Curacao island may be the Caribbean’s best kept secret. It is perhaps best known for the vividly painted waterfront buildings in the capital city of Willemstad. This neighborhood, known as Handelskade, was developed after the Dutch claimed the island in 1634. Buildings tended to be two and three-story shops and residences built on…
Tag: Dutch
In Curacao They Call Her Queen Emma, But She’s Really a Swinging Old Lady
A steady stream of pedestrians crossing the Queen Emma Bridge in Willemstad, capital of the tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao, seemed unfazed by the shrill bell signaling that the floating pontoon bridge was about to open. “Why aren’t they hurrying?” I asked my tour guide, Howard. “The orange flag hoisted over the harbor…