MercaTurismo

Posts Tagged ‘Hawaii’

A vacation in Hawaii usually begins in Honolulu, where is the international airport. Honolulu is not only the capital of the idyllic Pacific archipelago, but also the largest city. The name Honolulu means “sheltered bay” and reveals why here already settled the Hawaiian monarch. At first glance, Honolulu resembles a typical American city, but apart from shiny high-rise building facades, there is still much more to discover. Because it is good that the center can comfortably explore on foot.

Most tourists start the tour at the Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the USA. It was built in 1882 and served the last two kings of Hawaii as a residence. King Kalakaua ordered the construction, after he had seen on a European tour the impressive royal houses of European monarchs. The end of the monarchy came to Parliament in 1891 and moved into the palace. Since 1978, the Iolani Palace serves as a museum. Back to the Iolani Palace is also a splendid garden.

Who in downtown Honolulu move should also visit Chinatown. They came early in the 20th Century, after the former plantation workers settled here and open restaurants, bakeries, laundries and other small trades. Today the Chinese are living scattered all over the city, but Chinatown is still a popular meeting place to go for shopping or eating. The district is concentrated around the Maunakea Street, where you can also enjoy freshly made leis, buy the typical Hawaiian leis.

The landmark of the port of Honolulu is the Aloha Tower. At the time of large passenger ships, the tourists here with a friendly “Aloha” were welcomed. The tower was built in 1926 and was once the tallest building in the city. This book had the 56 meter high Aloha Tower even though like a long time ago, but enjoys a great view is still from the observation deck. The view extends from Pearl Harbor in the northwest to Downtown Honolulu.

In the historic district of Kalihi is the Bishop Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Polynesian artifacts. It is also known as “Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the State of Hawaii” and is a must for anyone interested in the Hawaiian and Polynesian culture. The museum was founded in 1889 in honor of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family.

Pearl Harbor
Approximately 15 kilometers west of Honolulu is the naval base of Pearl Harbor, on 7 December, 1941 a tragic target of a Japanese attack. Without declaration of war, the Japanese, the largest U.S. naval base attacked in the Pacific. In some 2,000 soldiers and civilians died, as well as other parts of Oahu were affected. In addition, there were about a thousand injured. Particularly tragic was the bombing of the battleship USS Arizona, which sank with 1177 men and it became the grave.

Since 1962, the USS Arizona Memorial commemorates the fatal attack. The monument was erected in the dock over the sunken battleship USS Arizona. The ship can be seen below come from the sea. Nearby is the USS Arizona since 1998, the museum ship USS Missouri, in 1945 the Japanese signed the unconditional surrender. Anyone interested in submarines, can visit the nearby USS Bowfin Submarine Museum.