You see, my Papa (my Mom's Dad) was in World War II. He was in the Army. When I was little, Papa would tell us a few "memories" from the War. He would sing songs that he learned in the Army and he also had memorabilia from that time in the basement. My Dad was also in the Army and is a Vietnam Vet. So, patriotism runs pretty deep in our family. I could not be more proud of my Papa and my Dad. Both Brad and I had learned about Pearl Harbor in school, but going there, seeing it, and learning more about the War made it so much more real to us. We knew we couldn't go to Hawaii without visiting Pearl Harbor.
Hawaii ~ Day 2: Pearl Harbor, O'ahu
Monday, April 22
We got up pretty early in the morning so that we could pack up, leave our bags at the front desk, and head out to Pearl Harbor ~ early...as in 6:00 a.m.. We had to drive about 30 minutes to get to Pearl Harbor so that we could get in line for tickets to see the USS Arizona Memorial. The tickets are free for the Memorial, you just have to get there really early to get your tickets. They go pretty quick! We got in line at 7:15 a.m. and we were given tickets for 9:45 a.m.. See what I mean?
Since we had plenty of time before we got on the boat to view the Memorial, we decided to take an "Audio Tour." This was probably the smartest thing we did. You can buy an Audio Tour for $7.00. They give you a headset, a "remote", and a map. The Audio Tour takes you through the entire Pearl Harbor Memorial. Jaime Lee Curtis narrates the tour, as well as Pearl Harbor survivors. I'm telling you, this was awesome. As you listen to the narration, you follow the map to 28 buildings or site where memorabilia, artifacts, and models are displayed. The narration started with pre-war events, explained the war, detailed moments leading up to the attack, and then described the aftermath of the attack. This was the most informative and heartbreaking tour we have ever been on. (To read more about the Audio Tour, click here.) I teared up. This was very emotional! I am very, very thankful that we had the opportunity to see this Memorial and learn more about our countries history and brave soldiers.
The most emotional part of the tour was the USS Arizona Memorial. This memorial was built above the sunken USS Arizona, so it was like visiting a grave. In this case, over 700 graves. Many men on the crew of the USS Arizona still remained entombed in the ship. The Memorial is build 8 feet above the sunken ship, so you can still see many parts of the top of the ship. Talk about getting hit with reality. It makes you very thankful for all of our service members and for everything they have sacrificed.
I took tons of photos while we were there. I am planning on showing them all to Papa when I see him this summer. We also got him a t-shirt from the Memorial's store. I am pretty excited about showing him all the photos and listening to what he has to say!
We spent a total of 4 hours at Pearl Harbor. Since we got done earlier than we had thought we would, we decided to head back to Honolulu, get some lunch, and check out the shopping in Waikiki. We ate lunch at "Duke's." Apparently, this place was started by one of the original "famous" surfers in Hawaii. We loved it. It was on the beach, had amazing food, and was a fun place to eat at! Right before we walked in to eat, we saw some parrots. I HAD to hold them! The man who had them put one on my shoulder and the other in my hands. It just laid in my hands like a little baby. Fun!
After lunch, we still had some time before we had to leave for the airport (to fly to Hawaii - The Big Island). Brad's parents had told us about the International Market Place in Waikiki and it happened to be right across the street, so we walked over there and looked around. It was kind of funny to see the Marketplace in the middle of all of the extravagant shopping in Waikiki. The International Marketplace had little booths and stores set up all throughout this section. Vendors sold just about anything you could think of and you could barter with them. I'm too nice and not so good at the bartering, so Brad took care of it! We got a few things and then walked around Waikiki some more before we left for the airport!
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