Nostalgia Trip

Once settled into our hostel in Canberra Thursday noon, Gauss and I walked into the center of town to get some lunch. We found a little Thai lunch counter/takeout place called Tasty Time where we got a bowl of chicken green curry and a plate of pad thai for $7 each. The pad thai was so-so, but the green curry was easily the best I'd ever had.

Our accommodations at the hostel were Spartan and bit crowded, but clean and comfortable: two bunks in a room shared with two other guys, bathroom down the hall. After that first restaurant meal, Gauss and I usually walked to the nearby Canberra Center and to buy bread, fruit and cheese at the grocery store. Gauss was shocked at how food has changed in Australia since he lived here last: a vast selection of ethnic foods, excellent bread, gourmet cheeses, and so on, a huge departure from the canned vegetables and mutton that used to be the country's culinary staples.

On one visit we even found fresh local buffalo mozzarella! According to the label, an Italian guy moved to Australia and missed his cheese, so he started a mozzarella operation right there. It was as good as what we've eaten in Italy. The hostel had a kitchen with dishes, utensils, and sinks so we could serve up the food and then clean up after ourselves.

After a short rest, we set out on foot to Campbell High School. As we walked the residential streets, we came upon a pair of Crimson Rosellas pecking on the ground. Gauss and I slowed, and I approached them cautiously to get a better look. I was disappointed when two local women strode by, flushing the birds up into the tree, but then I caught sight of two sulfur crested cockatoos across the street. I don't know that I'll ever get over my excitement at seeing parrots out in nature.

A flock of multicolored Eastern Rosellas flitted around one end of the school yard; pink and gray galahs grazed nearby. We walked past them to the courtyard where Gauss used to park his bike and wait for class to begin. He related sitting on the benches and catching flies to pass the time until the headmaster called the students to line up and stand at attention before filing into the building.

We walked a few more blocks to Ferdinand Street, where Gauss and Rod Campbell were neighbors. The Rescignos' old home was recognizable only by the house number. It had been completely remodeled and landscaped, and was easily one of the prettiest houses on the block.

Their old neighborhood is just a couple of blocks from the Anzac Memorial, so we passed through the grounds, where I spied a sulfur-crested cockatoo drinking from a fountain.

With our Turkish friends in mind, we stopped at the Ataturk memorial to take photos. (Notice the red Turkish flag flying next to the Australian flag.)

The memorial is shaped like the crescent on the Turkish flag.

The centerpiece of the memorial is this sculpted image of Ataturk's face and his quote about the soldiers on both sides who lost their lives at Gallipoli:

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well.

Immediately above is part of the text on the memorial in Turkish, for those of you who can read the language.

Darkness began to fall while we were there, and cockatoos flew in from all directions, calling loudly and feeding on the ground before flying up into the gum trees to roost for the night.