Had a series of vivid dreams but slept pretty well. Ann was snoring heavily in the night, but I nudged her and that seemed to stop it. We got up in plenty of time to finish packing and cleaning before walking to the subway station. Subway to the Nara Line, where we used our passes to get to Kyoto Station. Once there, we boarded a train (no need to leave and re-enter the gates) for Shin Osaka Station, and that trip went smoothly. Once at the station, we showed our tickets to a JR agent and had time to get a coffee before boarding a Shinkansen train to Hiroshima (max speed = 170 mph). That also went smoothly. Took about an hour and a half to get to Hiroshima Station. Once there, we needed the help of a JR agent to get through the gate, not great. Then Ann got the tickets for tomorrow's train to Osaka in the afternoon. We followed directions to the Airbnb, not too long a walk after getting off the streetcar (used our Suica cards), and after Ann found the instructions we were able to get into unit. It's nice, has a small living room and a bedroom loft. Dropped our stuff off and headed to a purported Tex-Mex restaurant for lunch. Longer walk there, food was acceptable, not great, but the decor and vibe were quite nice. This place apparently is a hub for music, including blues, and a number of recognizable names of musicians were written on the walls. After lunch, we walked over to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, where we split up. I went into the museum, and Ann walked a little in the park before heading back. The museum exhibits were grim, as expected. It was crowded but well laid out. Video recollections of survivors were especially compelling, as were the pictures of devastation to both people and buildings. I saw most everything there, then walked around the park grounds as well, looking at the Victims Memorial Cenotaph, Eternal Flame of Peace, Children's Peace Monument, and Atomic Bomb Dome. The last one was an especially grim reminder of the physical damage done by the bomb blast. That was enough for me for the day, so I walked the short distance back to our Airbnb, where Ann was just returning from a visit to Shukkein Garden. We dropped our stuff off and went to a market that was very close by for some dinner and breakfast stuff. It was a quiet evening, Ann slept in a separate bed to try and keep me from catching what she has.
A note on health. After my nap yesterday, I felt a little off, was worried that I might be coming down with Ann's cold. But it didn't get worse. I've had a little bit of sniffles and occasional sneezing but no cough or congestion. Fingers crossed.
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