In Aruba...

Morning!!

WHY is it so cold and damp!!?? I am freezing all the time. I wanted to come back to 70 degrees! NOT 48 degrees...
Oh well, soon enough I guess...

The "waves" keep on rolling underneath me as if I was still out at sea. But, I know it is quite normal and that it will pass in a couple of days.

Anyway!

Day 3, Aruba...

As I said in my earlier posts about this trip the bed was like a dream! We all slept so good. Peter and I slept in a king size and Karolina snoozed in a pull down bed above us.
This morning we ordered room service because we had to be on the pier at 8 AM sharp to catch our first sightseeing tour. It was also so fun to watch the ship dock.
Aruba...
Hot and rugged and with the most turquoise sea I have ever seen!!!



Oranjestad in Aruba, and the rugged surface of the island consisting of old, sharp corals.

We took a ride on a bus that we had booked thru the cruise line. On this particular bus tour we really did feel like true tourists. We were among the youngest on the tour. We had a bout 10-20 minutes at every stop. Needless to say; we wished we had booked something else. But, I guess it was a good way to see Aruba on super speed.



Aruba did remind me of my beloved island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It had the same feel to it---rugged, scarse, intriguing and just wonderful!! In a way I thought the light was similar, too...



And the beaches!! My goodness!! The sand was as white as snow and the water had this AMAZING color to it. AND, it (the water) was calm, at least on the south coast of the island. No, these pics are not photoshopped.



A view from a hill.
You can see the harbor and the humongous cruise ships. Ours is the one on the right side.
And take a look at the desert like landscape that is SO Aruba.



The north coast of the island...I loved it!! This is the so called natural bridge.
Aruba is located only 15 miles from Venezuela (about 24 kilometers).




In the afternoon we had booked another excursion (thru the cruise line as well). This excursion was of a differernt character, to say the least. We boarded the "pirate" ship to have some fun in the sun with snorkeling and swimming...
The first stop on this tour was snorkeling above the sunken vessel Antilla. We all jumped over board with our snoreling gear. First of all, just to jump off the ship was scary! AND then the water was so choppy and the current so strong. Karolina panicked, and I started to feel the same way. It was just not pleasant. Karolina and I jumped back on the boat again. Karolina in tears, and I was pretty much shaken up, too. Peter continued his snorkeling. No info on how to properly use the life wests. If we had gotten the right instructions I don't think we would have been so scared...




After a while the ship collected all the snorkelers and we headed into a cove near Eagle Beach. It was SO calm and lovely there! Karolina bit the bullet and jumped over board again, our brave girl! LOOK at the water!!!





AND, when the snorkeling was done the bar opened up! You could drink as much rum as you wanted. And yes, people did just that. I think I had two or three drinks.
Also, the rope swing was introduced! You could swing off the ship and land in the water. Karolina and Peter tried this. I was too chicken (of course).



Karolina is ready to swing...and off she goes into the water!

After this excursion it was time to head back to the ship! We were pretty beat. I think we took showers and rested for a while. This evening we decided to forego the dining room and instead dine at Windjammer (the cafeteria). The food was SOOO good!! And we had a good view of the setting sun.



We went to see a show and then we headed up to the pool deck for a late dip in the hot tub.
AND, when we came down to our cabin this cute little towel animal waited for us.




And now Blogger is messing with me. I don't seem to be able to up-load any photos by the moment. I don't know why...I wanted to write about Curacao as well. But, that has to wait until later on today...

Until then...HAVE a good time!!!