Nagasaki is our favourite city so far and today has been our favourite day. Overnight we cruised back into Japanese waters so we need to clear Japanese immigration again this morning before going ashore. This is quite a process and somewhat disorganized as it takes us over an hour to get off the ship. There is clearly a better way to do this but...... Once ashore, we are off and running. We are going it alone again today. The ship docks right in the city and there is a tram less than 500 metres away. The city sits on a series of hills overlooking the bay. Nagasaki is the setting for Puccini's "Madame Butterfly". Armed with our maps and tram day pass which costs ¥500 each, we get on our first tram, go 2 stops and the transfer to the next tram. From the get go today we like Nagasaki, it just feels comfortable and easy to get around. The fact that there is a lot more English as far as street signs, particularly signs to the main tourist sights probably makes a difference. Our first stop is the Peace Park . On August 9th 1945 an Atomic Bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. There is much conjecture and discussion around the dinner table as to if this should have taken place and whose the most brutal when it came to the war, but from a humane point of view, what happened here was incredibly cruel. As with all wars it's the innocent that get caught in the cross fire and it's for these people that were just going about their normal business on that day that we feel for. The Peace Park was created with the hope of world peace and in memory of the victims of the A-bomb. Considering the number of people present, it is a very quiet place, there is a fountain representing the wings of a dove and the huge peace statue. We walk onto to the hypocenter, the actual ground zero of where the bomb exploded 500 metres in the air. From there we went to the Nagasaki Bomb Museum. The museum has on display many items recovered after the bombing demonstrating the devastation. Some of the photos are quite graphic, besides the blast it was the heat of the radiation and subsequent fires that caused a huge amount of damage and human loss. There are stories of the horror that were written by people who were children at the time of the bombing that make you feel sick. At the time of the bombing, the population of Nagasaki was 240,000. The estimated number of deaths from the bombing was 74000 and injured 75000. The atrocities of war! Moving on we are heading to the Ropeway to take us to the top of Mt Inasa for a view of the city and surrounds. It's very hot today and although the humidity is high the skies are relatively clear so we are hoping for better views. We accidentally get off the tram too soon so we decide to walk rather than wait for the next one. We walk along the River and practise our "Japanese", evely wol we say svaps de r fo a l and de th fo a d. Anyone ristening as we wark wourd be dinking we a mad! We make ourselves laugh anyway. Nagasaki is very hilly and lots of steep paths and roads and lots of steps. First we come to a Shinto Shrine and along side of that is the entrance to the Ropeway. It's a quick 1km up the mountain and we arrive at the top about 333m above sea level. There is am observation tower that we walk up to get maximum views. It's is so beautiful. Back at street level it's to the tram and the next stop is to see the Site of the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan. Six foreign missionaries and 20 Japanese Christians were executed in accordance with Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ban on Christianity. Look him up, he was quite the charmer! While wandering around as we do, up hill and down dale we come across this magnificent temple. Fukusaiji Temple is just one of many temples in Nagasaki but its enormous statues on the roof are amazing. Back down again and on the tram towards the Nagasaki River to see the series if stone bridges, the most notable being Spectacles bridge because of the 2 arches reflecting in the water look like spectacles. The River is teeming with Japanese Koi and we even saw a turtle cruising along. It's a very lovely area and clearly very popular with locals and tourists. Our last place to visit is Shinchi Chinatown , it's one of Japans top 3. All aboard by 4.30 today so we head back to the ship. We are soaked in perspiration and a little hungry ( although Glenn did have his customary coffee and cake) so a quick shower and up to level 14 for some lunch. The Australia Network which is on our cabin TV has the footy so we have been able to keep up with the AFL results and we watched the last bit of the Port game. A drink is in order to celebrate the win and to watch as we sail out of Nagasaki. The show tonight was the Piano Man, a collection of songs by Elton John, Barry Manilow and Billy Joel. Again a great high energy show. Dinner is full of lively conversation about the days activities and lots of laughs. I think we clear our side of the dining room pretty quickly! A great end to a great day. Happy Fathers Day! Cruise day tomorrow so will be taking it easy. Maybe a bit of vegetable carving or ukulele lessons.......bingo oh the choices are endless.