Hawaii, Day Nine,Pearl Harbor

Today was our last full day in Hawaii.  We left the hotel at 6:15am to catch our tour bus.  Today's tour was to Pearl Harbor.  I will tell you right away that I didn't take a lot of pictures.  There are some locations that are meant to be pictured in our memories, and Pearl Harbor definitely falls into that category.  I also don't feel it's appropriate to be snapping pictures in what is in all essence, a burial ground.  So while I took a few shots of various plaques and the harbor itself, I took none of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.  I think this post will flow better if I simply give you my impressions of this important piece of American history.  We began by viewing a twenty minute film about the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  We then had some time before our scheduled trip out to the memorial.  The harbor itself is beautiful, like all of Hawaii.  It is certainly less tranquil than it must have been on that morning in 1941, but it was still hard to imagine such a terrible event in such a beautiful place.  A ferry boat shuttles groups of people out to the memorial of the U.S.S. Arizona.  Visiting there was akin  to viewing the Vietnam Wall, Arlington Cemetery, or Ground Zero.  The Arizona is visible beneath the surface of the water, a somber reminder of all the men forever entombed within her.  Oil floats to the surface and we learned this is known as the"tears of the Arizona."  Lore has it that when the last survivor of the Arizona dies, the "tears" will stop.  We also learned that there are 22 survivors of the Arizona still living.  They may choose to be cremated and entombed in the Arizona if that is their wish.  I was a little worried about taking a to a place that really requires a quiet, sober demeanor.  She did well though.  I suppose even a young child can feel the quiet dignity of such places. 

After leaving the memorial, we then visited the U.S.S. Missouri battleship.  I can't tell you much about it because A was tired and hungry by that point so she and I skipped that portion of the tour.  Hubby enjoyed it very much, as did J and N.

The remainder of our day was spent shopping, followed by a few hours on Waikiki Beach.  We're back in our room now, attempting to pack.  We will have the morning to enjoy before the shuttle picks us up at 1:00pm for the trip to the airport.  We depart Honolulu at 4:00pm and fly straight to atlanta.  From there, we'll fly on to Florida and home.  I'll post soon with a list of my favorite things about Hawaii.