Canberra

Canberra, Australia's capital, is a planned city -- and like Washington is not in one of Australia's states but is contained in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), analogous to the District of Columbia. It is a city of sweeping views and wide, straight streets, planned to showcase the large government buildings. Of course, there are residential areas, too, though we didn't get the chance to see much of them.

One of the most popular attractions is the Australian War Memorial -- a very well-done museum that, surprisingly, probably exceeds in the quality of its displays even Britain's Imperial War Museum. We spent a foot-wearying afternoon there.

While Chuck was at meetings the next day, Kathi visited the National Art Gallery.

While Canberra is modern, clean and attractive, it must be said that it's a bit sterile -- as planned cities tend to be, at least until they attain a certain age as Washington had by now. If you visit Canberra it should be for monuments, the Australian National University or government-related things -- don't go for the social scene.

To see a few pictures of Canberra, go to: http://chuck.smugmug.com/gallery/1230316