Keeping You Posted ...: Hiroshima Part Ichi ...

A while back, ok WAY back in November (I know, I know), Amanda and I decided to brave a trip on our own. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving, we decided to head to Hiroshima and spend the day celebrating peace and reflecting on all that we were thankful for in our lives.

We packed our bags, checked the train times, and came up with a tentative agenda. We got a good night's sleep considering we had to be up around 6:00am on a Saturday. I know we should be used to it by now, but it kills me every time. I still don't like the mornings!

We barely made our 7 something train, but we were on our way and rather excited. The trip started our comical. It was early in the morning so there are typically drunk people that are catching the first trains home. This train ride was no different. There was a group of salary men (business men back home) who appeared to be rather intoxicated. One man kept making slurring attempts to strike up English conversation and was waving at us from across the train. We couldn't help but laugh. It was even funnier when he got up, walked over and handed Amanda and I each a can of peach chu-hi, which is Japanese alcohol - kind of like a flavored Smirnoff Ice in a can. He let us know it was "Okayama peach" and "very good". Amanda and I thanked him for his generosity and wondered how many chu-his he had drunk the night before. The trip was off to a good start.

We killed time on the two hour train ride by watching Grey's on the iPod.

I absolutely LOVE my iPod... without it I wouldn't survive the long train rides.

We found the bus we needed to get on and headed for the Peace Park. Of course we rode the bus too far, got slightly lost, got off at a random stop & had to walk like two miles back to the stop we should have gotten off at, but we kept our smiles and were really excited when we finally arrived.

The first thing we saw was the Peace Fountain. It was really beautiful and reminded me of the Bellagio in Vegas, minus the Celine Dion. Thankfully.

It was late November and the weather reminded me of late September back home. It was definitely fall and kind of chilly, but not in a frostbite kind of way. It was a great time to be outside and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The leaves were changing, there were people everywhere, and it was kind of peaceful. Peace being the theme of the day.

In the middle of the park is the Peace Pond. We threw in some yen and made a wish. For world peace, of course. I threw some extra yen for Matt. He's kind of a pessimist. :)

Just beyond the Peace Pond is the Peace Flame. The Flame is another monument to the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, but it has an additional symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation (Thank you Wikipedia).

Near the center of the park is a concrete, saddle-shaped monument that covers a Cenotaph holding the names of all of the people killed by the bomb. The Cenotaph carries the epitaph, "Repose ye in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated." Through the monument you can see the Peace Flame. Memorial Cenotaph was one of the first memorial monuments built on open field on August 6, 1952. The arch shape represents a shelter for the souls of the victims.