Caribbean 2022 - Day 19 - Sunday 30 Jan

Aruba is the smallest of the ABCs but it has the same population as the largest. It’s GDP is only a little higher, yet the island feels so much happier and at ease with itself.

We’re parked up next to Freewinds, an ancient ship that is the Church of Scientology high-level training centre. Seen before out and about around the Caribbean, but since Covid she’s been moored in Aruba. At over 50 years I imagine there’s a lot of running costs, so it’s probably easier to stay put. The staff get a briefing as we watch. Tom Cruise was not seen haha!

We start by wandering downtown, past some colonial buildings, and current administration offices. Passing the 1845 church, as it’s Sunday the ladies are out in their finest, organ playing in the ether, it’s all very special.

After admiring some delightful old buildings we turn to our route proper, and for a minute do banta with a group of homeless street people. With no disrespect we are soon beyond them and heading out of town, a planned path to a special church right on the other side of the island. It takes us two hours to cross to the eastern side, during which time we pass though all sorts or areas - Dutch, Spanish, Mexican, all with particular cultural memes, the ‘good morning’ greeting becoming entirely in Spanish. We know we’re approaching the church when the stations of the cross are posted on the roadside.

The church is tiny, but there are benches outside arranged in concentric circles for the flock to sit if the internal seats are all occupied. As we are here on Sunday we witness locals coming and going continuously.

Whilst we’re close we also pop up to the nearby water tank, not so much an exciting tourist attraction, but built high above the area the view is lovely. This visual also allows me to make a variation to our route so we head off-piste back towards the western coast, where most of the beaches and all the hotels are located. We spot a pair of Falcons, Crested Caracara to be precise, overseeing their territory from their unassailable vantage point atop adjacent cacti.

It’s an hour or so before we hit the coast, or not quite since there’s no promenade here, just hotels right to the waters’ edge so we walk a street in, where we could be on any tourist road anywhere - restaurants galore, shops, cafés etc. I decide I’m missing pasta from our diet, so demand the one thing that seems impossible - every Italian restaurant we pass is closed - well it is Sunday! Finally one is open, and it’s huge, doing a roaring trade in “Brunch and bottomless Bellinis” so the crowd is raucous. We enjoy excellent fettuccine Alfredo pollo and ravioli fungi with very strong (for me) Peroni - compared to UK anyway.

It’s now six miles back to the ship as we follow the coast, dodging the bloody e-scooters but otherwise enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

A modern art installation all around town celebrates the horse and its association with Aruba.

After sixteen miles we’ve earned a swim and cocktail before going home very early to dress for an important dinner that starts at 18:00.

Over the years we have enjoyed many special dinners - this is a vaguely strange thing to write since every dinner is marvellous - however tonight’s is a tasting menu which the company tends to offer once per cruise. Take up is very low, indeed last cruise it failed to gain sufficient momentum, but that’s just a reflection of the predominant cliente, on European cruises there is a far higher likelihood of success.

We start with drinkies and canapés in a bar with live piano accompaniment - the brandy cocktail is good, and neat smoked brandy is also available, an unwise aperitif perhaps, so I have to have one, still smoking!

After chatting with the circulating officers for a while we head to Pinnacle Grill, our regular home anyway, but closed to others tonight.

Dinner is lovely, only the portion size is a cause for comment, but we’re alone with this opinion, everyone else wolfs it all down!

We have a great time with Tasha or regular server, even a dance or two, and meet a delightful couple on an adjacent table who are cruising crazy - we expect to meet them on the world cruise in a few years.