Curacao

Floating Market, Willemstad

I find myself with a little time on the first day of my next vacation so why not write about another stop from my last vacation (The Doors of Cartagena, Cruise Ship Dos and Cruise Ship Don'ts, Aruba Waves).  As to why I have a little time, while let's just chalk it up to a reservation snafu and my not looking quite trustworthy enough to  be let into the room without having my name on the reservation.  Not the best scenario when you are talking about an old school Casino on Las Vegas with lots of smokers.    Sigh.

The third stop (I think -- they all run together) on my Panama Cruise with the intrepid Nancy B (aka the B) was Curacao.

CFS Panavera

We did the tour that included the Hato Caves and then a walking tour of Willemstad (the capital) with a little bit of time on our own to walk back to the ship.   We learned a lot of facts about both the caves and the town on our tour -- none of which I can remember!  Suffice it to say that Willemstad is drop dead gorgeous with its multi-hued architecture.  Established by the Netherlands as a trading outpost in 1634, the town is a UNESCO world heritage site.  Like Cartagena, it was just full of color.

Queen Emma Floating Bridge

My favorite moment may have been the stately exit from the harbor of the CFS Panavera -- a huge cargo ship -- and watching the Queen Emma Floating Pontoon Bridge open and close to allow the ship to pass.  Or maybe it was the two iguanas sunning near our cruise ship.  It certainly was not the angry looking crabs that populated a small cement dock (also near our ship).

Curacao Crabs

It's on my list of places to return to for a longer stay -- there are something like 55 beaches to explore and a lot more time to spend wandering the streets of beautiful Willemstad.

More photos from Curacao (and maybe even one of the elusive intrepid Nancy B).