Canberra (5 days)

Over Christmas, we were in the capital of Australia. On December 24th, we arrived in Canberra by Greyhound bus around 5pm. Then we took a public bus to our accommodation, which is really great. After that, we showered and got ready, and we went to a small restaurant for dinner. We left there around 9pm and went shopping at a supermarket because it's closed on Christmas Day (December 25th). So we ended up with a bag full of groceries that we had to carry to the Catholic church for Christmas Mass, but it wasn't that bad. At 11pm, there was a concert by a choir from Canberra, and they even sang a German verse of 'Silent Night'. At midnight, the Mass began and the church was as crowded as it is in Germany at Christmas. However, at 1:09am, we decided to leave the church because it was getting too tiring and long (many others had the same idea). The next morning, we had a delicious breakfast and exchanged gifts (packages and cards from home arrived at the hotel!). We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, and we did the same the following day. On the last day in Canberra, we spent time at the lake before packing again. In general, Canberra feels very deserted during Christmas, and the distances within the city are enormous, very extensive... (just like my grandma remembers from 20 years ago). On the next morning, December 28th, we took the Greyhound bus towards Sydney, our last stop in Australia...