CHRISTMAS IN THE CARIBBEAN

Traveling in early December during our most recent cruise meant it was the first time we had traveled during the Christmas holidays. It gave us the opportunity to glimpse at other countries' Christmas decorations; these decorations would be mixed among palm trees and the warm temperatures of the Caribbean.

Pre-cruise we stayed in Old San Juan for two days. Old San Juan is one of my favorites cities: its cobblestone streets and architecture remind me of Europe except with the Caribbean colors' twist.

Our hotel, El Convento, was beautiful decorated: Pots of poinsettia plants everywhere...

and a beautiful Christmas tree to greet guests...

Red and gold balls and foliage decorated two huge wreaths on the entrance gates of the governor's mansion in Old San Juan...

while golden-color burlap ribboned the trees lining the calle leading to the mansion...

Our cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, had decorative garland lining all of the decks...

and a beautifully white-light tree standing in the atrium...

Red-ribboned wreaths greeted us on our arrival to the island of St. John...

Red-bowed trees surrounded the fountain in the middle of Independence Square in Basseterre, St. Kitts...

Christmas trees and a snowman greeted us in the Aruba cruise terminal

With one particular ornament we made sure we knew where we were...

Our first visit to Curaçao did not disappoint. From the woven twig reindeer and trees decorating the shopping area next to the Renaissance Hotel and Casino...

to the holiday decorations interspersed in Queen Wilhelmina Park...

Curaçao was beautiful.

Actually, as you can see, these decorations weren't different from anything one would see in a front yard in the U.S. However, isn't to experience different countries, islands and cultures anytime of the year is the reason one travels?

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by me in December, 2015. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

ARUBA'S NATURAL BRIDGES

Our first trip was back in 2002, so we were really excited that one of the port stops on our recent cruise was Aruba. It was the main reason we booked this cruise: we wanted to revisit Aruba.

On September 2, 2005, one of Aruba's most famous tourist attractions, the Natural Bridge, collapsed. Located on the much windier, northeastern side of the island, the natural bridge was formed out of the coral limestone. Years of trade winds pounding waves against the shore erodes the rocks and forms a cave. At the same time rainwater runs down the cracks into the rock gradually dissolving the limestone. Over the years the result will form a natural bridge. Below are photographs we took during our visit in 2002:

 

Before its collapse this natural bridge was the longest and highest in the Caribbean with an arch span of over 100 feet and a standing height of 23 feet above the sea.

We knew we wanted to see the remains of the collapsed natural bridge, so we rented a jeep once we departed the cruise ship. Even though it had been many years since we had been to Aruba, we remembered how to get to the other side of the island. NOTE: If you want to drive along the northeast coast, you have to rent a jeep. A car will not be able to maneuver the incredibly rocky terrain.

It was sad to see the fallen remains...

We even tried to duplicate the photo of my husband that we had taken all those years ago of him standing on the large boulder in front of the remains...

Fortunately there are other natural bridges along the beautiful northeast coast.

There is the Baby Natural Bridge...it's fun to climb up on the bridges for better views of the sea.

Ironically right next to the collapsed natural bridge is another pretty large natural bridge.

By climbing up on this bridge you can get a great view of the collapsed remains of the other natural bridge and the force of the waves that created all these natural bridges.

If you visit Aruba, don't just stay on the calmer "hotel" side. Explore the windy, eastern side. The turquoise water is crystal-clear...

and there are actually small beaches to enjoy.

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by me in December, 2015. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

CRUISE PORT: ST. JOHN, USVI

We just visited St. Thomas on our previous cruise in April (click here to read that blog post), so for this recent cruise we decided to take the ferry over to the island of St. John. We looked at it as the opportunity to check off another island on our bucket list.

From the Charlotte Amalie cruise port we shared a 20-minute taxi ride with a few other ship passengers to the town of Red Hook on the far eastern tip of St. Thomas. It is from Red Hook that the ferry to Cruz Bay, St. John departs. For just $7.00 one-way we experienced a delightful ride across Pillsbury Sound...

Oh, how beautiful is Cruz Bay! As we glided towards the pier, we passed sailboats moored in the multi-shaded turquoise water with St. Thomas behind us...

The small beach to the left of the ferry dock is lined with a row of swaying palm trees...

Instead of booking a shore excursion we rented a jeep so we could explore the island on our own. It is easy to get a jeep rental on the island. Just off the pier there are taxi drivers and jeep rental representatives waiting for tourists' business. We were taken to Bougainvillea Leasing Company, where for $88.75 we were able to rent a Jeep Wrangler with automatic transmission and air conditioning. The real fun of the car rental: They drive on the left side of the road on St. John!

How much fun is it to explore an island on your own?  You can stop when you want to take in gorgeous views of Cruz Bay like this...

It is very easy to drive on St. John (excluding of course remembering to stay to the left). The hilly, curvy North Shore Road is true to its name: it runs along the north shore of the island. Every mile is a different famous beach. We started at Hawksnest Bay Beach.

Idyllic! Crystal-clear water, sugar-soft sand.

We continued driving east along the North Shore Road; our plan was to stop at each of the famous beaches for a few minutes to walk along the shore and take photos. However, three issues prevented us from doing that:

First: We arrived at Trunk Bay, but we were put off by the sign showing there is a $5.00 per person fee. Now, if we were planning to spend the afternoon at Trunk Bay Beach, we would have no issue paying the $10.00, but we only wanted to walk along the beach for a few minutes and take some photos.

Therefore, we skipped Trunk Bay Beach and drove on towards Cinnamon Bay Beach and Maho Bay Beach. Here is where we encountered the second issue: lack of parking. Believe it when you read the complaints by visitors renting cars only to discover full parking lots by the time they reach the most popular beaches. It's true.

So we were only able to photograph the beaches from the roadside pull-offs...here is the long stretch of Maho Beach.

Since we were unable to visit the other beaches due to lack of parking, we decided to go back to Trunk Bay and pay the fee because there was parking available there. That is when we encountered our third issue: rain. The dark clouds came in, a heavy rain fell which basically ended our tour of the beaches. We even returned back to Hawksnest Beach because of the parking availability and no fees, but the rain continued.  By this time, it was getting to be the time when we had to start our return back to the ship, so we decided to return the jeep. Of course, that is when the rain stopped and the sun returned!

We still had a wonderful day on St. John. The views of the crystal-clear, multi-iridescent water are incredible...

and the buildings on St. John are so Caribbean colorful.

We will visit the Virgin Islands on another cruise later in 2016 and plan to return to St. John to complete our beach explorations even if we have to scuffle for a parking space.

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by my husband and me in December, 2015. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

BOTANIC GARDENS' WONDERLAND EXPRESS

In my previous post I mentioned our visit to the Chicago Botanic Gardens' Wonderland Express, the annual holiday display of model trains meandering through replicas of the famous skyscrapers and historic landmarks of Chicagoland, all of which are made of natural materials. The craftsmanship is just amazing; the details and use of natural materials so unique. Here are some of my favorite buildings and landmarks:

As a train crosses over the Michigan Avenue Bridge, replicas of famous skyscrapers such as the Sears Tower, Tribune Tower, AON Building and John Hancock Building stand along miniature conifer trees and poinsettia plants.

Behind the replica of Chicago's Union Station sit the Chase Tower and the Wrigley Building with its clock tower.

The detailing on the building replicas is so exact: even the famous Art Institute lions, with their unusual names of "On The Prowl" and "In An Attitude of Defiance", have on their Christmas wreaths.

Both the Museum of Science and Industry...

and the Field Museum were surrounded by miniature conifer trees, poinsettias and other festively-colored plants.

The trellis criss-crossing over the Great Lawn of the Pritzker Pavillion lies in front of the curls-of-tree-bark, Frank Gehry-designed band shell. It's all surrounded by small lighted conifer trees and multiple-colored poinsettias.

It's winter, so the new Maggie Daley skating ribbon has to be featured.

It's quiet now that the Bears season is over, but the stadium looks beautiful surrounded by poinsettias and dwarf fir trees.

Not only is the Michael Jordan statue in front of the old Chicago Stadium, but a tour bus holds a replica of one of the Blackhawk's Stanley Cups.

Plants such as Blue Carpet Juniper surround the famous Water Tower.

The Chicago History Museum is surrounded with beautiful greenery and bright red poinsettias.

Chicago is the home of President Obama, and his family home looks festive surrounded with beautiful red plants 

There's even a miniature replica of the Picasso sculpture.

This video shows you how volunteers and experts assemble the tracks, trains, greenery and buildings and how it all comes together, down to the snow falling on the delight visitors, both young and old.

Wonderland Express is open annually from the Friday after Thanksgiving through the New Year's weekend.

Thank you for visiting.

A Great Europe Trip Planner

All photos were taken by me. Unauthorized use is prohibited.