Curacao

Curacao was our last port, and to tell the truth, we were kind of snorkeled-out. Luckily, we had planned a trolley ride followed by some shopping. I love my hiking boots! Feet be so happy, no matter how much we walk. Remember, you can click on any picture to see a larger, more detailed version.
Here's the new public library. Construction went so far over budget, there was no money leftover for books. Local schoolchildren donated theirs.
A tremendous amount of renovation is going on.
Another pretty building. I really liked the round windows. We sat in the last seat, facing backward, for the trolley ride. The people in the cars behind us waved and made funny faces. Most of the people on the street also waved hello.
The Church of the Holy Rosary, a Catholic church. The island is 85% Catholic. Karen felt right at home. There was no holy water at the door, though. Why not? Because they keep the windows open, and they can't stop birds from living in the rafters and using the holy water for a bird bath! So now they have holy water available only for services.
A beautiful mahogany sculpture donated by the Germans, but I can't remember why.
I wish we had had time to light a candle (like we did at Notre Dame) but the trolley bell tolled and we had to hustle.
The front doors. Gosh, I'd love to go back there. The streets were so clean, and the people so friendly. Everyone smiled and waved hello.
Karen got a new St. Christopher's medal (patron saint of travelers) here from the Little Switzerland store. Almost every other jewelry shop owner pointed out he's no longer an official Catholic saint! But it's hard to give up your favorite saint. Do you know why St. Chris got de-sainted? Well, the Pope and St. Chris went on a car trip together...
Now we are in the oldest Jewish Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. The floor was sand! What a shock. Our guide gave us three sound religious reasons for the sand, but unfortunately they ran out of my head like grains of sand from a colander.
This floating bridge lets you cross the channel to get from the ship to the shopping district. The bridge continues moving toward the left until completely aligned with the dock. Locals don't wait for complete alignment and just jump across to carry on with their day. See the little yellow house on the right? That's where the operator sits. He drives the bridge!
This is the far side of the bridge. Notice the wheel running on the track to the right of the picture. This side of the bridge is connected to the land. The other side kind of floats free. When the bridge is closed, the far side meets the land under the last orange roof to the right.
As we walked back to the ship, we stopped for this shot. The colors are so striking, and the edges of the building look like decorated cakes. Ferries are available for free to take you across in case you are lazy or the bridge is open.
Very pretty shot from the upper deck as we prepare to leave. The man is Pierre, who had a crush on Louis. He really made a nuisance of himself. We backed out of the channel and didn't turn around till we were well out to sea. It was very cool. Reminded me of my driveway at home.