Aruba, The Happy Island in the Caribbean- Travel #6
Dear Steemit friends, Gemma here, let me take you to my happy place...well everyone's happy place, Aruba the happy island. Aruba is known as one happy island. Aruba is a little Dutch island located in the southern Caribbean Sea about 29 kilometres (18 miles) off the north coast of Venezuela. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba measures approximately 32 kilometres (20 miles) long from its north-western point to its south-eastern end and only 10 kilometres (6 miles) across at its widest point. Together with Curacao and Bonaire, Aruba forms a group of islands referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, Aruba and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often referred to as the Dutch Caribbean. Aruba is one of the four countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, together with the Netherlands, Curacao, and St Maarten. The citizens of these countries are all Dutch nationals.
To find me, look for my Chihuahua's face
Map of Aruba
The capital of Aruba is Oranjestad. It is a gorgeous city filled with an abundant variety of shops, restaurants and cafes. Oranjestad has a combination of high fashion brands, labels as well as local market stalls. Ladies, it is a shoppers paradise so make sure you put some money away for some retail therapy. Speaking of money, the official local currency in Aruba is the Florin which is fixed to the US Dollar at US$1 is to 1.79 Florin. However, like most islands in the Caribbean the US dollar is widely used and accepted. Be aware that in some outlets even if you pay in US dollar you may receive change in Florin so credit cards are also a popular choice. Men, not to worry the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino is right smack bang in the centre of Oranjestad's shopping district so you can catch up with the boys here. The Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino is also great for its rooftop infinity pool overlooking the ocean, it can be accessed even if you are not a guest at the hotel, they have a delectable menu of light meals and cocktails. A great place to reunite with the family if you have spilt up during the day to enjoy different activities.
Main street, Orjanjestad
Aruba Bank
Aruba Streetcar System, The Electric Tram
Here I am enjoying the sights in this beautiful city
The Aruba streetcar system is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and it is completely free to ride. There are a couple of different types of streetcar in operation as you can see from my photographs above, a mixture of a double decker and regular single deck. These streetcars have intense appeal to cruise ship passengers as they offer free transportation to and from the main street downtown area in a loop with the cruise ship terminal. The streetcars can be boarded right outside the cruise port's main gate making it super convenient if you have done lots of shopping or if you have difficulties with walking. The streetcars run from 10am to 5pm and arrive every 25 minutes. Don't be fooled by the streetcar's classic vintage design, it runs on electricity. This makes them environmentally friendly whilst not adopting a modern feel, I love the classic design of the streetcars, it complements the city beautifully.
Getting to Aruba, you can fly onto Aruba from destinations in South America, Europe and North America. You will fly into Reina Beatrix International Airport which is only a short 10 minute drive away from the beautiful shopping area. Another great option and always my preference for travel is by cruise liner. You can call me a princess but I do prefer travelling on a 5 star floating resort as my mode of transportation over a claustrophobic metal tube in the sky. I travelled on the beautiful Carnival Sunshine.
Welcome sign in the Cruise ship terminal
The Carnival Sunshine, recognise the famous unmistakable red, white and blue funnel
The Renaissance Marina is a beautiful place to tie up your luxury yacht or just to peruse at them. It is located along the waters edge of Oranjestad. The ships moor within walking distance from the shopping centres and only a short 10 minute drive from the famous beaches. After Europe, the Caribbean is the second-most popular getaway for the wealthiest travellers. Tourism boosted on Aruba after a certain Beach Boys song introduced this small tropical paradise to the world. Every visit to Aruba is different as the country is definitely pumping money into development. I just hope this tropical paradise doesn't turn into a bustling metropolis and keeps its relaxed island vibe.
Enjoying the sights of the harbour
Aruba has a rich, multicultural past that is reflected in it's timeless architecture, flavoursome cuisine and it's warm, welcoming people. It began as a fishing outpost for Amerindians and has changed territory multiple times between the Spanish, British and Dutch throughout history. It is now a diverse constituent country of the Netherlands.
When explorer Alonso de Ojeda discovered Aruba in 1499, he claimed it for Spain, naming it “la isla de los gigantes,” or “the island of giants” after it's tall inhabitants. After Aruba was claimed by Spain in 1499, it became a centre of piracy and smuggling. In 1636 it was taken by the Dutch and occupied by the Dutch West India Company, they established a naval base during their 80-year war with Spain. Aruba came briefly under British rule during the Napoleonic Wars but was returned to the Netherlands in 1816. There are a few theories as to how Aruba got its final name, one is that it comes from the Indian word "oruba" which means "well placed "and another possible derivation of the name is from two Carib Indian words "ora" meaning "shell", and "oubao" meaning "island. Whichever the case may be, Aruba is a beautiful well placed island full of shells.
I love Aruba and you will too
Parliament house
One of the most striking aspects of Aruba is its colourful, intensely detailed architecture. Dating back centuries, houses not only have been built as shelter but also as expressions of individualism. Aruba is no exception to this tendency. One of the oldest homes in Aruba was built from caliche which is a crusty calcium substance found in the southeast hills of the island, and still stands today. Slanting roofs are found in many Aruban homes allowing heat to rise whilst the windows were kept small to keep in the cool. The oldest remnant of Dutch architecture is Fort Zoutman and the Willem III Tower which were completed in 1796. Fort Zoutman was named after a Dutch Rear Admiral who had outwitted a British convoy on the North Sea during the 4th British War, the tower is situated on what was then the shoreline and is armed with four cannons. I have always been fascinated by architecture, it really tells a story and gives us a snapshot of a time long past. A wise man once said, to even begin to forge a future, we must understand the past.
With all of Aruba's rich culture and diverse history of ownership, you may be wondering what language they speak, well the official language is Dutch, but English and Spanish as well as a local dialect called Papiamento are spoken. Today's Arubans are generally of mixed ancestry of Caquetio Indian, African and European. Now I have told you all about the happy island, you are probably wondering when the best time to visit Aruba, well the answer is, anytime really, the weather is hot and dry most of the year and Aruba lies outside the belt of hurricanes so you don't have to worry about that. An interesting time of year to visit and to be culturally awakened would be for the Aruba Carnival. It is a thrilling show of over-the-top pageantry, produced by thousands uniting the entire country. On November 11, 1966 (11/11/66) at 11:11 am, Stichting Arubaanse Carnaval (SAC), Carnival’s organizing body, was founded. Each year, the Carnival season officially begins at this precise moment.
Well there you have it, I hope you have enjoyed my blog on one happy island, Aruba, thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you, until next time, Vegoutt Everybody!!
!steemitworldmap 12.301094 lat -69.781036 long Welcome to Aruba, one happy island d3scr
Truly an island of happiness. Great place to stay.
Great pictures and post.
@nilpan thank you! It is a gorgeous place
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@originalworks thank you
Thank you @upgoat
Awesome post, love the pictures. Will definitely go there someday, hopefully on a cruise myself 😊👍
@karliesadventure thank you! I hope you get to visit this beautiful island, it’s very unique 😊✌️
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This is a cool post. You provide a lot of information here. As one of the editors for @steemitworldmap’s daily #traveldigest, I would love to see this post pop up on http://steemitworldmap.com. If you're interested, simply go to the website, click on code (down the bottom) and add a short description. It will then generate the code you need to copy and paste into your post (not the comments) to have it show up on steemit worldmap. There’s also a FAQ section if you get a bit lost.
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@choogirl thank you very much!! That’s awesome! I appreciate you putting me on the map. I have a few other posts on the Caribbean I’d love for you to check out. Thank you
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i’d love to visit Aruba someday. My mother does every year and absolutely loves it. Your pictures are great, thanks for sharing
@jeffjagoe you have to visit, you’re Mum is right to love it, it is gorgeous. Thank you for reading
Oh i really need a vacation now that I've seen your post. :/
@vegetarianbaker definitely Vacations are fun! Come on one with me! I see you’re a vegan too that’s awesome! I actually have published a vegan cookbook available on Amazon.com called Vegoutt Monkey Bites tastes of Asia. I’d love to try some of your desserts
Oh nice. I'm working on my first one, but financially it's taken a step on the back burner.
Totally understand,all the best with it, I’m sure you’ll do great
Thank you. Let me check out your book on amazon. May give it out in a contest in the future on youtube or instagram.
That would be amazing thank you so much. Do you have the same name on YouTube? I have a YouTube channel too called Vegoutt and instagram vegoutt_gem_winchester
I'm TheVegetarianBaker on YouTube and @vegetarianbaker on Instagram :)
Found you! Thank you, amazing to connect, you’re awesome
Wow, I never thought of going to Aruba but after this post, I feel like I will definitely have to do that. It's such an amazing place - at least, this is what I can tell by looking at photos :) I didn't visit many islands, but it seems like I should definitely do that. Thanks a lot and good luck on your ventures :)
@mrpapuga thank you for reading, yes you definitely should visit, it’s a very interesting and beautiful place. Each island in the Caribbean is so different from each other, it’s amazing to experience them.
@vegoutt-travel great post, thank you for sharing your adventure with us, cannot wait to see what else Gemma gets up to on her travels!
@nikonmarshall thank you very much! I look forward to sharing more of my travels with you