A Non-Shoppers Guide to Willemstad
Curacao's Capital Sights Extend Beyond the Shops
Santa Anna Bay, Queen Emma Bridge, Schottegat Bay,Congregation Mikve Israel-Emanuel, Bolivar Museum and floating market provide hours of cost-free Antilles sightseeing.
Your shopping friends say that Willemstad is their favorite cruise port of call in the southern Caribbean. What they probably don’t know is that Curacao’scapital has sights galore that don’t involve charge cards and packages.
Discovered in 1499 by one of Columbus' lieutenants, Alonso de Ojeda, Curacao was first settled by the Spaniards. In 1634, the Dutch captured the island. Peter Stuyvestant, who later was governor of New Netherlands (New York), became the settlement's governor in 1642. The English and French both tried without success to take over the country, and it actually did come under British rule on two occasions during the early 19th Century, only to be regained permanently by the Dutch in the 1815 Treaty of Paris.
Bridge Connection
Many of the city’s attractions can be reached on foot. Willemstad sits on either side of Santa Anna Bay -- the Punda (eastern area) and the Otrabanda (other side). The two are connected by the Queen Emma pontoon bridge, which swings open more than 30 times a day to let ships into the channel leading to the world's seventh busiest harbor, Schottegat Bay.
You may become so fascinated that you spend all your time strolling along the waterside promenade or sitting on one of its benches watching the ships come in. But if you do, you'll miss out on the island's historical places and contemporary pleasures. But if you choose to wander, you’ll find the city is a walker’s delight.
Historical Treasures
Just a few blocks from the harbor, the synagogue of Congregation Mikve Israel-Emanuel stands on a narrow street in the Punda called Hanchi Snoa. Established in 1651, the present building with its tall white columns and magnificent brass chandeliers, was constructed in 1732. The thick carpet of sand on the floor symbolizes the Israelites' flight to freedom through the desert. Services in the synagogue -- oldest in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere -- are held every Shabbat and holiday eve at 6:30 and 10 the next morning (open also Monday-Friday). When you visit, don't miss the courtyard museum with its priceless collection of ritual objects and memorabilia from Curacao's Jewish community.
For insights into early Latin American life. Go to the octagonal Bolivar Museum (Penstraat 126-8), of Simon Bolivar's sisters while they were in exile. Furnished with antiques, it contains exhibits relating to the liberation of South America from Spanish domination. A carillon, sculpture and antiques are among the items showcased inside the 19th Century building which houses the Curacao Museum.
Meandering and the Market
One of the most interesting walks on the island is along Penstraat east of the Temple Emanuel Jewish Reformed Synagogue. Dutch-Caribbean style houses, in rainbow shades and various states of repair, line this seaside street. Some of them have crumbling steps and are overgrown with cascades of cerise and purple bougainvillea; others have been painted so that they look like the pages from a beautifully illustrated storybook.
Awnings of magenta, green, red, yellow and blue billow over the Dutch tile counters of the floating market on Santa Anna Bay. The market is at its most colorful each morning as Curacoans stuff mangoes, bananas, onions, fresh nutmeg; chiles, limes, cinnamon sticks and potatoes brought by schooner from Venezuela into their shopping bags. Vendors sing along with the ranchero music on their radios, while the schooners' crews play cards, fish, or lounge in hammocks on the boats' decks.
You may decide to explore some of the eight forts that guarded the island. Be aware, though, that several of them have been converted into shopping spots.
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