Carnival Breeze – Day 5 – Curacao

Posted by Sparky on April 17, 2015

The Breeze at night

The Queen Emma Bridge

Curacao was another first-time visit for us. It was an unusual docking as we were ashore late – departure was 10pm. That gave us a rare view of our cruise ship at night.

I had seen the photos of the colorful buildings along the harbor in Curacao and seeing them in person didn’t disappoint. But I was not prepared for the drawbridge. I am talking about the Queen Emma Bridge, a floating pedestrian drawbridge that spans the harbor – a distance of over 500 feet. Rather than lifting to let a ship pass under, it pivots on the far end until it hugs the shore, then, when the ship has passed, swings back again. Think matador.

The Queen Emma, opened

At the time we docked I was vaguely aware of the existence of a bridge across the harbor, but thought that it was for automobile traffic. Jett and I tried to get a taxi to downtown, but the dispatcher looked at us like we were crazy (ok, he actually looked at us like we were stupid, but I’m trying to maintain my dignity) and said that we would be better off walking – about a 10 minute stroll. When I later realized that automobiles must go several miles further than a pedestrian to get to the same place, I understood. Not only was walking cheaper and healthier, it was also faster.

So we strolled. And just as we started across the bridge, bells started ringing and the gate closed. I figured that something was going to happen, but didn’t know what. I certainly didn’t expect the bridge to swing like a garden gate. Then, when the bridge started moving, I wondered how long we would be delayed in getting downtown. This was one of those moments when it pays to be a lemming, because the (sizable) crowd started moving, en masse, upstream. We joined the flow and found a ferry waiting, just past the point where the end of the fully opened drawbridge came to a rest. We hopped on board and, in about 5 minutes, were deposited on the opposite shore.

Downtown from the opposite shore

Curacao is Dutch, but in many ways it reminded me of Bermuda, a very British island. Both have colorful buildings, both are very clean, both have very civil drivers and both have no night life. We had a beer and a coffee (I will let you decide who had which) and wandered about a bit shopping and looking for a post office. But at 6pm the place shut down. Never mind that 3,000 affluent cruise passengers were in town and eager to spend.

We were not ready for a full meal, but if we had wanted a bite, then I could have had the barracuda. I was tempted to order a plate, just to see what it was like, but, like rattlesnake bites, it will have to wait.

More colorful buildings

Barracuda on the menu

While we were in downtown, the Star Clipper docked. This is a very cool cruise ship. We will have to look into booking a future trip on it. It is very photogenic.