Willemstad, Curaçao

Sunday, 7 Jan 2018 – This morning we set our alarm in order to meet with our excursion group after breakfast at 8:45 AM.  Sally prefers excursions that are short and that don’t start very early in the morning whenever possible, unless there is something that we consider really worth seeing.  And this was to be an “easy” 3-hour tour by bus, starting at 9:00 AM.

Our coach made its way through the winding streets of Willemstad's Otrobanda district, which was founded in 1707.  Our tour guide, “Fortina,” told us that Otrobanda means "The Other Side," referring to its location on the other side of the Punda district, which was formed more than 70 years earlier, when the Dutch wrested Curaçao from Spain.  We obtained a spectacular view of both districts while crossing the Queen Juliana Bridge, which soars 185 feet above St. Anna Bay.  Large ships can enter the harbor beneath this bridge, which is one of the world's tallest.  From that height, one can see Venezuela on a very clear day.  (Today was not quite clear enough.)

Fort Nassau

During a stop at Fort Nassau (erected in the early 1800s and housed a detachment of US Servicemen in WWII), our driver, “Jeremio” served us samples of Curaçao’s renowned liqueur, made with indigenous Laraha orange peels rather than orange flavoring.  The liqueur remains true to its original recipe, which was created in 1886.  Our guide told us that many orange trees had been planted here very early; however, the soil makes them extremely bitter, so that the only usable portion of the orange is the peel.

We stopped at the Curaçao Museum, which includes what the guide said is the world’s largest musical instrument, a fact that is probably debatable.  It is a carillon, which looks like a very primitive organ, and the bells which it operates are outside on the roof of the building.  In a separate building are the remains of a wooden airplane flown in the early 1930’s from Amsterdam to Curaçao over several days, making numerous stops along the way – a strange-looking airplane with no wings because they fell off at some time or other.

Dutch is the official language of Curaçao, but many people still speak the native language which is a mixture of tongues.

After returning to the ship and having lunch, Sally took a nap; then we danced, ate dinner at the Terrace Café, and then danced again before bed.