Daily Archives: September 10, 2015

Honolulu, USA

Hawaii – Day 4 of 43

Leave a comment

The Hawaiian Royal Family – Iolani Palace.

We had another good day today, going to the Palace.  We joined the tour at 10 am and were asked to put on shoe covers to protect the floors and to not touch anything – wall, door, railings, artifacts as we toured the building.

Shoe covers - such a fashion statement. Gorgeous, but they did have grippy soles like those d socks children and adults wear around our houses. So seemed logical.
Shoe covers – such a fashion statement. Gorgeous, but they did  have grippy soles like those bed socks children and adults wear  around our houses. So seemed logical.
In the most important area in the Palace where the coronation was held for one of the kings and the taking down of the Queen. Restored furniture.
In the most important area in the Palace  where the  coronation was held for one of  the kings and the  taking down of the Queen, and as a result the whole Hawaiian Royal Family.                                                                                   Restored furniture
Cast Iron statue on the stairs in the main entrance hall.
Cast Iron statue on the stairs in the main entrance hall.
Original hinges on all the doors - just magnificent.
Original hinges on all the doors – just magnificent.

After we had done our tour we walked outside and saw some of the beautiful grounds and then across the road and photographed the King and saw some more local birdlife.

King
King

We then taxied to another area near the old Sheraton which is now called the Westin Moana Surfrider, and had some lunch.

Me on the beach at Waikiki.
Me on the beach at Waikiki.
Beautiful day for beach watching
Beautiful day for beach watching
Honolulu, USA

Hawaii – Day 5 of 43

Image 1 Comment

Pearl Harbor

imageSpent a very hot day at Pearl Harbor today visiting the memorial of the Japanese attack on 7th December 1941.  So many young lives were lost and such a hugely devastating, crippling strike on the US Forces stationed there.

USS Arizona remains in the water.
USS Arizona remains in the water.

There were fish swimming over the wreck under a constant film of grease and oil on the water’s surface.

imageLater we caught the bus over to the USS Missouri was the site for the Japanese surrender on     September 2nd, 1945, in the Bay of Japan.  We had a tour on the deck and below with a Battleship Tour Guide and saw the way the ship had been laid out when it was in service.

Japanese Pilots
Japanese Pilots
USS Missouri, moored in Pearl Harbor. Note the teak deck to keep the ship cooler below decks and as a non slip surface on which to work.
USS Missouri, moored in Pearl Harbor. Note the teak deck to keep the ship cooler below decks and as a non slip surface on which to work.
Here we are melting on at the beginning of our tour of Mighty Mo. Standing beside a sign which says Piso Majado - which sounds a whole lot funnier in spansih than English - Wet Floor
Here we are melting on at the beginning of our tour of Mighty Mo. Standing beside a sign which says Piso Mojado – which sounds a whole lot funnier in spansih than English – Wet Floor