Urbex in Curacao...

Abandoned buildings have always held a certain allure to Jimmy. Years ago, while pushing Veronica in a baby jogger during a hash, he went into a shopping center in Durham that was slated for demolition. During another hash in Durham, he climbed up onto the roof of an old cigarette factory. Now, it turns out that there’s an official name for this hobby: urban exploration or urbex. When he noticed a large abandoned complex near our hotel, he couldn’t resist taking the girls for a little exploring. Using clues from a variety of rooms, they felt like detectives as they tried to piece together what this unfinished hotel was used for. You can see more photos and what they concluded this complex was used for on a blog Veronica set up.

Laughs Amongst the Ruins...

As you know, it doesn’t take much to amuse us and potty humor usually qualifies. Jimmy and the girls cracked up when they saw this sign in the ruins of an unfinished hotel.

Queen’s Day in the Caribbean...

When I realized that we would be in Curacao for Queen’s Day on April 30, I jumped on the Internet to see what kind of celebrations, if any, to expect. Similar to Holland, the night before the Queen’s birthday celebration is a big night to party. Jimmy and I left the girls behind and found a nearby beach cafe where we danced to a great piano player along with two back-up singers. Then on Queen’s Day, we went into Willemstad to check out the yard sales and happenings in the capital city. Didn’t buy anything used, but did find a new skimpy dress for Jimmy for the next Red Dress Hash; the poor salesgirl nearly had a heart attack when she realized the dress was for him instead of me.

Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge...

Pedestrians normally cross St Anna Bay between the two parts of Willemstad using the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. Originally built in 1888 and rebuilt in 2005, it consists of 16 floating pontoon boats; it is one of the oldest and longest non-military pontoon bridges in the world. Pedestrians had to pay a toll between 1901 and 1934 unless they were barefoot. Here you see the bridge resting open along the Otrobanda waterfront. Veronica and I braved the ferry that runs when the bridge is unaccessible. Since 1974, cars use the Queen Juliana Bridge soaring 185 feet above sea level (the highest bridge in the Caribbean and one of the highest in the world).

You can see the closed bridge in the distance behind the family. We enjoyed watching from the balcony of the De Gouverneur Restaurant as it swung (with pedestrians aboard) partially open to allow some boats through.

Colonial Architecture...

I gave Veronica the job of playing navigator as we followed a walking tour to see some of the colonial architecture around Willemstad. The buildings on the Punda side tended to be in better condition, including the lovely building on the left that was built in 1864 to house Temple Emanuel. It was a synagogue until 1964, when the congregation reunited with another, and now houses government offices.

Too Many Twisted Streets...

Veronica led us successfully on the architecture walk while on the Punda side, but the map was a bit harder to follow on the Otrobanda side so I took over as navigator. It didn’t take me long to get us lost within the twisted alleyways. Once we saw the sign on this dilapidated building that means Guesthouse Street, we knew it was time to find our way back to a main road. Turned out it was the perfect road because there was a fancy dress shop and Veronica found a beautiful dress for the big Year 9 (8th grade) end-of-year celebration. After shopping, we had a nice lunch along the waterfront.

Exploring Willemstad...

While Ashlynn & Jimmy went off in search of adventure (they tried to go windsurfing, but ending up going out on a Vespa to an ostrich farm without a camera), Veronica and I took the shuttle into the nearby capital city of Willemstad (with a population of 140,000). This city is made up of two distinctive parts separated by a bay, both of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of their architecture. Here you see Punda (the point), established by the Dutch in 1634.
Across the water is Otrabanda (the other side) founded in 1707 and considered the working class side of the city.