Willemstad (Punda Side), Curacao
We had heard about the island of Curacao for a long time. We saw travel shows about it on TV with the Burt Wolf episode foremost among them. We knew about the strong Dutch influence in the country. When our ship docked at the port we knew right away we were going to have a good time exploring the city of Willemstad. Many people on board sounded very excited. Some even commented that it was the best port of call our ship was making. It was certainly helpful that the cruise ship terminal was right in the city center and that there was no need to take a shuttle or cab. We simply needed to walk much to our delight.
The Grand Princess docked in Willemstad
At the cruise terminal in Willemstad
The cruise ship terminal was adjacent to RIF Fort.
Marc and I at RIF Fort
At RIF Fort
RIF Fort
A partial view of the City of Willemstad, the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, and other cruise ships from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity docked right smack in the city center
Taken from the RIF Fort
RIF Fort was a large complex made up of upscale duty free shops, a hotel, and restaurants.
Here's a view of what was within the fort before everything opened in the morning and prior to rush hour.
Inside RIF Fort
Palm trees were everywhere inside RIF Fort
My favorite duty free shop, Little Switzerland, had a branch here. Given that Curacao was a former colony of the Netherlands, the Dutch presence is very strong here. In fact, there were thousands of Dutch nationals around town when we arrived. Many of the stores in RIF Fort were owned and run by the Dutch.
There was one beautiful abstract painting of the Curacao countryside by an amateur Dutch painter in one gallery here. I inquired about the price just in case it was within my reach. However, it turned out to be $14,000.
This was the painting. Marc took a picture of it in the morning before the gallery even opened. He took the picture with the glass door in between the camera and the painting hence the blurriness.
On the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge which connected Punda and Otrobanda
Marc on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
The Penha Building
The very historic and centuries old Penha Building is now an upscale department store selling American and European brands of clothes, shoes, and perfume on the Punda side of the city.
It was here inside the Penha Building where I had my first contact with a local. I spoke to her in Spanish when I inquired about a French men's cologne. It didn't surprise me though given the island's proximity to Venezuela and the South American continent. However, Dutch, Papiamento, and English were likewise spoken by many citizens of Curacao and I could hear them speaking in these languages in the open air market, the restaurants, and the museums.
Marc on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge with a view of the historic Penha Building
Marc and I on the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge with a view of the Dutch styled buildings on Handelskade.
A side view of the Penha Building on the corner of Handelskade and Breedestraat
More buildings lining Handelskade
Dutch style houses turned commercial buildings on Handelskade
Handelskade
The heart of downtown. Willemstad is a shopper's paradise. Everywhere you look, there are stores. The best buys for me here were the Swiss watches. I went to Macy's in Union Square prior to the cruise and I took note of the prices of the watches I hoped to buy in the Caribbean. I ended up buying two of the same brand which was featured and highly recommended in GQ magazine as one of the luxury Swiss watches there is. I bought one in yellow gold and another one in white gold. Who wouldn't, anyway? US prices were almost double the price. Here I was able to buy two for the price of one.
On Breedestraat, one of Willemstad main shopping streets
The Dutch influence in Curacao is strong without any doubt. I once spent an entire summer in the Netherlands back in the 1990s and it felt like I was in Europe here in this Caribbean island.
This is where I bought my watches. Oh what a bargain!
Street Art
The street where you will see the flower art
These bells on the side of one building ring every hour on the hour in downtown Punda, Willemstad. The sound was music to our ears.
Open air restaurants were plentiful in Punda, Willemstad
This is Brreedestraat. Walk down this street and you end up on Handelskade. Can you see the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge in the very end?
I believe this was a bank
This clock tower was located in front of the bank in the previous photo
Another city street in the Punda side. We saw the golden arches of McDonald's here too.
More scenes from the Punda side of the city
The San Marcos Hotel and Casino
Temple Emmanuel
A side and rear view of the Temple Emmanuel now an office building
Information about the split of the Dutch Reformed Israeli Community Emmanuel from the Orthodox Community, Mikve Israel
The waterfront arches, site of chi chi restaurants and art galleries
This bust and monument to another local statesman is near the waterfront arches.
The were bars and cafes in the alleys too.
The monument of a local statesman
The monument of Dr. Moises Frumencio Da Costa Gomez
Thank goodness for the inscription at the base of the statue. Otherwise I would have forgotten who this statue was dedicated to.
A botica
As far as I know, a botica is a pharmacy. As a child growing up in Manila and surrounded by relatives from Philippine provinces where Spanish was spoken widely, I often heard them talk of going to the botica to buy medicine. It is the very archaic form of saying pharmacy in Spanish. Everyone says "farmacia" now in modern Castillian.
My favorite duty free store in the Caribbean, Little Switzerland.
I bought my very first luxury watch, a Gucci, from their branch in the French island of St. Barts, years ago.
This chain of boutiques is actually owned by Tiffany and Co. of New York which also has a branch in San Francisco's Union Square
The main entrance to the famous and chi chi Little Switzerland, supposedly owned by Tiffany and Co.
Crowds shopping
On the day we docked in Willemstad, there were other cruise ships docked there too. With the arrival of cruise ships, come hordes of tourists ready to shop and shop.
Musicians playing Caribbean music to the delight of visitors and locals alike
Marc wanted to taste the Pastechi, a local dish, similar to the Filipino and South American empanada. We actually bought two and the food was indeed the Curacao version of our empanada or empanaditas as some Mexican families would call them. The US Dollar was widely accepted. We didn't need to change money into the local currency.
Can you read this? What does it say? I can't read Dutch, you see.
The green colored Maritime Museum building on the right
The Maritime Museum
One of the many quaint looking bridges in Willemstad
A rear view of the Farmer's Market. There were vessels docked right behind the stalls. Many had come from Venezuela to sell their fresh produce here.
At the Farmer's Market. A lot of the produce for sale here come from nearby Venezuela.
The boats of the merchants from Venezuela
The Main Post Office in downtown Willemstad near the Farmer's Market
The Post Office Museum
The Telecom Museum
Another street in downtown where many locals shopped
The statue of a woman holding a flower. Located on the corner of Handelskade and Breedestraat, the main street in Punda
A covered stand for police. Given the heat in the Cari
A clock tower in the middle of town close to Fort Amsterdam
A partial view of the facade of Fort Amsterdam
Inside the courtyard of Fort Amsterdam
At Fort Amsterdam
A canon at Fort Amsterdam
The windows at Fort Amsterdam
A scene at Fort Amsterdam
One of the many green doors to match the green windows at Fort Amsterdam
One of the major attractions for visitors to Curacao is the Mikve Israel-Emmanuel Synagogue.
It was a medium sized synagogue and definitely worth seeing in the island.
The sign pointing to the entrance of the synagogue
Me about to enter the synagogue
Inside the Jewish Synagogue with a partial view of the San Marcos Hotel and Casino in the background
A partial view of the street from inside the Jewish Synagogue
The arch of the main entrance to the synagogue
The main entrance of the synagogue
Here we are by the very main entrance of synagogue. It was the third synagogue for us to visit on this cruise. Who would have thought there would be this many in this part of the world?
The Tebah or Reader's Forum with two wooden columns supporting the synagogue's gallery
Notice that the floor here was completely covered with sand just like the one in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Inside the synagogue.
I never realized we'd see so many Jewish temples in the Caribbean. We saw one in Barbados, another one in the US Virgin Islands, and now in Curacao.
Marc finally giving in to having his picture taken inside the synagogue
A view of the the interior of the synagogue
Another view of the interior of the synagogue with its sand covered floors, brass chandeliers, Tebah, and balcony
There was a museum within the premises of the synagogue
In front of the museum
These carved stones are like pieces of artwork. These were actually the gravestone markers of early Dutch settlers buried in Willemstad
More gravestone markers
This reminds me of the ones I saw in a small church in Malacca. The city was likewise colonized by the Dutch and one church there likewise had lots of gravestones just like these ones marking the people who lived and died there.
One of the plaques next to one of the gravestone markers
The bath in the courtyard of the Jewish Cultural Historical Museum
Time to take the ferry to go to the Otrobanda side of the city.
One of the many ferries that transported locals and tourists from Punda to Otrobanda and back
There were ferries that took people regularly from the Punda side of town to Otrobanda and vice versa. I believe the ride was free and quick. The ferry ride was one option to cross town should one decide not to go where the Emma Pontoon Bridge was and then cross.
The ferry stop
Taken aboard ferry right before the quick canal crossing to Otrobanda. Take a load of the school of fish which can be seen from the crystal blue waters of Curacao. Impressive, huh?
Next stop, the Otrobanda side of Willemstad