G'Day from Canberra!

I'm in Canberra now, the capital of Australia and the place of my birth! I have been here for about 3 weeks now and I am definitely enjoying it! To give you a bit of history, I was born in Canberra in 1985 and lived there until I was almost 6 years old. We then moved to St. Louis in 1991 and have been there ever since.

I am staying with a very close friend, my "big sister" Maredydd Cronin (pronounced Meredith...it is the Welsh spelling). My family has always called her "Muff" or "Muffy." She just told me that I used to call her "Muppy" until I discovered the letter f! Muff has known me since I was born...basically from the time I came out of the womb, I was attached to her hip. I claimed her as "my Muffy" and I didn't want anyone else to have her, including James and Kenyon. I had decided as a little girl that since I didn't have a sister, Muffy was meant to be my sister and since I am a girl, she was supposed to play with me only. Needless to say, there were plenty of fights as we three kids battled for Muffy's attention. Muff's parents, Liz and David, are my God-parents...and I have been blessed by being able to spend lots of time with them. They spoil me rotten! :)

A lot of Aussie's that I have run into thus far like to rag on Canberra because they think it is boring, but it really is a lovely country-city. I describe it as the city of birds and trees. Canberra has the most beautiful and amazing birds! Even if you are not a bird fan, you would still appreciate the gorgeous birds. And there are trees everywhere....so many eucalyptus trees....it is wonderful!

This is a yellow-crested cockatoo. I love these birds. I get to see them everyday as they come and sit on the bird feeder in front of the kitchen window. It is really something to see them spread their beautiful, perfectly styled, yellow mo-hawks. I have yet to get a good picture of the flared mo-hawk look. Now, these birds are pretty, but they sure make a racket! Every morning at about 6 a.m., they start chattering and cacking LOUDLY and it goes for awhile! It took me a few days to get used to it...as most of you know, I like to sleep! They really are like a rooster doing the morning wake-up call, but I've noticed they seem to give it a rest on Sunday. ;)

These are pink and gray galahs.

This is a magpie. His claim to fame is that he's a thief! They are well-known for grabbing things hanging on clothes lines....and even nabbing jewelry! You better watch your back because these sneaky clepto-birds are everywhere!

Muff and I spent a day at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Our horse Chestnut used to live out in the paddocks near Tidbinbilla so my family spent a lot of time out there! I still remember it...we have pictures of me as a toddler on Chessie! So much fun! When I was little, I didn't understand why we couldn't bring Chestnut to America with us...we brought our dog Cadbury, after all.

Muffy and I on a walk through the reserve...

...And when we turned a corner, this is who we met! They weren't in any hurry to move.

Finally they decided to let us through!

Thanks to Liz's generosity, I have a cute little bike that can actually fold into a bag!  Friends, meet my wheels!

And here is the helmet that Liz is letting me borrow! ;) I get a lot of smiles and somewhat surprised looks when I bike around. In comparison to all the serious Canberran cyclists with all the top, it must be surprising to see me with a bright red helmet and a little basket. Now all I need is Toto! 

I really am thankful for the bike because I am just loving riding it all around town! Canberra is such a bike-friendly city. They have lovely bicycle paths surrounded by trees that cut all through the city, so I hardly have to bike near roads. I haven't even been on a bus here yet...as long as the weather stays nice, I plan on biking everywhere! My favorite place to bike to is Lake Burley Griffin...it is my happy place here! I love riding around the lake. 

Captain Cook's fountain on Lake Burley-Griffin. It commemorates Captain James Cook's arrival at the east coast of Australia.

View of the lake and the fountain, with Black Mountain Tower in the background.

The bell tower of the National Carillon. It was a gift from Britain on Canberra's 50th birthday in 1970 and it is one of the largest musical instruments in the world. It is rung several times a week and it sounds very pretty!

Parliament House.

Commonwealth Park

Hello!

Muff and I also went to Cockington Green Gardens, a cute display of miniature villages. Everything is so detailed. Check out some of my photos....

Mini Stonehenge!

Cute little English farm!

Imagine getting lost in this maze!

Part of the International Display

This is where I'm staying next! ;)

The next few photos were taken in honor of Kenyon (my younger brother). When we were here the last time, Kenyon started chasing an emu out at Tidbinbilla. The intelligent emu thought "eh, enough of this" and turned around and started chasing Kenyon....fast! Let's just say, Kenyon got a big fright and ran for his life! It was HILARIOUS for those of us watching it happen! So Kenyon, these are for you.

After the big scare, the emu insisted that we make up.

I've also been to several museums since I've been here. Being the capital, Canberra is full of museums. Liz and I have gone to the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum of Australia, and the Royal Australian Mint. We also just saw the French Masterpiece paintings on loan from the Louvre in Paris! The Louvre is going through some renovations, so they decided to send some of their paintings on tour and Canberra was the lucky city. It's pretty cool that I didn't even have to go all the way to Paris to see Van Gogh's Starry Night....I only had to go to Australia! ;)

Australian War Memorial. At the end of the pool is the eternal flame.

The wall of poppies, displaying the names of all those who died serving their country. In 2007, we bought a poppy for my mom's uncle, Norberry, who died on the HMAS Sydney. The story is below.

They only just found the remains of the ship in 2008.

We also saw the special exhibition at the war memorial, Of Love and War. The exhibition included displays of love letters, special sweetheart trinkets, and stories of love during the war. Many of the stories were sad, as masses of soldiers never returned home.

I love this quote! ANZAC is the Australian New Zealand Army Corps.

As supplies and money were tight during war times, this dress was worn by 11 different brides. 

Anzac Parade, with Parliament House at the end.

The next few photos were taken at the Royal Australian Mint.

Pretty awesome dollar coin!

How cute is that?! 

The Olympic medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 

And this is the closest I will ever get to an Olympic gold medal!

This was at the Australian National Museum....it is referring to bushfire safety and concern.

I also had a lovely Easter weekend. On Easter Sunday, I went to church with Muff, David, and Liz. Then we had a delicious lunch at David and Liz's house, followed by an easter egg hunt! I haven't actually participated in an easter egg hunt in years, so it was a treat! And...I got a lot of good loot! ;)

They hid an egg in the candlestick...sneaky!

 Koala chocolate "bunny".

My FULL basket of chocolate! It will seriously take me forever to eat all this!

Check out my unique chocolate animals...a koala, bunny, and a bilby!

L

Muff and David's turn!

Wee Jock wanted in on this one too!

Liz's turn! I hid one behind the hat.

We had a wonderful Easter! The day after, Muff and I went canoeing on the lake in Liz and David's canoe and then we all enjoyed a nice picnic. And Liz does gourmet picnics...we had fresh bruschetta, complete with garlic, pesto, and olive oil...then for dessert, coffee and amazing homemade chocolate cake. It was perfect!

On the water!

The needle is Black Mountain Tower

Beautiful! 

Black Swan....they are everywhere here!

Muff and Jock enjoying the picnic.

And finally, Liz and I went to the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Here's a few photos:

Bottlebrush

Well friends, that's all for now! If you made it to the end of this long post, good on ya! I have plenty more time in Canberra, but this week I'm headed to Sydney to visit my cousin Neal and then Newcastle to visit my cousin Bryan. I'm super excited! Until next time, I'll leave you with the....

Aussie Fact of the Day: Canberra comes from the Aboriginal word Kamberra which means "meeting place." That seems quite fitting as it is the capital. Tidbinbilla comes from the Aboriginal word Jedbinbilla which means "a place where boys become men."
http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/en/Visitor%20Info/Facts%20and%20figures.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidbinbilla_Nature_Reserve

To view more of my photos from Canberra, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034752&id=177500204&l=bf60f5c363