3/1/13

Willemstad, Curacao.

Third call today and in port so, off we go.  We woke up, ate breakfast and headed out for a day of walking aimlessly around Willemstad, just the way I like it. 

I like Curacao, at least the parts I saw.  We stuck around town mostly.  We crossed the pontoon bridge, Queen Emma bridge.  It is a large pedestrian bridge that has a pivot point on one end.  It spans the channel from the sea.  When a boat comes through, an alarm sounds, the gate closes and if you are stuck on the bridge, you ride it out as the pontoon bridge swings open like a gate until the boat or ship is through and then swings closed again.  The kids were disappointed that they didn't get to ride it.  We just missed it once though. 

We wandered over to the floating market which is where boats laden with fish, fresh fruits and other produce pull in and open stalls on the street to sell their goods.  One guy charged us one dollar for three bananas.  I didn't want to argue with him, so we left in search of a better deal.  It wasn't long before we were hungry.  You can use Dutch Guilders or US dollars here.  Most of the stall were apparently going to require some haggling and the restaurants were aimed toward the higher end dining so we found a McDonalds and gave in.  Yep, I used to groan when Pat and Ali over at Bumfuzzle raved about Macca's, but I think I get it now.  I think it would be different if it weren't for the kids, but I get it. 

After lunch we wandered some more and ran into Emma, not the queen for whom the bridge is named, but the Club HAL worker who is better than a queen to the kids anyway.  She bummed around with us for a while too just reveling in being off the ship and away from people asking us which way is forward and how to get to the Vista lounge.  We took her through the sites we had found that morning and just enjoyed the day. 

A few notes about Curacao.  The people seem really friendly and nice.  They saved places in line for strangers at a crowded McDonalds.  There were a ton of high school kids around as it was lunchtime and it seems as though they all went to Macca's for lunch.  Everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves.  They don't, however, seem to understand how trash cans work.  There is a ton of litter everywhere.  Same for Aruba really.  The plastic bag epidemic is pretty bad around here. 

And now, if I can get them to upload, the pictures.

OK, after an hour of trying, not one picture was fully uploaded. 

I will try more later.

And this is a three picture series:  "From the Left"  But seriously, I didn't intend them to all be from that perspective, it just kind of happened that way. If I get a chance, I think a close up of the details on some of the graffitti would be a fun picture.