Parrots and Small Animals Sanctuary (4)
by Torsten Daerr
The women go topside where they are joined by a couple from
Holland, Pieter and Mari.
Willemstad, Curacao
They all say goodbye after agreeing to get together later on the ship. Donita and Sandra cross the floating bridge, then pay for a guided tour of the area. They visit the oldest Jewish Temple in the America, see the floating market lines de Ruyterkade, where small boats arrive daily laden with fresh produce and fish. The driver takes them through the Scharloo and Pietermaai Districts where mansions which date from the 1700’s have been restored. Then they go to the Kura Hulanda Hotel and Museum. They soberly look at the exhibits of African slave trade. A guide gives them a leaflet to read. Then they go back to the ship.
While waiting for Pieter and Mari, Sandra and Donita read the information from the museum:
Pieter: Willemstad reminds me a lot of Holland. Mari: Except for the pastel colored buildings, right?
Donita: Are the houses anything like this in Holland? Mari: The architecture is very similar, but most people don’t have porches, shutters or the verandas. Pieter: The weather is not this warm so most people don’t sit around too much. They like to be outside hiking or riding bikes. Sandra: Look, they’re throwing the lines toward the dock... that man is tying the ropes to the back of the trucks... now the trucks are driving across the pier. So that’s how they tie up the ship! Pieter: Mari and I were here three years ago and really enjoyed seeing the floating market, and the museums. You might want to go just west of the floating bridge to the Ortabanda district. Mari: In the 17th century it was a place of quarantine for lepers. In the center of the square, is a statue of Pedro Luis Brion, one of Curacao’s most beloved historical figures. Donita: What did he do? Pieter: He lead the islanders in a fight against the British in the 19th century. Then he went to join the Venezuelan freedom fighters. Mari: It’s very easy to get lost in the area, but the maze-like design was done on purpose. It was thought to be an easy way to stop invaders who would find it easier to pillage along neatly aligned streets. Sandra: A very smart plan! Mari: Some people say Curacao is a “cross” between South America and the Caribbean Sea. Donita: Why is that? Mari: There seems to be more than 40 different cultures that are represented here. Sandra: What languages are spoken? Pieter: Dutch, English and French. Donita: Are we ready to go ashore? All: Yes, let’s go!
Willemstad, Curacao
They all say goodbye after agreeing to get together later on the ship. Donita and Sandra cross the floating bridge, then pay for a guided tour of the area. They visit the oldest Jewish Temple in the America, see the floating market lines de Ruyterkade, where small boats arrive daily laden with fresh produce and fish. The driver takes them through the Scharloo and Pietermaai Districts where mansions which date from the 1700’s have been restored. Then they go to the Kura Hulanda Hotel and Museum. They soberly look at the exhibits of African slave trade. A guide gives them a leaflet to read. Then they go back to the ship.
While waiting for Pieter and Mari, Sandra and Donita read the information from the museum:
C1000 BC Caiquetios communities on Cauracao 1AD Arawak tribes reach Curacao. Caiquetios people vanished. 1514 Spaniards name the Lesser Antiles Islas Inutiles useless islands 1515 European colonists kidnap indigenous Americans for slavery 1516 Colonization begins on Curacao 1634 Aruba and Curacao are Dutch possessions 1636 Dutch forces expelled from St. Maarten, move to Aruba and claim land. 1648 ABC islands unite as Curacao 1805 British control ABC islands during Napoleonic Wars 1815 Dutch regain control 1824 Gold is discovered on Aruba 1828 Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Dutch Guiana unite as Dutch West Indies 1863 Slaaves emancipated 1922 Islands become overseas region of Netherlands 1924 Oil is discovered 1948 Dutch islands are renamed Netherlands Antilles, Guiana becomes Suriname
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