Thursday, November 15, 2007

Willemstad, Curacao, Netherland Antilles

We were in Curacao (the "Amsterdam of the Caribbean") once before and found this small Dutch island fascinating. The ships dock right in town; so the passengers can go on and off the ship for short walking excursions. As one disembarks, he/she walks the length of a couple of football fields passing literally hundreds of "craft market" venders. One could (and THIS one probably WILL) spend a couple of hours browsing there.


Then, when the mood strikes, the cruiser can walk across the swing bridge into the regular downtown area of Curacao. There are more local artisans hawking their goods on the streets there, but there are also regular department stores, restaurants, and shops.



This photo is taken from the area where the cruise ships dock and shows the swinging Emma Bridge and the city of Willemstad main street.


Last time we were here we took a tram tour of the city; this time we plan to take a shuttle to Mambo Beach to spend a couple of hours enjoying the turquoise waters and white sand before coming back to the ship for lunch. DH will probably stay aboard for the afternoon while I go back and browse the shops and craft stalls in Willemstad. Here's a picture I found on the internet of Mambo Beach, which is South of Willemstad.

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