Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen, adios, au revoir!

"Uhm. What now?"
See, I just spent two wonderful weeks on vacation with my parents in beautiful New Zealand. Two weeks of sharing a hotel room. Two weeks of all the hugs and kisses I could want. Two weeks of company to eat meals with (delicious meals at that!). Two weeks in sheer beauty with the two people I love most. And even though I said goodbye to them in Sydney for a few days while I went back to uni, they weren't really gone because I was living with the anticipation of seeing them again and showing them around Canberra for two days.
But now they've gone and it'll be more than two MONTHS before I see them again. Sigh... At least I can look forward to seeing their smiling joyful faces first as soon as I make it back to the States and through customs! :)

It was great having them visit me in Canberra! I always wish I have more time in places I visit, but considering they had a day and a half, I think we did quite a lot. We started out their time in Canberra the only way you can start your time here: eating at a wonderful thrifty Scottish restaurant called McDonald's, commonly referred to as "Maccas" here in Australia. And then we hit the ground running! We took the "scenic" bus route to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House where we enjoyed the native wildlife (ie. cockatoos and galahs), and took in the sights down the Anzac Parade across the lake to the Australian War Memorial. We didn't get to spend much time in Old Parliament House cause we were on a race against the clock to make it to the War Memorial in time for sunset. Little did we know, it was actually a race against the clouds and we lost. After two previous days of gorgeous sunsets, My parents first sunset in Canberra wasn't anything special. Good thing we were again captivated by the native wildlife flying through the skies overhead. But we got to see some of the War Memorial. My dad and I enjoyed a stroll through the "Love and War" exhibit which explored the love and loss of wartime's past. We closed the day out with a solo bag-pipper symbolizing the unknown soldier being sent to rest peacefully forevermore. Bagpipe music is beautiful, definitely in my top 5 favorite instruments to listen to solo (guitar, violin, bagpipe, piano, didgeridoo). Once dark had settled in, we enjoyed a mosey through the Canberra Centre Mall since everything had already closed at 5pm, but "late-night shopping" kept the mall open til 9pm. We rounded off the night with burgers and the famous "pig tail fries" at the Hogs Breath Cafe. Delicious!

Day 2 in Canberra: And what better way to start the day off than with more delicious food! In step with iconic Canberra food, we met for breakfast at the Pancake Parlor for their short stack + Dendy movie ticket deal! And Rhiannen met us there, even beat me to the restaurant and fit in as my parents second daughter so it was all good! And now Rhiannen and I have movie tickets for our next girls night out date! ;) I just wish the pancakes had been banana pancakes like Jack Johnson's song, Banana Pancakes: "We'll can't you see that it's just raining, ain't no need to go outside.. makin' banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now, yeah we could pretend it all the time", since it WAS the weekend and it WAS raining, perfect for a day at the Museum, so that's exactly where we went. We oohed and awwed walking into The National Museum of Australia, gawking at it's strange and colorful architecture. When the building was first built (and now even), there was a lot of opposition to it because it's weird and eccentric and it certainly doesn't keep in line with all the other buildings in Canberra. I like it though. After being confronted by such an odd building, your mind is a lot more open to the natural and cultural histories inside. I was particularly touched by the image of the sky-writting over Sydney that read "SORRY" on Reconciliation Day Feb. 13, 2008, when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized for the injustices of the parliaments previously toward the Aboriginal people. I also enjoyed the interactive futuristic K-Town where we all designed a spaceship or space house. It was a lot of fun expressing our creativity under pressure of time. And the Circa video was cool, but a bit discombobulating for even someone with ADD! Unfortunately some exhibits were closed and Phar Lap's heart was back in storage. It was a not so perfect day for touring the ANU campus, but we saw what we could and I showed my parents my dorm room which they said was actually smaller than it looks on skype when I talk to them! Hahaha, I think it's just big enough! After all, I didn't get my nickname Pixie from living in a big open room! ;) We ended the afternoon again with delicious food, this time Chipotle replica burritos at Zamberos. It would have been nice to show my parents more of the city and it's many jewels, but we decided we didn't have enough time to enjoy anything else and made sure they got to the bus depot relaxed and cool. And now they're gone and I already miss them heaps!!!! Love you Mom and Dad! Thanks for a wonderful vacation! Can't wait to see you again! XOXOXOXX

Attractions: If anyone's told you Canberra is boring, they've lied to you. I think there's heaps to do to keep you occupied and happy in Canberra. And a lot of it is free! So far I've seen/done:
The Australian War Memorial
The National Carillon
take a cruise on Lake Burley Griffin
The National Museum of Australia
The National Library
Parliament House
hike to the top of Black Mountain
view the whole city from the top of Mount Ainslie
The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
go shopping in the Canberra Centre
The National Rose Gardens
The National Gallery of Australia
listen to a concert in Commonwealth Park
see fireworks over the park/lake
bike from bridge to bridge

Still to do/see:
The Royal Australian Mint
Cockington Greens
ASI (Australian Sports Institute)
Questacon!
the High Court
Australian National Botanical Gardens
paddle boat on the lake
National Film and Sound Archives
The National Portrait Gallery

American food: Yes, it's true, I've even been homesick for some yummy American food and my parents came bearing gifts! :) I now enjoy Nilla Waffer cookies, Philippines Dried Mangos, Peeps, Quaker Oats Oatmeal, and Samoa Girl Scout cookies from the comfort of my dorm room in Australia! Yay! There might be some food I miss once I get back to the States, but vegemite won't be one of them! I'll probably crave real Cadbury chocolate and Tim Tams off the hook, but for my teeth's sake, it'll be best that I won't have them around all the time!