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| Itsukushima Shrine |
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| Another view of the shrine |
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| Torii Gate |
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| Itsukushima Shrine |
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| Sandra and a building back of the shrine |
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| "Wild" deer |
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| Just a pretty picture |
March 17, Friday at sea headed for Hiroshima. The high point of the day was an Insight Lecture by General Lord Dannatt. His topic was “The Tower of London - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” After retiring from the active British Army, the general took on the position of Constable of the Tower of London. His presentation was a look at life in the Tower of London from the perspective of the Constable and those that live and work there. A number of stories about his six years in the position and the Beefeater personnel who guard the Tower of London.
March 18, Saturday Hiroshima. We are in port at a proper international pier with all the bells and whistles. We booked a ship’s tour to Mijayima Island. We tried to get the tour that takes you to the island by a Vintage Cruise ship. Unfortunately, that was sold out so we took a more modern but less exciting ferry to the island. Sandra had been to the island years ago with Valerie, a day when I was under the weather. At the island, we walked with our group to the Itsukushima Shrine, a shrine that is built out over the water of the Inland Sea. The literature says that it appears to float on the water at high tide. We caught it at a low tide so it appeared to float on a mud flat.
However, all is very impressive, especially the Torii Gate which sits in the sea opposite the shrine. I took a lot of pictures. We then walked around the main shopping area, seeing the sights, looking at the “wild” deer at are protected on the island. They are ready to eat anything they can find. I lost a corner of my island map to one of the deer. After a couple of hours wandering the island, we took the ferry and then the bus back to the ship.
We were not ready to call it a day. We took a shuttle bus to the YouMe shopping center that is about three miles from the pier. We did some serious shopping. Sandra was looking for a fancy top to wear on formal nights at dinner. She finally found just the right jacket in one of the stores. We spent a total of two hours in the mall before taking the shuttle back to the ship.
The rest of the evening was quiet. Just dinner in the Britannia restaurant and a show in the Royal Court Theatre.
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| The vintage boat to Mijayima Island |
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| Our view of the bay |
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| Our boat to Mijayima Island |
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| Our guide in action |
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| Another way to see the sights |
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| Torii Gate |
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