April 4th cont'd - We then visited an old 17th century Spanish fort called Santa Rosa where Luisa Caceres de Arismendi, a national heroine, was imprisoned in 1815. Just sixteen years old and pregnant, she was incarcerated here as her husband, General Juan Bautista de Arismendi, was planning a battle against the Spanish, and her Spanish captors wanted information as to where he was hiding. She refused to betray her husband, was tortured, and subsequently lost her baby. However, she was freed later, rejoined her husband, allegedly had eleven children, and lived to a good age. We saw the windowless room in the fort where she was held prisoner. There is a statue of her in Bolivar Square in La Asuncion.

We were then taken to a shopping area in the neighbouring countryside where we saw colorful parrots and were able to sample free orange rum, a specialty of the island. Our last stop was to tour the home of Juan and Luisa de Arismendi, filled with many excellent paintings of the couple plus a number of other Venezuelan generals. The home is furnished in the Latinista colonial style of the early 19th century and features an inner courtyard with pillars.

 

 

April 5th - The next day saw us at the Dutch-owned island of Curacao, as we docked at its port city, Willemstad.

The friendly inhabitants, first class hotels, wonderful climate, crystal clear seawater, fascinating multi-colored architecture, pontoon bridge, rich fauna and flora, and the many possibilities for excursions and entertainment make Curacao the Caribbean tourist favorite. We walked many blocks around Willemstad and had a beer at a local café. We also visited Mikve Israel - Emanuel Synagogue (dedicated in 1732) which had a sand floor. This evokes the forty-year wanderings of the early Jews in the Sinai Desert. Another reason for the sand floor hearkens back to earlier days when the Jewish people lived under threat of persecution and they used sand to muffle the sounds of their worship as they gathered in secret rooms.

April 6th - Our last island stop was Aruba, also a Dutch-owned island. We hopped the local bus here at its port city of Oranjested and travelled to the hotel strip, where we walked around and spent some time on the beach. It was extremely hot here.

April 7th - Today was our last full day and it was at sea. We walked the decks and generally relaxed.

April 8th - We docked back at Bridgetown this morning to be transferred to the airport - we arrived home at nearly midnight after having to land in Hamilton because of foggy conditions in Toronto.

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