Aruba!

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Aruba!



Our final port of call was Aruba, an island we have visited twice before and love. We decided not to,book a tour this time but to explore the town and surrounding area on our own.



Leaving the ship at just after 7 am was probably, in hindsight, a bit too early.....nothing was open when we first went out. Little little has been here twice before and so, on this occasion, pew bunny accompanied Dave and I on an adventure.



We had a quick breakfast at a traditional Dutch cafe and then set about wandering around until the shops and stalls opened. Aruba is a beautiful Caribbean island, one of the ABC islands and boasts too, equally gorgeous coastlines. The Caribbean and the Atlantic. If you want to be a beach bum and lounge on the Caribbean sand then, yes, Aruba can offer this...but if, like us, you prefer to explore the hidden more rustic, places then this happy little island can offer time too.



We have been before and decided to try to see at least one thing we had not seen....this lead us to the old fort and an epic climb up several (almost ladder) like steps until we had made it to the top. It really didn’t feel all that safe climbing the ladders....some of the banisters were loose where they attached to the walls but it was still good fun.



We were the only people in the tower and very much alone in our climb to the top!



Once we reached the last ladder, Dave poked his head out at the top and announced that he didn’t think the roof was safe to stand on. He came back down the ladder and I took a look....poked my head out and then clambered up onto the roof of the fort. It was safe.... the felt roof was only a covering and had solid wooden beams beneath it.



Once I convinced Dave to join me we enjoyed the view that being at the top of the fort offered us. The wall around the top was quite low and it was a really weird feeling to lean over it and look at the ground so far below.



Getting down from the tower was not as easy as climbing up had been.... we had to lower ourselves down the first hole in the roof and feel for the ladder/steps with our feet.... nerve wracking so high up! There were no staff members with us either....it was a lone tour.



Pew bunny did really well climbing up and even posed for a few pictures.



The rest of our day was spent walking, walking walking and looking at the array of shops in the Main Street and little side alleys. By the end of our day in Aruba we had walked 15.7 km....in blazing intense heat lol.



By the time we got back to the ship we were exhausted and ready for a swim.... that was our last stop and, today, we enjoyed a day at sea relaxing on our last formal night. one more sea day tomorrow.



After tomorrow we will be in Fort Lauderdale and spend one more night before flying home.

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