/green room whose color represents the green of the Australian Gum Trees) and the Senate (a rosy pink room whose color represents the blossoms of the Gum Trees). We also saw an original copy of the Magna Carta which is on display there and an excellent gift shop - one of the best we've seen. Then we got to walk on the roof of Parliament which is actually the ground floor of the buliding - this allows the common people to be above the legislators reminding them who is really in charge of the country.
Then we were off to the Australia Museum where we learned about the Aborigine people, the colonization of Australia and then the process of becoming a Federation. After grabbing lunch there, we had a quick stop at the National Art Gallery where we saw some fabulous statues, some interesting Aboriginal art, and various Impressionist to Modern paintings as well as Indian and Asian pieces. The photographs of Southeast Asia were particularly interesting to some while others found the Ned Kelly display to be most enjoyable.
We ended our tour of Canberra with the War Memorial where we learned about the Japanese attack on Sydney during WWII, the Australian involvement in Gallipoli, and the Aussie work as Peacekeepers in the 20th century. We saw tanks, planes, boats, submarines, neumatic warheads, helmets (some kids even got to try them on), radio transmitters, barrack simulators and lots of diaramas depicting the battles fought. The trip to the Memorial ended with the closing ceremony held in the Hall of Honour (where all those who have died in combat were listed) featuring the bugle call to home.
Then it was off to the Yacht Club (via Embassy Row) for dinner. The highlight there was the chocolate cake dessert, but don't ask about it.
The kids were able to swim off a little energy when we returned to the hotel before suitcase packing and lights out.