Obama Arrives in Canberra Today
President Obama is arriving in Canberra today and will be visiting a locked down Parliament House. I’m sure he will be given the full tour, indeed.
I was recently in Canberra and made a stop to Parliament House. We took the free self guided tour, which was actually pretty cool and worth doing if you find yourself in Canberra.
Here is What I Came Back With
These are some of the things that President Obama might see while he visits Canberra, and Parliament House.
I must admit. I was very surprised with my initial impressions of what the inside of Parliament House looks like. I did not expect it to look the way it does.
The inside of Parliament House is visually, a stark contrast as to what the outside looks like. The outside of Parliament House is a cold concrete slab that looks very boring and institutionalized.
However, the inside is very fine and very elegant.
Well, at least some parts of it.
The Mobile Phone Ads scattered around tend to cheapen Parliament House.
After you clear a very bare and minimal security gate are are greeted with a grand entrance room with a black and white floor and marble pillars.
It looks really cool, but is almost like something out of Alice in Wonderland. But still, I liked it.
Directly in the middle and in front of you is a very large Ball Room. I’m sure there are some very classy functions in here.
The one thing I thought that is really neat about this room is that there is a HUGE piece on the wall.
It looks like gigantic painting, but in fact it is not.
It is actually a hand sewn work of art. I can only imagine how long that would have took to create.
The downside to this ball room is it is cheapened by the gymnasium hide away tables that pop out of the wall. I felt like I was in High School again with these things around me.
Hmmm…
The Self Guided Tour
You are actually only allowed in one wing of Parliament House.
There are premium guided tours available, however we did not take them. It was late in the day and we only had a couple hours to check out Parliament House, it was the weekend and I think we missed our opportunity.
Going off of what I’ve seen, I probably would purchase a paid tour though. I think there might be some other neat places to see while inside of Parliament House.
We continue our journey through Parliament House looking at all the paintings, different artifacts, and oh yeah. The apology to the Aboriginals.
In 2008, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the Aboriginals of Australia. At the time it kicked up quite a stir.
Of course it is written in fancy cursive, on a big fancy piece of paper that is of course, in a big fancy shiny glass box, for all of the world to see.
There is a lot to Look At
There really is quite a bit to look at and depending on how much your into it, you could easily spend a few hours there.
I admit I’m not too much into the whole government and political thing, but I still found it interesting and got something from the whole experience.
There is some cool stuff to see and to read. I think it is safe to say that anybody can get something from taking a stroll through Parliament House.
We spent around a hour and a half wandering around and looking at everything. Your mileage may vary.
It’s Like a Government’s Museum
The part of Parliament House that the general public gets to enjoy is more of a museum then anything. At least that’s what I felt.
There is even a cafe on the second floor!
Though, I didn’t eat there so I can’t tell you how overpriced and how good or bad the food is.
What I really liked about the cafe was the court yard outside. You get more really nice views of Canberra and Mount Anslie.
I really liked how everything was symmetrical and lined up with the rectangle in the building. It’s very well thought out and looks very nice.
There is even a Parliament Shop, gift shop that is conveniently located right near the one exit!
Where the Magic Happens
And of course. No visit to Parliament House would be complete without a stop at The House of Representatives and the Senate Chamber.
This is where the party is at!
If you’ve never seen these clowns on TV, you should check them out sometime. It’s a riot. There is total disregard for anybody when they are speaking.
The consistently yell at each other, talk over each other and interrupt each other. It’s quite the fiasco. How the Government gets anything done or accomplished is beyond me.
I think if they at least took the time to listen to one another before they opened their gawking flaps, that might be a good solid place to start.
I don’t know though. Just a hunch.
That’s the End
I hope you enjoyed taking a tour through Parliament House. I do recommend this!
If you find yourself Down Unda and in Canberra North Korea some time (Heaven Forbid) then take the time out and check out Parliament House. It’s a good way to spend a day or at least an afternoon.
Best of all.
It’s Free!
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