Hiroshima

The week before our trip we learned a little bit at home about the atomic bomb and the events that lead up to it.  I wanted the kids to be aware of where we were going before we got there.  It really makes the who experience both more meaningful and memorable that way.

The first stop was the atomic bomb dome.  It was also covered in scaffolding, but we could still see it pretty well.  

Many people were coming to pay their respects.

I had to get a picture of this dog, it was cracking me up.  Who dresses their dog in not only a sweater but also a hat, glasses and a bow?  That is one well dressed pup.

We then made our was through the park.  We saw the peace bell.

The children's peace monument.

We learned the significance of 1000 paper cranes.

We walked past the flame of peace, which will stay lit until their are no more nuclear weapons on earth.  

The cenotaph for atomic bomb victims.

We wanted to go to the memorial museum next but they were staggering entrances.  So when we walked up we got a ticket to enter at 5:30.  I'm glad we were able to get in because I had no idea they were doing that and we barely were able to get a time slot before the closed.

So we took a lunch break and then headed over to Hiroshima castle.  We ate at 7/11 a ton on our trip. 

The walk was a little farther than we thought and we ended up walking for over an hour.  It was pretty cool when we finally made it to the castle.

We took our shoes off and went inside.  They had different things to look at on each floor all the way up to the top.  But no pictures inside.  Except for the designated photo spot of this cute guy.

We had just enough time to stop for a quick curry dinner before going into the museum at 5:30.  The museum was pretty depressing.  It was informative and good us to learn about.  "Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it."  But it was a little hard for me to go through.  There were many stories and pictures of the people who were killed and their families.  Beatrix and Calista were also being semi-loud.  They weren't really that loud, it just felt that way with hundreds of Japanese people around who manage to somehow not make a sound.  I think we were inside for about an hour, but Bob said he would have liked to stay and read all the signs but our children were not making that possible.