Since we didn't rent a car we rode TheBus. It was less than $10 each way for all four of us. And it took us an hour and a half each way, but it allowed us to just sit back, relax, and see the sites and not worry about traffic.
I don't know if it is the tourists or the residents, but drivers in Honolulu (not sure about the rest of Oahu) were freakin looney! We saw quite a few accidents, more near accidents, many red lights being ran, pedistrians nearly getting hit. There was once we started across the street (with the signal at a crosswalk) and then Robert grabbed me and pulled me back a step as a red car came zooming right in front of me. The car ran the red light, and not just a little. It had been red for quite a bit and he was going fast.
Anyways, back to Pearl Harbor. There are quite a few photos so with minimal words...
Learning about the torpedos. I've been getting a lot of "looks" and comments when people find/found out we pulled the kids out of school for a week to go to Hawaii. So yes, we did. The school year is almost over, they both do really well in school, I had their teachers hold their homework (which they have already made up today after school), and they learned a lot some of which they learned at Pearl Harbor.
Very large anchor.
Going up into the command center of a submarine
Oohh, what do these switches do?
Daddy getting in on the fun.
Meanwhile I'm fascinated by the flowers in Hawaii. I LOVED these trees with these flowers!
Ooh, big gun!
Happy hubby. No Robert, you can't have one of your own.
Carus manning the other gun.
Adam's turn.
The type of gun it was and the stats on it.
144/365 - Family photo courtesy of a bench and the camera's self timer.
Carus with one of those flowers in her hair. (What kind of tree/flower where these?)
Retired submarine that you can go aboard and check out (for like $30 per person for a guided tour, we did not do the tour).
Another gun, actually I think this one is a missile launcher.
Miniature of the U.S.S. Arizona. In this little museum there was a video about what happened December 7, 1941 and after watching it Carus asked (with tears in her eyes) "Why did they attack us?" The video didn't really explain and my explanations weren't enough to satisfy her. Thankfully the video they showed before the ferry ride out to the sunken ship explained it further and answered her questions.
Adam on the ferry ride out to the U.S.S. Arizona.
Carus on the ferry out to the U.S.S. Arizona.
U.S.S. Missouri. We also did not visit this one - but we should have. Excuse to go back, right?
Sunken ship
Sunken ship
"To the Memory of the Gallant Men Here Entombed and Their Shipmates Who Gave Their Lives in Action December 7, 1941 on the U.S.S. Arizona."
Wall of names.
Adam and Carus in front of the wall of names.
Ferry ride back.
Our Navy drivers.
The other ferry.
Pearl Harbor - Just can't find the right word to describe our visit. I'm so glad we went, so glad we taught our kids about such a monumental moment in our country's history...
Those are plumeria flowers/trees. My very favorite! We had a pink one growing in our backyard...and I have tried, many times, without any success, growing my own tree.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why are people so douchey. Who cares if they missed school to go to Hawaii. I say the "people" are just jealous.
Plumeria is also known as Frangipani. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria They are a favourite of ours in the Virgin Islands too. We had a pink one and a white/yellow one. Our first year on island, we were appalled when we walked outside one day and saw the pink one covered with these HUGE black and yellow striped caterpillars with a bright red ball at the end. They were devouring every last leaf on the tree! We started killing them...until someone explained that it is part of the process the tree must go thru. It must lose all of its leaves at some time int he year in order to store up the energy it needs to produce the blossoms. They were right because not long after, the tree was gorgeous again...and covered in blossoms. Don't they smell divine??? That's what the Hawaiians use to make their classier leis.
ReplyDeleteApril, they like warmer climates. Not sure where you live, but ours were in rocky, poor nutrient soil and they got very little water (except during rainy seasons of course)...but we never hand-watered them. Apparently they require the stress to become strong and blossom. Not sure if that helps you or not.
~Deborah