Curacao

February 3, 2009

Today we wake up and realize we get to visit this lovely city again. We really enjoyed it the last time we were here. Even though we really wanted to go back to the beach at Kon Tiki we also knew we really wanted to see the city.

This bus has a great quote on the side that we need on our buses "Don't Worry be Happy"

It is hot out today -- very hot so we head out on foot with lots of water.

One really cool thing here is they have a floating bridge that connects the two areas of the city. It opens when boats need to get thru and then there is a shuttle boat that ferries people over to the other side.





The cities buildings are beautiful vibrant colors that seem to work really well here in the Caribbean but I wonder how they would work here in Vancouver?

Lots of cafes/restaurants line the waterway. Makes me think of Quebec.

Since they are so close to Venezuela make vendors come over to Curacao and sell their fresh produce to the locals. They tie up their boat right beside this road and then open their stalls. It is called the "Floating Market"

Talk about fresh!


Here are the boats that are tied up beside the market (which is right behind the boats)



Here is a boat close up. They live on it while they are here at the market, heck maybe they live on it full time. You can see the laundry hanging on the right.

We went in search of the oldest Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Now both of us are Roman Catholic and were raised that way. We know nothing about the Jewish faith but were very interested in learning about this Synagogue. http://www.torahtots.com/timecapsule/curacao.htm

This is the oldest congregation in the Americas founded in 1651.

The floor of the synagogue has sand on it. The woodwork alone is stunning. We wished later that we would of had someone with us that could of explained some of the items.

Which way to????

We now wander the streets just checking things out. We walk over the to the enclosed Market - this is a relatively new market and the old market is across the street. The old market is just a covered building that is open on three sides. It is now a food fare type restaurant.

There are about six different restaurants with picnic table type tables. And the place is packed! We realize this is the place to eat! We find a vacant table and check out the menu, of course we aren't sure what to eat, but some of the people at our table make some recommendations.

Yummy

We ordered a chicken curry dish and shared it. It was huge and we couldn't even finish all of that. It was so good, my mouth is watering just thinking of it.

We are so full it is now time to start working off the lunch, so we head out on foot and walk all over! And I mean all over!

The city is beautiful. The architecture is amazing, and the colors.

By about three o'clock we are hot, tired and getting restless. Bernie is scouring the stores trying to find some souvenirs for his nephews and nieces. Vickie just walks around looking at everything and everyone and taking lots of pictures.

We start back towards the ship and stop at the stores near the ship. Bernie grabs some coffees and I see the ice cream parlor and grab an ice cream.